Arbor Batch 1000 Smoked Lager

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

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!

MiBG Summer Fest 2009, Saturday Session: Deep mahogany hue with a lasting frothy off-white head. The aroma is quite nice and inviting with smoky woody malts vapours along with caramel, plum, fig, and grassy hops esters. The taste had great smoky tones of wood and meat with a malty sweet backbone leading towards a snappy bitter finish. Long woody aftertaste. The mouth feel is chewy and soft with a warming trend. Outstanding and my favorite from the fest, get ya some.

This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of unnoted finely sized mostly lasting off-white colored bubbles that left behind an unnoted lacing. The body contained no carbonation, was transparent and copper in color. Its aroma contained notes of smoky malts. Its mouth feel is initially slightly tingly with a flat palate. Its flavor contained smoky malty notes. A very average brew.

Draft at the Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery. Small ivory head, sparse lacing, uncarbonated, transparent, and an orange hue. Smokey aroma and malty and smokey flavor. Smooth, watery, thin mouthfeel. Light bodied beer.

On tap: Strong smokey aroma. Orangish-gold with a white head. Excellent smoke flavor. Smoke is virtually all the flavor. Reminds me of smoke salmon or beef jerkey. Really enjoyed this one although I don’t think I could drink a lot of it.

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.

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: Unfiltered apricot. Milky ivory foam produces solid lacing. Smoked/lightly caramelized meat, airborne malt dust, and toasted graham aroma. Briskly minerally with plum hints. Creamy, slightly oily mouthfeel. Feathery-soft bubbles. Highly evident smoke flavor melds with the slippery fruitiness and staunch mineral underlay, which pillars the smoked malt frame. Malt breadiness becomes more apparent, midway, deflecting the notable, aniselike hop spice. Firm cottony texture matches the mineral astringency, which continually deepens the malts. Just enough airiness and caramel to bolster the depth and drinkability. Faint plum acidity and tangy smoked meat accentuates the sweet and woody malt aspects. Dry and airy finish with leafy hops and tobacco in the background, but remaining exceptionally smoky and malty. Marvelously assembled Smoked Lager.