New Holland Charkoota Rye

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Specialty Grain
Holland, Michigan USA

Bomber bottle from Champanes, has a very clear dark ruby pour with dark brown hues at the edges, made a few off-white and tan bubbles to form a small ring, no head on this beer, I see light effervescence rising from the bottom of the glass, aromas of charred wood and campfire smoke, toasted grain, bread, there is a faint bread like sweetness and dark sugar sweetness in the background, this beer has lots of smoke on the nose, flavors of dark bread, malt, bread sweetness, hints of wine flavor and sweetness in this brew, faint dark fruit in the background, finish has some bitterness from hops and Rye spice, there is some smoke and Rye spice bitterness that trails after the finish, mouth feel is more than medium, this beer is on the verge of feeling syrupy on the tongue and is lightly carbonated, I thought the smoke and rye balanced the Dopplebock sweetness well, as smokey as this beer is I am surprised it is not classified as a ‘Smoke’ beer, I enjoyed the drink, I just wished the beer had a bit more carbonation.

Deep mahogany pour with a 1-finger, off-white head. The aroma is smoke, bbq, molasses, pepper, red apples, and grape jelly. Very balanced aroma. No one characteristic seems to really dominate. The flavor is ripe fruit and molasses at fist and then the smoke comes in. Again, like the aroma, the finish of the flavor really reminds me of slow smoked bbq and I can see how this would pair well with some nice pulled pork. The rye malt does add some undertones of spicy earthiness. The body is creamy and full with soft carbonation.

Durham World Beer Festival pour, I think on tap. Damn, this was like sausage. Really meaty as much or more so than smoky. Can’t even figure out if I liked it, it was so intense. First thought was barnyard gross, but then I started to wonder if I liked it. Tasted a bit like the pig on the label, for realz. Interesting brew, but I honestly am not sure what to think of it. The variety of descriptions in other reviews makes me wonder if there’s lots of variation in this brew.

Bottle from Hops & Vine. Pours a rich red color with a small head. Lots of dopplebock stuff is going on in the aroma which I don’t enjoy too much. Hints of plums, butter, vegetation. . .virtually no smoke to speak of. I take a sip, the beer is underwhelming. Smoke is finally mildly apparent. What is most obvious is vegetation, butter, some fruity notes. Strong lager esters are in the finish. The weak smoky character is the only thing that makes this beer drinkable. This needs much, much more smoke.

WBF. Pours a dark ruby copper with a one finger offwhite head. Smells like a goat. No other way to put it. Musty, some grain, a mild spicy character, and a lot of goat. Flavor tastes of smoked meat, malty, some spicy grain. Palate has a chewy malty character.

22oz from Sam’s, Durham. Dark brown pour with a very mild head that’s gone quickly. Sweet malts dominate the nose, and the smoke is only very faint. As a doppelbock it’s a moderate success, without a huge amount of depth or character. The rye addition give it a bit of spice, and it’s enjoyable enough alongside the very understated smoke. But while it’s a competent brew, I can’t help thinking that I’d go for the Fort Collins version (despite lack of rye) every time.

Smokiness hits you strong in the smell and taste. The beer may very well be good with pork - it kind of tasted like pork (smoked shoulder, maybe?). I’ve only had one smoked beer before - a lightly flavored smoked helles from 3 Floyds which I enjoyed - this one however was way more intense - too much for me. It seemed very well made for what it was - maple syrup sweetness with toasty vanilla, and lots of smoke. It also had a bit of that high alcohol dark beer cloyingness i’m not into. Just not my type of beer.

Whoa! Man, love this beer right off. Yummmmmm.... Served with a large, foamy, light tan head and a little lace. Color is deep dark amber with chestnut hightlights. Aroma is a luscious, rich, smokey, dark malt, raisins, dark ripe fruit, leather, and a bit of dark cocoa. Flavor’s about the same with sweetness coming out at the end. Great body and carbonation. Boozy at the very end. A session beer for slow, easy quaffing.