Victory Scarlet Fire Rauchbier

On tap @ Victory. Clear amber with a whitish head. Sweet smoky ham aroma. Flavor is sweet malt with a smoke and roast bitterness. Medium body with a mild carbonation and a long smoky finish. Very well balanced smoked beer, a bit thin and watery but still good.

On tap at Zeno’s Pub - State College, PA. Flickr(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26049401@N08/3800900541/) Aroma throws a quick blast of dinner sausage, greasy bacon, and some spices. Herbal. Pours a rather pale orange, clear, with a tall finger of light tan creamy foam. Flavor blast initially with bacon and then fades towards a weisswurst or bayernwurst, then a dash more of rendered bacon fat, and a nip of almond skin. Then thinness. The body is underwhelming and doesn’t hold up to the smoke character which eventually fades to a dry, white ash, quite singular. With such a thin body, I’m not enamored with this version, especially as the smoke character gets ashy in the finish.

Amber color with medium head...smokey aroma with a smokey bacon aftertaste.. a well done rauch

On tap at the Brick Store, May 2008: Pours a transparent deep copper with a spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet toasty caramel with a big smoky character. Body starts lightly sweet and toasty caramely with a nice smoky balance and a touch of light fruits before a semi-dry finish. Has some lingering nice smoky notes. A good rauchbier.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Smokey bacon flavor, light soap and cracker crisp. Mellow and balanced and quite nice.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Pale amber colour. Aroma is very softly smokey. Light beechy sweetness with some soft munich malt character as well. Low esters, very clean and well-lagered. Flavour is soft and lightly malty. Soft with a nice herbal bitterness on the back as well. Light smokey sweet flavour. Lean palate with just a hint of breadiness. It’s a very nice, refreshing lighter-style rauchbier.

This beer is etched into my mind and psyche. Had this at the Victory event at Blind Tiger, 28 tap lines and this was by far the best. Got this first and then kept drinking others’ leftovers of this beer. Very clean easy drinking lager with a clear amber body. Aroma is strong on lightly sweet smoke. Taste is full of it as well. Absolutely no off flavors from the lager, very well attenuated and just great. This is perfect for a very smoke lager.

On tap at Victory. Pours a clear amber color with a decent sized thick white head. Aroma of sausage, light malt, caramel, toast. Flavor is toast, smoke, caramel, light earthy hops. Palate is medium bodied, medium carbonation, finished lightly bitter with a linger smoke. Great stuff and very under appreciated!