Les Trois Mousquetaires S.S. Rauchbier

Formerly brewed at Les Trois Mousquetaires
Style: Smoked
Brossard, Canada

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

(Originally written for the Spring 2010 issue of TAPS Magazine.) When reviewing a rauchbier, it’s hard not to make comparisons to the work of Aecht Schlenkerla, the masters of smoked beer from Bamberg, Germany. And as in most of those comparisons, this unfiltered dark lager brewed with smoked malt doesn’t quite stand up to the German classic – but it’s still a fine beer in its own regard. The pour reveals a slightly hazy mahogany body with a dark tan head. Wood smoke and bacon are prominent on the nose, but with a good amount of sweet roast malt and a hint of cocoa to balance. The flavour is both sweet and smoky, with notes of charred wood, coffee, chicory, and a finish that is both earthy and slightly tart. I brought a bottle along to a BYOB game meat dinner that featured rabbit, squab, elk and more, and I it was a perfect beverage to complement the meaty feast.

Pours dark brown with a light brown head made of large bubbles. Aroma of smoke and malts. Sweet smokey flavor with a bit of sour flavor around the edges of the tongue. I have to admit that I generally don’t like smokey beers and this one is no different. A bit too sweet without enough other flavor to cut the sweetness.

Smoke, roasted malts. Some fruit. Unimpressed off the start, but got significantly better as it warmed. My first rauchbier, not too bad.

pours dark brown, small dissipating head, micro-foamy CO2, ringed and some center retention, visible CO2 streams near the surface. Smoky wood and malt on the nose. Gentle start, smoky mildly 2/10 bitter malts up front, good body holds in the mid, tingly CO2 in the mids until finish. Chocolate, smoked wood, caramel malts, creamy mouthfeel. Medium-high depth, medium complexity, good carry, medium length. Excellent body for a 5% ABV beer, and good sweetness (4/10) level.

Forgot I had this guy sitting in a cupboard for the last year. The pour is a dark, nearly black body with nice amber tones on the bottom of the glass. A thick and heavy beige head that leaves a bit of spotty lacing. The nose is robustly roasted with a hint of earth, wood and chocolate tones amidst a mild smoked malt. The middle has a medium sweetness, well malted with a fantastic roast and nice toffee, caramel tastes. The finish has a subtle and increasing smoke that smoothens out to a mild earth and smoke in the aftertaste. This is a beautifully roasted Rauchbier that is incredibly smooth and easy to drink. It has the smoke and the woody, earthy tones, but they are more smooth and subtle than expected. The body is a bit thin compared to what this beer looks like. I think this is more like a smoked porter, but its delicious regardless.

Date: May 14, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Knightly Spirits, Orlando
Appearance: opaque dark brown, creamy tan head, drippy lace
Aroma: rich smokey aroma, dark chocolate, lots of earthy smoke
Flavor: rich choclate flavor, plenty of earthy smoke, just a touch of calancing caramel sweetness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

From bottle. This poured dark with very little head. A slight aroma of the smokiness but not as much as I’d expected. Taste hits with molasses and burnt chocolate then a subtle smokiness at the end

750mL c&c split at Churchkey with the gang: TURDFERGUSON, biggirlpanties, Travlr. A deep cola red pour looks blacker in the glass topped by a healthy, tan head. Decent retention and lace. Nose is sea salt, iodine, seaweed/nori, big umami savoriness like Vegemite/Marmite but not a lot of smoked character. As it decants, you gain fresh lemon and honeydew melon in the nose. Not what I was expecting. Taste is dark cherry cola, not too much smoke...perhaps salted meat and Vegemite. Mild lactic tartness in the finish. Not sure what happened here. It’s not bad...but it’s not a smoked beer.

Bottle shared with TURDFERGUSON and GT2. Clear maroon color, large brown head. Aroma of seawater, dark cocoa, cigars. Taste has dark fruits, subtle coffee, and a subdued smolder of smoke. Decent.

Bottle at Churchkey. Nose of saltwater, light smoke, coffee, cocoa. Papery, oxidation, saltwater, roast, smoke. Not a big fan.