 kp (6300), Woodstock, Georgia, USA
Sep 1, 2007 Date: 12/01/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Strong Ale Fest
cloudy dark amber, wispy beige head, earthy smoke aroma, lots of smoked malt flavor, touch of sweetness, earthy bitterness,
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **/4
riversideAK (1653), Shoreline, Washington, USA
May 17, 2007 Aroma is a mixture between extreme smokiness and extreme sweet fruity malt. Brownish red color with a light tan head. Flavor is initially an intense smokiness. The back end is a sweet dried fruit flavor. Heavy smoke, some alcohol. I can see the appeal in this beer. Very complex, smoked beers are not my favorite. But this was by no means bad.
FlacoAlto (2144), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Apr 24, 2007 Sampled on tap at Lucky Baldwin’s March 2007
Pours from the tap with a nice, three-finger thick, tan colored, frothy head. The beer is a lightly hazy, ruby amber color. The aroma is a mix of caramelized beech wood smoke, touches of fruit that just peeks through the dominant smoke character (hints of raisin, and plum are most noticeable) and a tartness that seems to be derived, at least partly from the smoke character.
The taste is sweet, and fruity up front, but most definitely it is quite smoky. In fact it is very smoky, with a chewy, thick, hearty character to it that makes it a joy to sup upon on this cool spring day in LA. Fruity notes of raisin add an interesting character and counterpoint to this beer. Despite the ample smoke character here, this beer is amazingly well balanced; the smoke is not dominating and allows the beer to be surprisingly fruity with lots of sweet malt character.
This is a stellar brew, despite that I am a sucker for Rauchbiers. I will definitely have to give this brew another try.
mds (2111), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Apr 1, 2007 Draught. Dark ruby-copper with a medium-sized sudsy head. Faint smokish qualities in the aroma along with dark bread, and sweet malts. Some off-beat fruit notes and sugar sweetness are found in the flavour. The smokiness prevails more towards the finish as it warms up.
Sampled at Lucky Baldwins on March 21, 2007.
goldtwins (3740), Nesconset, New York, USA
Feb 7, 2007 10th Annual SD Strong Ale Fest: Poured a slightly hazey deep copper color with a small beige head. Light notes of rye and smoke in the aroma. Malty backbone. Good balance. Flavor of a rye and smokey mix. Great balance. The flavors are strong but balanced and don’t overwhelm. Very enjoyable. I must say I really like Craftsman. If they say the flavor or aroma is in there, it is. But everything I had from them was very tasty and drinkable.
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