444. Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without booze and family, would it? Our coffeecake brunch needed something to round it out, and that something was Mikkeller’s Rauch Geek Breakfast, renamed for the U.S. market because we’re easily confused. Now that’s the breakfast of champions! Since Mikkel Borg Bjergsø is a gypsy-brewer, this beer was brewed and bottled at Nøgne Ø in Grimstad, Norway. You know what that means, don’t you? Grimstad water is in the house! This is our second beer from Mikkeller; the last one was Simcoe Single Hop IPA.

Described on the label as a “smoked oatmeal stout brewed with coffee,” Rauch Geek Breakfast pours a rich dark chocolate with plenty of red in it, and a fair amount of garnet highlights as well. There is minimal head retention for the brief cafe au lait colored foam produced during the initial pour, and subsequent pours dissipated pretty quickly as well. The nose is mostly smoked malt and that slightly sour aroma that comes with smoked beers—there is a bit of darker malt sweetness, but it is pretty well buried under the smoked malt. Opening with chocolate and smoke flavors, Rauch Geek Breakfast moves into a roasty and smoky middle that is also dry and lightly mineral-ly. There is a touch of coffee, but it comes across more as roasted flavors—the smoked malt seems to be covering over the coffee almost completely. The finish features a return of chocolate along with a light peat-y smoke character with a touch of sweetness to close things out, followed by a lingering smoky sourness. Rauch Geek Breakfast has a silky smooth mouthfeel via the oatmeal; there is also a fair share of dryness, which is either created or accentuated by the smoked malt, and a slight accumulation of warmth in the back of the throat. The carbonation helps dry out the beer as well, but is only minimally present across the profile. An interesting and enjoyable beer, but one that comes across more as a dark smoked beer than it does as an oatmeal stout—the smoked malt character is excellent, but it does cover over other more nuanced flavors in the beer, like the coffee.

From Beer News: “It is the same recipe as Beer Geek [Breakfast Stout] but with all the base malt replaced with smoked malt.”

ABV: 7.5%

(12/25/2010)

436. Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter

It’s been a while, but Great Divide is back in the house. I had this on tap a while ago at South Park Tavern and really enjoyed, so I am happy to see it making it into the bottle—that means I can salt a few away along with the other Baltic Porters and Alaskan Smoked Porters I’ve got hidden in the basement. After all, these do get better with age. We’re one off the baker’s dozen with Great Divide—give us a little bit, and we’ll make that happen: 16th Anniversary Wood Aged DIPA, Hercules DIPA, Wild Raspberry Ale, Hibernation, Samurai Rice, Hoss, Oak Aged Yeti, Fresh Hop, Double Wit, 15th Anniversary DIPA, and Denver Pale Ale. Num num.

Described on the label as both “sultry” and “regal,” Smoked Baltic Porter pours a rich, deep chocolate brown; viewed through the light, there are some alluring garnet highlights. The head is a tannish ivory that is initially rather prominent, but quickly reduces to a ring with some slight overall coverage. In addition to the clearly discernable smoked malt presence in the nose, there is a bit of a muted dark fruitiness competing with the smoke character—it’s competing, but currently losing terribly. Flavors start smoky with just a touch of greasiness from the smoke—it is just below being bacon-y. There is also a light roastiness mixed with the rich malt before giving way to a dark fruit flavor in the middle that has black cherry characteristic to it—here, the fruit flavor is getting the upper hand on the smokiness. The finish features a return of the smoke flavor that mixes well with the clean finish from the lager yeast—everything else drops off, allowing the smokiness to tantalizingly linger on the tongue and the back of the mouth. As the beer warms, there are some nutty flavors that emerge in the front of the beer, and some light chocolate in the middle and finish. The body is surprisingly light when compared to the complexity of flavors; while part of this is due to the lager yeast (or at least cold fermented ale yeast), it is also possibly due to a lower ABV: only 6.2%, putting it on the lighter side of the style. While the slightly chewy and slick viscous (that slick smoky greasiness) mouthfeel may make the body feel bigger, it is still rather easy and clean on the palate. Carbonation does help emphasize the smoke in the finish—the bite in the final third cuts the fruit and cleans the palate, allowing the smoke flavors to reassert themselves in the finish. All in all, I am smitten with this beer—it might be able to give Alaskan Smoked Porter a run for the money. Well-balanced, subtle, and complex Smoked Baltic Porter is certainly worth seeking out; we’re making it a Top 10 Best contender. Oh, how I have missed you, Great Divide.

From the bottle: “Smoked Baltic Porter is the sultry sister of a storied style. Brewed with traditional German malts and hops, this dark lager gets its special twist from a hefty addition of Bamberg smoked malt. This smoldering, medium-bodied lager is sure to please. Smoked Baltic Porter is smooth, smoky, and dark...mysterious enough yet?”

Here’s another review of Great Divide’s Smoked Baltic Porter from The New School beer blog, September 10, 2010.

ABV: 6.2%
Bottled on: August 6, 2010

(12/4/2010)

406. Jeffrey McElfresh Smokey Brown

Here comes day 2 of my new most favorite week of the year: Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. Tonight’s delicious victim is Jeffrey’s Smokey Brown, which, not surprisingly, pours a clear toffee brown color with some slight red highlights. The head is tan and persistent, but not abundant, and the nose has a touch of malt sweetness, although the smoky wood aroma almost completely covers it over. There is also just a touch of that alluring bacon-like wood smoke aroma you find in classic Rauchbiers. Smokey Brown opens with a mix of dark malt sweetness and smokiness—there’s some chocolate and biscuit flavors mixed with the smoke that create a toasty richness, all in pleasant harmony. There is a slight rise in sweetness in the middle, with molasses and brown sugars hints that emerge in conjunction with some of the smoked wood flavor, leading into the dry finish that contains small amounts of bitterness and lingering rich smoke flavors at the back of the throat. As the flavors disperse, there is a nutty flavor that crosses the back of the tongue. The beer has a medium body with a creamy, almost chewy carbonation—it is low to medium and soft; mixed with the smoke flavors, it has a slickness and substance that sits pleasantly on the mouth. Smokey Brown does have some smokiness and tackiness that also contributes to the mouthfeel. This beer is a study in balance between the smoked malt and beer characteristics. The overall experience and sensation of drinking this beer is wonderful—this beer is heavenly. Of all of Jeffrey’s beers that I have tried, this is hands down my favorite. Damn, that’s some tasty beer.

Guess who’s bringing sexy back like Timbaland and Timberlake?

P.S. I’ll bet you didn’t know that Smoky Brown is the name of a type of cockroach. Further, it’s also the name of outsider artist Smoky Brown. That’s what Google is for, isn’t it?

(8/31/2010)

392. Sixpoint Signal

Since I like to pretend I’m a jet-setting trendsetter, this Tuesday found me flying to Brooklyn (well La Guardia, actually) to harass my friends Adam and Jenn. While Brooklyn means many things to many people, to me it spells good food and good drink. And not necessarily in that order. Adam and my initial wanderings post-airport pickup led us to some afternoon barhopping, including a stop at the Pacific Standard, a delightful bar with a stellar line-up of options (see also here). My choice was Sixpoint Signal from Sixpoint Craft Ales, which is located in Brooklyn, NY (don’t worry, there’ll be more from them soon). As for my notes on the beer, I didn’t take any. Let’s just say the beer was good. I did steal one of the bar menus, so I’ve included their description of the beer below. Sorry, but it’s called a vacation for a reason.

From the Pacific Standard bar menu: “Signal, a very-limited edition beer that was brewed in honor of New York City’s official Good Beer Month, and debuted at the Meatopia BBQ, is a light, fruity beer that’s good summer drinking, with just a faint note of smoke that helps it to go with barbecued meats. Get it while you can, because it won’t be around much longer. ABV unknown, probably low.”

I found this variously listed as an APA and an American IPA. Anyone want to help out here?

(7/27/2010)

379. Jackie O’s Bourbon Barrel Smoked & Portered

This beer marks the second growler from Jackie O’s that I brought back from my Athens Beer Week hijinx. Beer judging is all well and good, but everyone likes treats brought back from my travels abroad. And why else wander the world if not to sample and sup upon the fine wares of other regions? I certainly enjoy that component of my travels, I’ll tell you. As to the other beers we’ve had from Jackie O’s, here’s the list from an earlier post.

BB Smoked & Portered pours a deep chocolate brown with a light tan head; the nose is oaky, smoky, and creamy, with chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruit, including raisin, after the first rush of oak and smoke. Flavors start with chocolate and smoke with a bit of acorn; the middle is coffee and a bit more smoke, followed by light bourbon and oak flavors. The finish is creamy and rather clean with a return of the acorn and oak; there is a bit of lingering alcohol flavor on the palate, but nothing distracting. BB S & P has a medium to heavy body with a chewy and creamy mouthfeel; the carbonation is minimal but lightly present on the palate—combined oaky and tannic bite that dries out the palate, the beer finishes rather dry. In fact, it smells far sweeter than it tastes, but it has a very mellow and nuanced body. There are also some roasted flavors in the middle that work well in rounding and building the complexity of the flavor profile. Overall, this beer is a study in balance and complexity—it certainly doesn’t taste or drink like a 9.0% ABV beer, even though there is a bit of alcohol flavor. BB S & P is smooth, easy drinking, and delicious. We wish we could get a couple of bottles of this to sit back on and see how they aged. While the smoke would probably drop out, some of the other flavors might get richer with age. We’ve also been wondering what their regular porter tastes like—after all, if it is the base for this beer, then it’s got to be good. We’re already looking forward to our next trip to Athens, and another chance to visit Jackie O’s for some great beer.

From the Jackie O’s website on June 9, 2010: “The BB (Bourbon Barrel) aged Smoked and Portered was kegged last week after close to 5 months of aging. The barrel mellowed out nicely. The smoke is still the initial characteristic that jumps out. Underneath lies some great oak and subtle bourbon notes. The body is fairly light for a porter but still carries some weight.”

(7/14/2010)

368. Heavy Seas Smoke on the Water Imperial Smoked Porter

Another big bottle from Heavy Seas; while it is sadly not another cask, it was certainly much tastier than our last beer from them. As with the Below Decks, Smoke on the Water is part of the Mutiny Fleet. This is our fourth beer from Heavy Seas, including Heavy Seas Cabernet Barrel Aged Below Decks, Clipper City IPA/Loose Cannon Cask and Loose Cannon 420 Cask.

More sweet World Cup action to accompany our beer...

Smoke on the Water (cue repetetive power chords) pours a rich dark chocolate with a minimal cocoa head that quickly reduces to a ring around the edge of the glass. The nose is a nice balance of roasty and chocolate, with a touch of rauchbier smokiness that has just a bit of bacon-y greasiness. Flavors start with a sweet chocolate with a bit of roasted malt in the background before moving into smokiness in the middle along with lighter cocoa flavors. The smokiness picks up in the final third, along with bitterness and dryness, although there is a touch of lingering roasty chocolate sweetness to accompany the smoky dryness. Smoke on the Water has a medium body with a chewy yet dry mouthfeel—it’s chewy and sweet on the palate at the start, but a bit flat, dry, and crackery towards the end even as the smoky slickness picks up. There is also a slight touch of sourness at the end from the smoke flavors. Smoke on the Water has a good flavor and mouthfeel throughout, although it does shift from front to back. Carbonation is medium to low; it rounds and shapes the beer, but doesn’t have much bite or variation on the tongue. There is a bit of warmth that emerges as the beer warms, but nothing that changes much in regards to the profile. Smoke on the Water is an enjoyable beer—the smokiness is well-balanced, and the light touch of greasy slickness from the smoke is well done. Tasty and delicious.

From the Heavy Seas website: “This first time release boasts complex roasted malt flavors with a hint of smoke. Available in 22oz bottles and limited draft.”

ABV: 8.0%

(7/3/2010)

233. Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout

Beer number four from Dark Horse Brewery; we’ve run through Too Cream Stout, One Oatmeal Stout and Crooked Tree IPA (we skipped the Tres Blueberry Stout as it suited neither of out palates when we tried a sample of it on tap).

Fore Smoke Stout pours a thick dark opaque brown with a creamy brown head; there are a couple of red highlights along the edges of the glass, but there’s not a lot of light getting through this one. The nose is roasty with light burnt and smoked malt aromas; the flavor starts much the same way—big roasted malt front before moving into some sweetness and light burnt notes, and finishing with a bit of smokiness and a combination of lingering roasted and burnt flavors. Fore has a chewy rich mouthfeel and a medium body that is well rounded; the carbonation is rather low—the bite is more from roasted flavors than carbonation. Fore Smoked Stout is not as exciting as the Two Cream Stout, although we had that one on tap and this one out of the bottle. At some point we should probably get a bottle of all four of the Dark Horse stouts and give them all a thorough going over...

From the Dark Horse website: “Number Four - Brewed with all malted barley and peat malt (smoked malt). This beer is full bodied with chocolate, roasted barley flavors, and a smokey almost BBQ finish.”

And who exactly is drawing these labels? Dark Horse is certainly going low-tech.

(2/18/2010)

123. Bristol’s Smokebrush Porter

Our second beer from Bristol’s Brewing Company in Colorado Springs, CO—our last beer by them was Red Rocket Pale Ale. Smokebrush is a robust porter.

Smokebrush Porter pours a deep brown with red highlights and a creamy tan head. The nose has a sweet roasted character to it with chocolate and crystal malt aromas in the background. The front is dry and chocolaty with some dark sweet malt flavors that lead into a roasty middle and finishing with a return of the dryness and some light smoke flavors. Smokebrush has a light body that is initially creamy with the chocolate, but the creaminess dies towards the middle and end of the beer. Carbonation is present, but not obtrusive—it’s mainly neutral, like Switzerland. This tastes quite a bit like a Schwarzbier, which may be why I like it so much & why Elli doesn’t; it could use a bit more complex of a malt profile to create a wider range of flavors. Overall, I give it a big thumbs up, but Elli thinks it stinks. And yes, I know that rhymes.

From Bristol’s website: “Our city would be a bland and humorless place without the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts. Since 1992, their random acts of creativity have made us smile, made us think, reminded us of our better selves. Besides, any group that could bring us both a gallery of contemporary art and a giant, drivable toaster has our enthusiastic support. That’s why 100% of the profits from this beer will go to support Smokebrush's Creative Community Efforts, like the Uncle Wilber Fountain. So enjoy this mahogany-hued blend of richly roasted malts and subtle smoke character. We call it art for art's sake.”

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 30
Malts: 2-Row, Crystal, Chocolate, Smoked Malt, and Peated Malt Munich

Hops: Mt. Hood & Columbus

Today’s BJCP class focused on off flavors and troubleshooting, and specifically on learning to identify the different types of faults that can emerge while brewing beer. Today’s class was led by Gordon Strong (yes, that Gordon Strong). His basic advice was to learn to see, smell, and taste faults in beers, and to learn the proper ways to describe these faults. He further advised learning about what part of the brewing process creates particular types of faults (i.e. is it related to initial production, like with the mashing or from the boil, related to fermentation, or due to infection), and a reciprocal knowledge of styles for where particular faults are appropriate and where they are not. We spent a good portion of the time discussing the tensions between perceptions and adherence to guidelines/judging beers. Our tasting list for the day included:

Rolling Rock: fault example: DMS: light sulfur-based smell; canned corn juice flavor; overcooked vegetable taste. DMS is a volatile, and can aerate off during the boil.
Budweiser: fault example: acetaldehyde: yeast derived flavor; found in the finish; Budweiser calls it part of their “snappy” finish.
Moosehead: fault example: skunky: also known as light struck; this is a chemical reaction caused by the reaction of bitter compounds in hops with sunlight, which transforms compound into the chemical that skunks spray; commonly found in clear and green glass beers.
Samuel Smith Pale Ale: fault example: diacetyl (vs. caramel): fermentation flaw caused by premature separation from yeast; is a by product of yeast metabolism; can be induced by pumping O2 into beer while fermenting; in nose, it is diacetyl, while it emerges as a caramel butter flavor in the body, which helps build toffee flavors.
Old Speckled Hen: fault example: skunk/stale/oxidized: some paper flavor; flavors get muted and dry.
Gueze Girardin 1882: fault example: sourness: lactic sourness; flavors include grapefruit zest and woody characteristics.
Schneider-Weisse fault example: cloudy/phenolic: clove in nose and taste; yeast suspended in beer.
Green Flash West Coast Ale: fault example: bitter/astringent: hop derived; volume of vegetal matter leads to astringent bitter flavor, while astringency or drying in mouthfeel created by residual bitterness that is harsh.
Harvest Ale ’99: fault example: sherry/alcohol/fruity: sherry flavors created by oxidation; good oxidation improves with age; melanoidins oxidize to make sherry and dark fruit flavors.

Much of this discussion was designed to prepare us to answer the main troubleshooting question on the BJCP test: T1. Describe and discuss the following beer characteristics. What causes them and how are they avoided and controlled? Are they ever appropriate and if so, in what beer styles? (three will be given)
a) cloudiness
b) buttery
c) low head retention
d) astringency
e) phenolic
f) light body
g) fruitiness
h) sourness
i) cooked corn
j) bitterness
k) cardboard
l) sherry-like
m) acetaldehyde
n) alcoholic

See? I told it wasn't just drinking beer and hanging out...

(10/31/2009)

111. Alaskan Brewing Company Smoked Porter (2008)

Our first beer from Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau, AK. Ah, the great white North. Or is that Canada?

Starting with a roasted, smoky, and chocolaty nose that has strong wood notes, Alaskan Smoked Porter gets smokier and more rauch-bier smelling as it warms. The color is a deep chocolate brown (it is almost coffee colored) that is nearly opaque with some red highlights and a creamy tan head that laces the glass. Alaskan Smoked Porter opens with a soft roasted malt front with a nice smoke presence that balances well with the malt, and moves into chocolate and darker flavors—either light burnt notes or coffee flavors—before finishing dry with some smoke and roastiness lingering on the palate. It has a rich, thick mouthfeel and creamy characteristics that balance nicely with the smoke to build a dry finish. A well balanced beer between the smoke and malt—both accentuate and build the beer collectively. As Elli informed me, “this is pretty good for a porter. Actually, it’s very good. I’d give it honorary Top 10 Best status. Not real Top 10 Best status, because it’s still a porter.”

From the bottle: “We applied the Alaskan tradition of alder-smoking to the malts of this rich, intensely flavored porter, a recognized leader among the world’s smoked beers. Enjoy it now or age it for several years.”

From the Alaskan Brewing Company website: “Smoked Beer. Known as ‘rauchbier’ in Germany, smoke-flavored beers were virtually unknown in the U.S. until Alaskan Smoked Porter was developed in 1988. The dark, robust body and pronounced smoky flavor of this limited edition beer make it an adventuresome taste experience. Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced in limited ‘vintages’ each year and unlike most beers, may be aged in the bottle much like fine wine. Water, five types of malt, 2 varieties of hops and yeast with no adjuncts, no preservatives and no pasteurization. Our glacier-fed water originates in the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field. Prior to brewing, selected malts are smoked in small batches under carefully controlled conditions in a commercial food smoker using local alder wood.

Vertical Tastings of Vintage Alaskan Smoked Porter: A unique aspect to smoked beers that we have found at the Alaskan Brewing Company is that the smoke acts as a preservative even in beer. The smoke combined with the yeast left in the bottle allows the beers flavor and aroma to evolve over time. We have been known to hold vertical tastings with a variety of vintage years of Alaskan Smoked Porter. As it ages, the smoke becomes more of a subtle background note. Around the third and fourth years the beer's other flavors such as sherry, currant, raisin, and toffee-like nuances come forward. The fifth year sees the reemergence of the smoky character to the forefront.”

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 45

OG: 1.068

(10/19/2009)