Swakopmund Brewing Company Special Brew & Helles

Posted on by Evan

As I cruise the west coast of Africa, I keep finding local beer. Recently, while touring Walvis Bay, Namibia, I had a late lunch in nearby Swakopmund. I found a brewpub restaurant Brewery & Butcher that made Swakopmund Brewing Company beers. The first beer I had was their Special Brew, a smoked beer. This beer was a bock beer with an ABV of 7.4%. This bock beer pours a dark brown with a big three-finger beige mushroom head. The aroma is smoky and malty. The taste is sweet, smoky, malty, and deep. This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. Then this beer finishes with a malted smoked flavor. The smoky flavor fades in the aftertaste with hints of fading sweetness. This was such a delicious beer that is an A+. This isn’t like inhaling a campfire and is quite drinkable. This is a beer that you should have. 

Then I had a smaller Helles Lager. This beer is 5.2% ABV. This lager pours a mildly golden color with a two-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a light bread note. The flavor is mildly sweet and fruity with subtle hop notes. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it has a semi-sweet finish. The aftertaste has fading sweetness and fruity flavors. This one was good, A-. It was refreshing and smooth. Easy to drink and another that is not to be missed. So if you are in Swakopmund, Namibia then you should go to the Brewer & Butcher. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly!

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. And The House Is On Fire Smoked Doppelbock Lager

Posted on by Evan

This beer from Charleston, South Carolina, is a smoked doppelbock lager, . This lager beer is 7.5%. This beer is a strong version of a German Bock beer made by German monks. This beer pours a deep amber color with a two-finger off-white head. The aroma is smokey, dry, and malty. The flavor is dark, smokey, dry, and malty. This has a medium feeling in the mouth. This bock beer comes with a smokey and dry, malt finish. The aftertaste is dark and dry with some smokey notes. This beer is not a big smoke bomb, and it isn’t like inhaling a campfire. But you do get just enough smokey flavor. I give this beer a B. The smoke is light and the overall flavor is good but a bit one-sided. I don’t think this is a beer where you could drink all four in a pack. The smoke would get to be a bit overwhelming. I would recommend And The House Is On Fire. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Schlenkerla Dopple Bock Oak Smoked

Posted on by Evan

Coming from Bramberg Germany this Dopple Bock of Double Bock is Schlenkla Dopple Bock Oak Smoked. This beer is 8% ABV and the malts are smoked with Oak instead of Beechwood. This smoked Doppel Bock uses Hallertau hops. This beer pours a brownish color with a two-finger beige head. The aroma is smokey, malted, and sweet. The flavor is smokey, sweet, malty, and lightly rich. This beer has a fuller feeling in the mouth. Then this beer has a smoked malt finish with light sweetness. Then comes a light smokey aftertaste with touches of malted flavors. This Smoked Dopple Bock is an A+. I’ve had the Marzen variety from Schlenkerla, and this is just as good, with a bit of a deeper overall flavor. I really suggest you try this and all of Schlenkerla’s beers. This beer is not heavy on the smoke flavor. It has just the right amount to make this a delicious beer. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup

Posted on by Evan

I love a smoked lager. Some can be like barbecue in a glass. This beer h Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup, 7% ABV. This beer takes eight weeks to produce in Newcastle, Maine, with real Maine maple syrup. This lager pours brown with a three-finger tan head that slowly fades. The beer has aromas of smoke with hints of maple sweetness. The flavor is sweet with maple and a little bit of smokiness. You don’t want too much smoke on a beer like this, nothing worse than drinking a campfire. Then this lager finishes with a light sweet smoked flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. When you get down toward the end of the maple becomes more pronounced. But over this is a good beer. Oxbow Brewing Co. Sap HAUS Smoked Lager with Maple Syrup is a B+. This smoked lager didn’t taste like you were drinking straight pure maple syrup. It had just the right amount of maple syrup flavor and smokey flavors. I would have this again. Please be kind, be safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Fonta Flora Brewery Hoppin’ John Lager

Posted on by Evan

Fonta Flora Hoppin’ John Lager, 5.2% ABV brewed in Nebo North Carolina with Sea Island Red Peas, smoked wheat and Carolina Gold Rice in collaboration with Buxton Hall Barbecue. Hoppin’ John pours a cloudy, smokey golden yellow color with a two finger white head that fades into a nice little white cap, giving off a smokey biscuit aromas. You then get a taste of what I can only describe as what a Big Green Egg smells like, it taste just like that with some light biscuity meat notes and finishes with a smokey yet faint meaty quality with a smoked wooden charcoal aftertaste with a medium mouthfeel. This is certainly different from most lagers and slightly different from most smoked beers it has a bit of a bbq meal quality to it that I give a B grade to. Fonta Flora Hoppin’ John Lager in my opinion taste like it should be had during mid fall season. It does invoke a feeling of a camp fire on a cool crisp dusk fall evening. I however recommend Fonta Flora Hoppin’ John Lager. I am Definitely going back to this beer. Please enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted January 15th, 2012

When you think of Germany and it’s the beer you think of Munich and Bavaria. But this a Rauchbier, which is a smoked beer style in the Bamberg area of Germany. Schlenkerla is the original smoke beer. This is a Weizen (wheat) variety of their smoked beer. This beer is 5.2% ABV and is dark amber with a thick foamy beige head. The color of this beer is a bbq like color, dark crispy slightly burnt edges of the meat. Schlenkerla has a smokey scent to it that really smells like fresh bbq being cooked. This is a very pleasant smell. Yes, there is a very faint wheat smells but it is overpowered by the smokey scent. This smokey brew here has a bbq taste that makes you think of ribs pulled pork and other good bbq staples. Yes, there is a wheat taste there but you really have search hard for it. This beer has a good smokey aftertaste that is very wonderful and tasty nothing like a heavy thick smoked porter. I really do think this would go great with a bbq brisket or a slab of ribs. This smokey guy is not heavy tasting nor does it stick to your stomach/ribs, no it’s semi-light drinkable and really good. Yes, they do brew three other types of smoked beer. You should try this one, it is surprisingly good. Cheers! Please drink responsibly!

Moody Tongue Brewing Applewood Gold

Posted on by Evan

This Moody Tongue Brewing Applewood Gold, 5.0% ABV is only the second beer I’ve had from Moody Tongue, this is a lager brewed with applewood in Chicago Illinois. Applewood Gold pours a golden color with a quickly fading two finger white head giving off a faint smokey biscuit aroma that leads into a biscuit flavors on the front of the tongue with a little faint fruit note on n the middle and a bit of smoke on the back that really builds in the finish with a big lingering aftertaste of smokey bacon with a light mouthfeel. This Applewood Gold is like drinking an Applewood bacon sandwich on a biscuit, but the flavors don’t seem to go together well, but individually they are good but this Moody Tongue Brewing Applewood Gold is a D+. On paper a lager brewed with applewood sound good but doesn’t hit the mark as a beer, it’s a lager then a smoke beer but it’s not both. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Triple C Brewing Co. Grill Friend Cherry Wood Smoked Amber Ale

Posted on by Evan

From my local Harris Teeter comes local Charlotte, NC Triple C Brewing Co.Grill Friend Cherry Wood Smoked Amber Ale, 5.5% ABV and Triple C uses Cherry Wood that you might find on a good smoker type of grill. Grill Friend pours a deep red/brown color with a nearly two finger beige head that slowly fades into a nice creamy top with wafting aroma of smoky cherry wood with hints of sweetness melding in with a faint bitter note that lead into a sweet yet light barbecue smoked flavor with a malty notes that is followed by a light and faint bitter note that finish with a nice smoked barbecue flavor and a nice semi sweetness and bits of nice smoked woods with a nice medium mouthfeel. Triple C Brewing Co. Grill Friend is a good be to have with barbecue meats, steaks or any hardy meal and is an A beer. I like the nice amount of smoky flavor on this, it isn’t overwhelming and tasting like your too close to the campfire. Grill Friend has just the right amount of Cherry Wood smoke to it so you can enjoy the beer while enjoy all the flavors. Yes I recommend Grill Friend. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Throwback Thursday: Triple C Brewing Co. Smoked Amber

Posted on by Evan

Originally posted on March 15th, 2015

A few years ago I stumbled onto the Smoked Beer style and found that I really like it. In Germany, it is known as Rauchbier. Some smoked beers can be really smoky which some would say it is like breathing in a campfire, and others are not as intense. Smoked beers come in a few sub-styles, like wheat, Marzen, Amber, and bock. This smoked beer is a local beer, Triple C Brewing Smoked Amber, 5.5 ABV, and 29 IBU. This is another beer delivered from the great people at BrewPublik (www.brewpublik.com). Triple C Brewing Co. is located here in Charlotte North Carolina. Triple C uses cherry wood smoked malts on this amber. Smoked Amber pours a deep hazy brown color that is a bit murky, with a two finger off-white head that dissipates at a steady pace and does leave behind some lacing. I found no light coming through the glass nor could I make out any carbonation bubbles. But the bubbles are there. The aroma on Smoked Amber is yes smoky like a barbeque. I found not as intense as some smoked beer are. I found a bit of caramel sweetness there as well. The taste is first malty and sweet with hints of caramel and nice accompaniment of smoky flavors. It reminded me of nice barbequed meat. Smoked Amber has a very faint smoky coffee flavor on the end. The mouthfeel is medium with a nice smoky, malty and sweet finish. The aftertaste is more reminiscent of a light smoky sweet coffee barbeque flavor. I know that those two kinds of flavors don’t go together but the barbeque flavor is more predominant than the coffee. I really enjoyed this beer a lot it is an A+ in my book. I really loved how every flavor worked well with one another. It was a well-brewed beer. I love the smoked beer style and I really enjoyed Triple C Brewing Co Smoked Amber. I really recommend trying this one for yourself. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!