Ølfabrikken Gæstebryg #4 - Anders Røgporter

Formerly brewed at Bryggeriet Ølfabrikken (Gourmetbryggeriet)
Style: Smoked
Roskilde, Denmark

Dark, almost black, brown beer. Has a beige head, mostly lasting. Heavy aroma, mostly smoke, laqurice. Flavor is a bit sweet and fatty. Clear smoke, but not as much as Schenkerla.

Browned chocolate. Head diminishes quickly, but retains an off-tan ring until the last sip. Pleasant aroma of leather, molasses, pungent campfire smoke, raisins, caramelized salami, and zingy scents of black plums. Mild dab of chocolate pudding. Soft prickles of carbonation. Bottle conditioned and unfiltered. Lush, pillowy smokiness permeates the palate, yet is softened by an explosive slick fruitiness reminiscent of plums and a whispery datelike sweetness. Yeast and roast lend a chalkiness which deepens the complexity and starkly contrasts with the fruitiness and multilayered smokiness. Flash of unripe plum acidity illuminates the sharply defined roastiness and bolsters the drinkability. Earthen smokiness continually gathers momentum, and generates a coarser texture which beautifully enhances the supple fruitiness. Smoke stops just shy of becoming overly ashy. Very succulent, particularly at the core, thanks to the dazzling medley of fruit and smoke. Malt boasts its ample fullness, throughout, and contributes lots of bready bounce and voluptuously textured dextrins. Dash of bittersweet chocolate adds crisp accents to the soft malt frame. Finishes with great balance between the chalky dryness and fruity esters, with a lingering edge of lush smoke and bristling roast. Something so beefy in its complexity shouldn’t be so quaffable. Fine stuff.

Dark brown, almost black with a low light-brown head. Smoked aroma with notes of hops and burnt malt. Sweet roasted smoked malty flavour. Lasting bitter finish.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3     Light Brown(1)->Pitch Black(5) : 3     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 3   Off-White(1)->Dark Brown(5) : 2   Lasting: 2   Lacing : 2   Nitro : XX
Aroma:
Intensity : 3  
Yeast : XX   Bread : XX   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Ink : XX   Tar : XX   Olives : XX   DMS : XX
Malt : 4   Biscuity : 2   Burnt Toast : 3   Caramel : XX   Nuts : XX   Pumpernickel : XX   Cereals : 3   Coffee : 2   Dark Chocolate : 4   Vanilla : XX   Grapes : XX   Blackberries : XX   Cherries : XX
Hops : 3   Noble(1)->American(5) : 2   Leafy : 2   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX
Notes :   Earth : 2   Wood : 3   Mint : XX   Smoke : 4   Soy : XX   Bourbon : XX   Anise : 1
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 2   Sourness : XX   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : 2   Complex : 3   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 3   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 1   Mineral : XX   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : XX

Comments: Talk about a winning combination, two of the best brewers in Denmark joining their forces to brew a smoked porter. It is a surprisingly subtle offering, though with a terrific mouthfeel. Archetypal poise.

500ml bottle. Almost black body with a beige head. Roast, barbeque and bacon are dominating the aroma. Flavor is sweet, malty, smoky and more harmonized than Bamberg style rauchbier. Personally I find the Bamberg style interesting, but not very balanced. You might compare them with smoked pilsner versus smoked ale. Ale is basically more flavorful and would support the flavors from the smoke better. This ale is complex in a way, but not so easy to recognize due to the rather extreme smoke notes. What I’m trying to say here is that I like this a lot, but can’t really tell so much about the beer behind this. The overall impression is just very flavorful and elegant in a brutal way. If you don’t like the smoked flavor in a beer, stay away!

Bottle. black colour with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, smoked, coffee. Flavour is sweet, smoked, coffee, hop. Nice pleasent beer.

Bottle from Rastacouere. Almost black body topped by a small tan ring of foam. Bottle only mentioned Porter so I was taken aback when I got all that smoke and bacon on the nose. Ratebeer style is right, this is more a Smoked than a Porter. Smoke and bacon on the nose to the point where in a blind taste test I think I would have called a Schlenkerla. Good thing it wasn’t a blind taste test because calling a Schlenkerla is a long-distance and I don’t have an overseas saving plan with Rogers. Anyway, once in the mouth the beer does have its own personality. High roastiness level, caramel, some cacao, a bit vinous. Actually I had the impression of drinking a smoked brownies cake. Excellent.

My Bottom Line:
Lengthy meaty smoke succulently suffuses this Smoked Porter’s roasted, chocolate and caramel maltiness, forming a highly flavorful and drinkable example of the style.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the brownish ebony.
-Carbonation is perfectly calculated, peaceful and supportive.
-I don’t like it as much as Bièropholie’s Grand Chef, which has a more seductive body, but the Røgporter’s entire flavor profile is still very enjoyable.
-The finish is firmly smoked and roasted, and fades out slowly to ensure further gulps.

Bottle; best before 01/09/2008; thx David!