Arbor Batch 1000 Smoked Lager

Brewed by Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery
Style: Smoked
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

While initial sips were interesting, and indeed it reminded me of scotch as promised, I became sick of the flavor. I shouldn’t have gotten a large.

10 ounce draught mug at the brewpub on June 19, 2007. Clody dark amber pour with very little head though it sticks around....sweet fruitwood-smoky aroma, hints of cedar, very little earthiness, touch of meaty quality....good pale malt base on the palate, rather tart and bitter/burnt and toasty throughout, sour apple character underlies all of it....somewhat watery, and the carbonation is a bit on the low side, but this is eminently quaffable and tasty overall. Finally got to try this on my 6th visit or so!

On tap a while back. Pours a hazy amber color with relatively no head. Aroma of smoke, peat, malt. Flavor is smoked sausage, malt, peat, hint of honey. Palate is medium bodied, low carbonation, sweet smokey finish. Decent, kinda one dimensional.

On tap at Arbor. Hazy amber-orange body, no head (a few off-white bubbles). Smokehouse aroma with butterscotchy wisps. Smoke dominates the body, with hickory-smoked bacon coming to mind. Subdued toasty notes beneath the smoky cloak. I didn’t pick up much hops character. Well-carbonated despite having no head, and rich of body. Enjoyable, especially considering the variety of flavors and styles offered by the brewery.

A cloudy amber pour with stick off-white head. Aroma of campfire and bacon. Weak. Strong smoke flavor, but it doesn’t mingle or mix with anything. Nothing but oversmoked sausage or bacon. Interesting on that level. Not too much depth. Finish is burnt dry. A touch of sweetness in the smack.

Clear copper-orange in color with a creamy, sudsy, thick white wrung for the head. Nicely done aroma takes on smoked ham, brown sugar, caramel, dried and smoked bacon, and country confidence. Sweet, smoky, flavorful bliss. Canadian bacon and smoked ham come calling, with au juis of brown sugar and a few raisins thrown in for good measure. Caramel and butterscotch syrup engulf a doggy bone predicament. Borders syrupy sweetness on a summer sausage afternoon. Balance is bon, finishing with slippery caramel, buttery toffee, and, yep, smoked ham again, mon ami.

On tap at the 2005 MBG Fest. Murky golden amber color with a sweet, smoky nose that I can only describe as sugar-coated jerky. It had a thin, fizzy beige head. Lots of white sugar sweetness with only some subtle smokiness in flavor. I was hoping for more, but it just wasn’t there.

Draft at MSBF. Poured a nice dark brown color with a light tan head. Nose was that of smoked ham and bacon, with some light malt. Taste was similar, nice and smokey with some malt throughout.