Iron Hill Rauch Weiss

Brewed by Iron Hill Lancaster
Style: Smoked
Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA

Poured a golden and orange color with a rocky head. Light smoke aroma followed by biscuit and bread. Light bitterness at the beginning followed by a nice medium bready body. Smoke then builds. It is not overwhelming but more than the aroma. Nice beer.

On draft at the Lancaster location. Poured a hazy orange color with good hefe-like appearance. The aroma was meaty (hickory?) smoked malts, slight bubblegum. The flavor was firm meaty smoked malts, light wheat under it all, the phenolic and fruity esters of the hefeweizen were much subdued behind the smoke. Sour and citrus notes were most noteable from the base beer. Bubblegum was faint in the flavor. Mouthfeel was moderate and finished clean, slightly on the malty side. A decent shot at the style, but I don’t think meaty smoke is optimized in a weisse brew.

Poured a lightly hazy golden color with a small, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of light smoke, clove, some banana, citrus fruits, vanilla, and toasted malts. Taste of vanilla, some banana, and clove, with a light peaty wood flavor, tart wheat, and a relatively dry finish. Still on tap in Lancaster as of 7/29/09.

Draft at P-ville. Pours turbid gold with off-white head. Nose is sour mashy fruit, spices, hopcitrus, banana, slight smoky notes. The flavor is hopcitric, spicy, a bit funky saisony with a smoky undercurrent that is not very powerful. Initially this one seemed to be a bit odd tasting, like a souped up wheat with some clovey banana and mild rauch, but it started coalescing toward the middle. i got the last mug of this, and I hope to see it again.

Tap at IH Pville. Pours a lightly hazy golden orange with a smaller creamy white head that laced. Aroma of ripe banana, clove, tropical fruits, cereal grains and a slight hint of smoke. Flavor had more of the smoked malt but not overpowering. Banana and clove coming through strong. Lively carbonation and lighter in body.

tap at Lancaster. Pours a hazy coppery gold with a thinning head. Aroma is dirty ropey smokeyness, banana and phenol, plastic and almost a harsh earthy goaty smoke funk- but not brett-like more real goat cheesylike. Flavor is earthy, toast, banana, phenols, clove, leather, cherrywood harsh -like smoke, very drying phenols smoke, wood, and tannic like. Ok body and fizzy finish with a bit more ropey harshness. A bit muddled and not quite refined- cherrywood smoke doesnt really work in this type of beer I guess- better off with beechwood.

On tap at the Lancaster, PA location. Arrived at the table a cloudy gold with a thin-moderate white head. Pleasant aroma of banana and clove with only a few whiffs of smoke on the nose. The smoke has more of a presence in the flavor and is equal with the banana and clove. There is also just a hint of vanilla present in the flavor as well. Mild-medium bitterness at the finish. I’m not sure I’ve had a beer quite like this one before and I must say I liked it!