New Holland Charkoota Rye

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

Bottle… Clear, dark mahogany lager with a tiny, wispy, off-white head. Smells of smoked bacon layered atop chocolate and/or caramel/crystal malts. Medium to full-bodied with lively carbonation. The flavor and finish are sweet and smoky with just a hint of cardboard, but there’s not enough oxidation to ruin the experience. Bottle courtesy of kiefdog!

Pours a transparent dark copper mahogany with a thin, stringy-lacing white head. Aroma of rich smoky dark caramel malt and complex earthy rye with a hint of brown sugar and light fruity notes. Body starts with a good rich malty fullness and a salty smoky character throughout with nice rye balance and noble hoppy bitterness before a smooth semi-dry lingering smoky finish. A very nice roggen rauchbier.

Bomber from the Binny’s in Orland Park, IL: In my humble estimation, having some rye in the grain bill a Specialty Grain style doth no longer make. The practice has become quite common and usually the beers have been falling into the intended style, be it IPA, Stout, whatever. What we have here is a lightly smoked Doppelbock with some rye spiciness in the finish. It pours a dark brown body with a short-lived head and leaves no lacing. The aroma is mildly smokey with chocolatey dark caramel malt. The sweetness of the malt is cut by the light smoke, mayhaps Virginia ham, and the aforementioned rye pepperiness. Pretty decent.

Light brown colors with a ruby to garnet hue when held to the light. Diminished off-white head. Smoked cherries and melanoidis explode in the nose. Unfortunately I catch a scent from my past that I cannot escape, the fresh manure of cattle after being given fresh feed that has been mixed with molasses. Hints of iodine as well. As long as I don’t breath too deeply I’m good. I’ve been sniffing so long I’m slightly scared to sip. After the first qauff, I can certainly say "smoke rye".lightly sweet with a bit of pine sap. Slightly medicinal, otherwise a really nice balance of malt, smoke, peat, rye and herbal hops. A brew to set by the open fire, smoke some meat, eat some smoked meat, or just sip while smelling the fires on a fall day. Quite chewt in feel. Smoke, doppelbock, rye... me like.

Bottle from Party Source. Poured cloudy brown hue with an average frothy off-white head that lasted and had excellent lacing. Moderate earthy rye, wet burnt wood and toasted malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Moderate earthy bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Strange brew.

Bomber bottle and served in NB worthy snifter: Deep mahogany hue with a fading frothy head and minimal lace. The aroma is SMOKE, RYE, and MOLASSES BABY! It hits you right bout the head and says "lets rock" geek-a-zoid. The taste completely follows suit and in this case it is a damn good thing... smoked WOOD, smoked BACON and smoked GRAINS combined with the sweet and fruity undertones to lay layers of complex RYE forced flavors.

Completely in your face and wonderful for it. DIG IT or U R Lost in America, Welcome to My Nightmare 4 this is simply the best beer that New Holland ever did, know that. werd Mikey. I think I just may have Jizz In My Pants, truth.

Bomber. Poured medium, chocolatey brown with a short-lived cap of beige head. The aroma picked up a bright dose of smoke and tart cherries first and foremost, backed by sweet caramel and chocolates.. sweet and liquid-smokey when it comes down to it. The flavor found a bed of sweet caramel, toffee, and chocolate at the core.. liquid smoke and cherry wood were generously laced throughout.. warmth brought out molasses and vanilla sugars.. tangy finish of charred wood and smoke over caramel that couldn’t quite stand up. Medium-bodied with low-ish carbonation on the palate.. sharper than I’d like.. I think the malts were good, and would give this another shot sans the smoked portion.. the rye just came in a little bit at the end.

22 oz’er. Dark! Midnight red, with a thin head that hangs on only as a thin halo of foam. The aroma is quite smoky -- like a sweet smoked sausage. Drinks with that same odd sweet/smoke teeter-totter; this would definitely go well with a nice cheese plate, either with smoked cheese or a nice dark cheddar. This beer SCREAMS midwestern comfort food! (#3728, 11/1/2009)