Piece Incinerator

Draft 4/30/2005. Pours a very dark brown, with a thin tan head. Aroma of chocolate, rye, and some fruitiness (apple/prune). Very nice flavor of baker’s chocolate, bready malts, a slight pruney twist, with the burnt rye bread character building in the finish. A very good brew.

A big black, well-topped beer with a big coffee aroma. Mellow, yet with a well-done light java toastiness. Excellent beer (and the pizza here rocks, too!).

Incinerator Rye Bock - Almost stout-like black, very thin light tan creamy head. As it warmed, soft aromas of smoked milk chocolate, coffee, and rye bread emerge. Flavor was interesting as it was a combination of smokey citrus tones, bitter chocolate, and roasted malt. Seemed balanced enough for me, though it was my last beer of the Chicago adventure...and I was feeling damn near loopy by then. Medium bodied, lively carbonation, dry, smokey, rye finish. Really good brew if you’re into the smokey theme....I am for sure.

Pours black with barely any head. Aroma is roast malt, mild smoke, slight chocolate. Flavor bitter chocolate and coffee, roast malt, slight dry rye in the finish. Strong but drinkable.

Dark beer. Nice malt, rye aroma. Good dark, chewy, chocolate, malt, and the burnt bottom of the cookie flavors. Some bitterness. Good beer.

Draft and served too cold: Nearly opaque with reddish highlights, fading head and some ring, no lace. The aroma has notes of smokey malts, rye, plum, grassy hops, earthy and wild esters. A bit meaty and salty on the nose too. The taste was twangy and fruity with a nice bittersweet chocolate background. The rye becomes quite noticeable midstream and adds a nice twangy character. Some clove and pepper end this display of even handed complexity. The feel is lightly sticky and yet is lively enough to remain refreshing. I enjoy this a lot even if not your standard doppelbock, heck the rye makes it better. Recommended!

Draught, snifter: nicely dark brown (close to black) with a thin off white/ivory small bubbled foam. Served a bit too cold, but I had time...smokey aroma of campfire, burnt almonds, and roasted blueberries. Flavours are thick and smokey close to a smoke ale before the hops kick in and take the palate to new places: even bitterness easies the mouth into a relaxed state where it can distinguish the roasted malt character from the lightly sweet hops. Well rounded, drinkable, but without the depth of a winner...
Earlier Rating: 3/12/2005 Total Score: 3.7
Cask (Night of the Living Ales!): rich, dark mahogany with burnt cedar edges. Smokey, campfire and roasted nut aroma with an afterthought of peat and boiled ham. Natural wood and earthy flavours fight for a share of the plate but are overwhelmed by smoked hickory, bacon and peaty whiskey. With the comparatively subtle aroma this one shocks the palate slightly, but the rich earthy body and texture eventually subdue the flavours with are a bit more interesting than an average smoke beer…a good & tasty experience.

Dark, almost opaque brown with a moderate, lasting tan head. Interesting aroma of sweet and smoked malts. Bits of campfire weave through sweet caramel, molasses, burnt toast and a touch of chocolate. Smooth, creamy carbonation gives the body a bit of succulence and the rye character gives some depth. The flavors are rather tasty with the sweeter malt playing big brother to the smoke character. The finish is long and slightly warm. All told, this was the most interesting beer of the night and it was fun to see a new spin on the doppelbock. The rye and smoke give the beer more complexity and depth. Well done.
Earlier Rating: 3/6/2005 Total Score: 3.5
Cask at Night of the Living Ales. Dark reddish brown with a small ring of brown bubbles. Roasted and lightly smoked malts all over nose. Lightly smoked meats, coffee, burnt toast. The body is smooth and creamy, well fitted for a cask. The flavor is smokier than the nose, but still a little more malty and roasted than it is smoky. It’s closer to a Stone Smoked Poter than a Schlenkerla. Tasty.