Saugatuck Bonfire Brown

Brewed by Saugatuck Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Douglas, Michigan USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Bottle. Caramel/chocolate and barley malt aroma. Dark brown with small head. Lactic chocolate malt and mildly bitter herbal flavor. Nice body. Good beer - might be disappointing if you are expecting a smoky beer though.

Pours deep, red-brown with a short, light brown head. Cola aroma, nut..... Flavour is nutty, chocolate, caramel. Very lightly smoked...campfire, not meaty. Although not very smoky, a very nice, drinkable beer. Quite tasty.

Bottle. Nutty, caramel and chocolate malt aroma. Deep chestnut with a moderate brown head. Nutty roasty caramel malt flavor with a charred bitter finish. Light body, moderate carbonation. No real smoke character to speak of, just a standard brown ale.

bottle. Deep brown with small head. Decent, but unremarkable brown ale with a very slight hint of smokiness.

Aroma is fruit and hints of smoke and sweetness. The flavor is mildly smokey malts, fruit and a mix of tangy and smooth in the finish.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 3/3/2013. Pours hazy reddish brown color with a nice 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of caramel, chocolate, toffee, toast, cocoa, light nuttiness, light roast, brown bread, light smoke, and floral hops. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark malty notes, with good strength. Taste of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, toast, toffee, cocoa, brown bread, smoke, light char, light nuttiness, light coffee, floral, and light pine. Light pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, smoke, light char, toast, brown bread, coffee, and light pine on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of robust dark malt flavors; with a nice moderate hop balance; and minimal cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and lightly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an damn nice brown ale. Nice balance and complexity of robust dark malt flavors; and very smooth to drink. I don’t think I’ve had a smoked brown before, but this was very well done; very enjoyable offering.

Pours brown with a thick tan head that disappears quickly. Smells of roasted malts and brown sugar. Taste is all roasted malts with some smoke notes. Palate is medium bodied with a long tasty mouthfeel. Overall this is a great beer that I will be getting again.

Pour from a 12 oz bottle, six pack from Harding’s in Kalamazoo. Clear medium brown brew with small but persistent off white head. Aroma of sweet malt, roasted malts. Taste is sweet malts, some caramel at the start. Dark toasted or burn grains emerge, along with a mild nuttiness. Clean finish with a lingering smokiness / burnt grain taste. The char in the very finish is the only distinctively smokey element to this brew, though it carries a rich deep roasted / burnt malt flavor throughout. Palate is satisfying. Very enjoyable brown ale with some distinctive features and character. Good stuff!

This kind of reminds me of an American take on a so-called "Scottish" ale. It is mild and malty w/ a hint of roast and just a touch of smokiness. It pours a rather boring brown w/ a small white head but has a nice rich texture w/ soft carbonation that more than makes up for it. This is a full bodied brew but still quite drinkable. I am not sure I would have made this for a smoked beer if it didn’t say so in the commercial description. The hind of smokiness could easily have come from roasted malt or the yeast. This is a really nice beer for fans of milder brown ales or porters.

Bottle. Very good brown. Medium body, lots of malt / nut flavors, smooth -- not over carbonated. Strong recommendation.