Craftsman Smoked Black Lager

Brewed by Craftsman Brewing Co.
Style: Smoked
Pasadena, California USA

Sampled at Father’s Office, April 2007
A dry, roasted aroma greets my nose as does a touch of salty smoke. The beer has a black body with a creamy, light brown colored head that leaves a well defined lacing pattern as I work my way through this pint. There is also a touch of burnt acidity in the aroma, though all in all the aroma is quite light.

The beer is quite dry, yet a hint of smoke seems to add some subtle sweetness. There is a touch of burnt acidity in the finish, while the overall sensation of this beer is quite smooth. The finish reminds me of a standard strength, dark roasted cup of joe, but there is that touch of smoke flavor to make things interesting. The smoke is so smooth and so well integrated; definitely not peat smoked malt, probably beech wood, but it is a bit too subtle for me to tell. This beer has quite a light mouthfeel to it, there is some fullness, but this is not in any way heavy feeling.

The burnt malt notes and smoke really interact in a way I would not have guessed; in some ways they seem to cancel each other out. This makes for a very smooth, integrated, strangely non-descript, yet still fully flavored drinking experience. I can’t decide if this beer needs more flavor, or if it has hit a perfect balance of flavors. Ultimately this is quite good tasting, and it may inspire me to brew one of my own.

(fathers office, santa monica, ca) proof positive that a dark beer can be light and refreshing. i dont need to get into how much lacing it has, or how specific the color is...just know this...this is a smooth drinking lager with a ton of flavor. a nice session beer IMO.

(Draft: Lucky Baldwins in Pasadena, CA) A nice, flavorful but very easy drinking Schwartzbier, fairly sweet and toasty, lightly roasty, and very gently smoky in the finish. I don’t even think this beer is really "smoked" per se, but just has a slight smoky character. Not hoppy at all, of course, but the roast does contribute a light, lingering bitterness for nice balance. Malty, lightly roasty nose has a lagerish nature, but duh, of course it would. Medium bodied, and with the sweetness kept in check, this is smooth on the palate and something I could easily drink a few pints of. Pours dark and ruddy brown, only slightly translucent. The tall, tan head gradually settles to a thin layer, but always maintains a wide ring, and leaves a fairly dense curtain of lace on the glass. Overall, it’s a well-crafted Schwarzbier, very tasty and enjoyable. I would order this again without hesitation.

Pours with a dark brown body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet, malty and caramelly with a slight roastiness. The flavor is a little weak but very similar to the aroma. Medium bodied and smooth.

had this at pizza port’s real ale fest ’05. I was disappointed in this brew. didn’t have much smokiness or other flavor. I thought that the body was a bit weak.

Cask: a cask lager, eh? Poured compton with a spotty head. Lagery aroma not complex enough to initiate my literary creativity..grainy flavors ride the thin palate..it’s schwarzbier with minimal character or body...until the wierd aftertaste, of course. "Smoked" is a misnomer as there isn’t the slightest bit of "smoke" character to this..though from another rating, I suppose maybe the non-cask version did...

Good malty lager, very charred and smoky in the finish. Light and refershing but has a sweet maltiness that sticks to the palate in the aftertaste. Distinct smokey aroma. Definitely a brewery worth checking out more.