Carlyle Barrel Aged Imperial Rauchbier

Brewed by Carlyle Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Rockford, Illinois USA

Great Taste, 2009. I appreciate a beer that stands out against the other big beers of the day. The nose is a great balance of smoke and bourbon, something akin to what one smells in a glass of Lagavuilin. The palate is bacon, raw sugar, and spicy. All that is missing here is a meatiness/chewiness to the beer that you might expect given the nose and the flavor profile. Finish is vanilla and lingering smoke.

Sampled at GTMW ’09. Candied smoke aroma, with some light rye. Copper color with a tan head. Coppery rye malt flavors with brown sugar. Rich enough palate with rye on the duration. Good.

On tap at GTMW 2009
A hidden surprise was this gem from Carlyle. I stopped by expecting them to bring something different but a barrel aged smoke beer was not it. Whatever their inspiration was this is a great example of innovation. With a little more fine tuning it could be world class.

Aroma / Appearance - The opaque body had a brownish hue which deflected or absorbed most of the sunlight. Smoke and vanilla mix as if a distillery had caught on fire and some of the barrels were turned to ash.

Flavor / Palate - Warm and sweet it was a bit less smoky than the Blind Tiger rauchbier but still very satisfying. The bourbon may be a little unbalanced. Overall however the total package is impressive, cohesive, and sends one message. This is a must try for me if it is ever on tap when I visit Carlyle again.