Surly - Smoke

"How do you know when a beer is really, really important?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.  "I don't know," she replied matter-of-factly.  "They barrel age it and put some fancy wax on the top?"

Exactly.

This is precisely the reason that I'm pretty pumped to be drinking today's beer.  Well, that and the fact that it's brewed by Surly.  Not only does Surly make amazing craft beer, but it is also a rather blue moon (er... brew moon?) when I actually get to drink it as it is still only distributed in Minnesota.  No more puns.  Let's pour!

Aroma 12/12

There is no confusing a good rauchbier!  My nose gets a frying pan full of salty bacon, smokey clothes after a campfire, and a medium-deep roasted malt.  Oddly, there is a lack of the complementary charred malt aromas that one might expect a brewer to utilize.  One may even detect a distant plum or two as well as some alcohol warmth.  The only other analogy I can think to make is the greasy, browned skin from a chicken after being roasted over wood or grilled with wood chips.  After warming a bit, the smokey and salty combine to give a hint of what smells like soy sauce.  This seems like a short paragraph to dedicate to such an important feature as aroma, but it does what it does very well.

Appearance 3/3

This beer poured much thicker than I expected and much darker than a traditional rauchbier.  Perhaps I should have suspected something a bit "meaner" after I had to fight my way through that cantankerous wax cap.  The head was a shade of brown normally reserved for dark, top of the line stouts!  It hissed as it made its descent, usually a sign of a quick-dying head, but still offered a slightly less that average retention and no lacing.  Check out how dark this bad boy is!

Flavor 18/20

Something that any craft beer drinker should appreciate is present immediately in this beer.  Sure there are some dark, strong flavors at play here, but the base beer itself is still of a very high quality!  Lots of lager elements make themselves known despite the powerful smokey atmosphere.  The first flavor sensations are that of the roasted malt and the (again) distant sweetness of a dark fruit.  The sweetness of the figs, raisins, and almost chocolatey malts are allowed to play around for a bit in the smoke, but before long they give way to a more stern and straightforward beer.  Smoke is always the overarching theme, but after the sweetness things become more bitter and less complex.  All that remains is a dark, dark chocolate malt that gives almost zero sweetness to the roasted, blackened malt.  The elements of the porter have surrendered to those of the rauchbier.  The finish is again smokey while showing off a surprisingly great drizzle of chocolate and some charred malts that had previously remained hidden.  The aftertaste is largely a dry, bitter reminder of that char on the back center of the tongue.

Mouthfeel 5/5

I like everything about this mouthfeel.  It's light enough to drink, yet big enough to carry all these robust flavors.  Especially for a lager!  Typically lagers don't get a lot of respect, but this beer is definitely a counter-argument to all the lager haters out there!  The body is medium-full, but leans more toward full and exhibits a perfect level of carbonation.  The bubbles keep this otherwise creamy beer in check and lively on the tongue.  even though it had all the dark fruit sugars to potentially make it a chore.  Also, I'm not sure I can say enough about the warmth in this beer.  I have never had a beer utilize its alcohol content like this one.  It spreads its way across the inside of the mouth, but never in a way where one would assume it is alcohol.  It nearly teams up with the creaminess to coat the inside of the mouth with very subtle sensation that makes a very large contribution toward feeling like a much bigger beer.

Wax put my Beer Stick to work, SON!  I had to carve through this!

Overall Impression 9/10

So much about this beer is good and so little of it requires constructive criticism.  It has all the hallmarks of a excellent porter such as dark fruit, big body, and color, but also is still an excellent rauchbier!  The smoke never overpowers the other ingredients, but instead either works with them or takes its turn.  That statement may seem a little far fetched if you've just opened the bottle and the smoke seems a bit dominant, but as your palate acclimates, you will notice all sorts of balance happening in beautiful ways.  It also refuses to take for granted the "lesser"characteristics of carbonation and warmth and turns them into critical allies.

Total 47/50

Let me first say that I have been holding onto this beer for a long time.  When fresh, it may very well be umpteen times boozier and taste like it has a dozen more bushels of fruit added.  As it stands, however, it is a smokey, dark beer with glimmers of dark fruit and a stealth-grade warmth.  I never would have guessed anything close to the bottle's claim of 8.2% ABV.  Ever.  It's just one of the surprises that this beer packs beneath its iron-like wax cap.  "What are the others," you ask?  Well, it reads "lager" on the outside of the bottle, so one expects something lighter, less powerful, and more refreshing.  This hits more like a porter on every level.  I love it when beers exceed my expectations, don't you?  Porter lager... whatever.  It's a beer that deserves to picked up if you see it and is one of the best of this style that I've sampled.

Shiner - Bohemian Black Lager

You have got to respect the folks at Shiner.  They keep trying different styles and selling them for our enjoyment.  While I have not had any brews from them that are a "must-buy" or a knock-out punch to my tastebuds as of yet, I will keep buying Shiner because I like what they are doing, I want them to continue, and one of these days they are going to knock it out of the park.  This review is for their Bohemian Black Lager.  The black/gun-metal gray monochrome packaging is sweet looking and encouraging.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 5/12

This score is a little worrisome as the aroma usually foretells the fate of the beer.  Not that the smells are not interesting, they simply are not strong enough.  Right off the bat, there is a sweet roasted smell that is akin almost to roasted marshmallows.  An unusually sweet smell for a schwarzbier.  There is also a faint smell of chocolate, but any hop aroma is absent.

Appearance 3/3

Appearance is appropriate to style.  In fact, the visual is quite perfect, casting deep ruby hues behind a black translucent shade.  The beer pours like a lager, despite its dark roots, and yields a moderate-sized, loose, khaki head.  The head has excellent retention, keeping a collar to the bottom of the pint, but lacks any lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 12/20

In a similar story to the aroma, there are certainly noticeable flavors, but they are meek and light.  Initial tastes yield a watery, malty taste and little of the roasted aroma.  The sweet malt then blends perfectly with a coffee flavor and remains that way through the finish.  A nice balance, even if the flavors are somewhat muted.  The after taste is remarkably clean for a black beer, but eventually reveals a spicy hop bitter and a bit of coffee.  The hop is noticeable by itself during an exhale.

Mouthfeel 3/5

This offering seems a bit light-bodied for the style.  The carbonation level is appropriate for the style, but it feels prickly and is a bit distracting.  Extremely drinkable!  It would be a very nice compliment to a sweet, charred, rack of ribs.

Overall Impression 7/10

While this beer will not win any prizes for an intense flavor, I must give it accordingly high marks for its stylistic accuracy, with the exception of a near-absence of hops.  Its light flavors are noticeable, yet light, and allow this lager to remain flavorful and extremely quaffable.

Total 30/50 (Very Good)

We cannot expect the same strong, dark, roasty flavors of a porter to some out of a black lager.  This is a different style and must be judged accordingly.  Again, I fear I may have let my bias weigh a bit heavier in this review than I should because the stylistic accuracy is very high, but my personal preference for intense flavor was not met.  However, I do feel the flavors could have been stronger, the body a bit more, and the hops present in anything more than a suggestion.  This rating says that this brew is "generally within style parameters" but could be touched up a little.  I could not agree more.  However, if you are wanting to get into black beers, stouts, imperials, and the like, I could not think of a better starting point.

Samuel Smith's - Organically Produced Lager Beer

I had some preconceived notions about this beer.  Having lived in America all my life and having a penchant for "good" beer, I tend to look down on lagers.  I know there are some great lagers out there, but my geography lends me a bias that lagers are watered down, flavorless, mass-produced, gutter run-off.  I know many American beer drinkers (and probably international ones as well) will agree that American lagers (or pale lagers) offer little to no appeal to the palate.  However, I have seen this bottle several times and it is always offered at a premium price.  This intrigued me and I prepared to set aside my biases.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only

Aroma 10/12
After pouring a frothy 3-4oz sample and taking several short sniffs, one can easily detect the rich, bready aroma of the malt.  It is a bold. sweet smell and not unwelcome.  The hops come later and ever so delicately. They are a light, woody smell and hard to detect through the sweet malt.

Appearance 2/3
The only point subtracted here was for the head retention; everything else was flawless.  The beer was not crystal clear, but instead a blurred, golden hue (EBC roughly 12).  The ivory head rose quickly and lost half of its volume before I was half-way through the pint (not even a collar).  The head, when present, was a lovely, creamy compliment to the light beer that created it.  My first reaction?  Wow.

Flavor 19/20
While this beer is not saturated with thick flavors like other styles (double coffees, wit biers, etc), it is not required to do so.  Lagers are generally light in body and flavor and this beer was no exception.  The aroma the malt gave initially was revisited again in taste - a rich, bready taste that filled the mouth.  The hops came along stronger than in the aroma, but not out of balance with the malt.  Their strength in the flavor was a pleasant surprise after being almost absent in the aroma.  They were light and herbal and blended well with the esters that were present.  Wait, esters?  In a lager?  Oh yes, my friends.  This beer's flavor was phenomenal for a lager.  With the esters of perhaps light lemon and/or dark honey this beer tasted more like a long lost relative of a weiss than a lager!  Very nice!  This may be the first beer that I gush over and its a lager.  Wonders never cease.

Mouthfeel 5/5
This beer has the best of both worlds.  The light body and drinkability of a lager, but with the sweetness and flavor profile (muted though it be) of a weiss or Belgian.  The body was perfect for the style and the sweet finish makes it a truly refreshing beer.  I dare you not to love this beer on a summer day.  Also true to style there was almost no warmth, creaminess, or astringency.

Overall Impression 9/10
No surprise in the rating here.  I was greatly impressed with this offering.  In fact, I'm sad it is gone.  I usually do not purchase the same type of beer if I can help it, but this beer may be the exception

Total 45/50
This rating put it at the lowest end of "Outstanding: World-class example of style."  I do not believe that rating to be inaccurate.  It offers all the classic signs of a lager (light color, good carbonation, light body/good drinkability) but with the flavors and other perks of a more "serious" beer (sweet finish, esters, creamy head). This beer is deserving of praise and your sampling.  I hope you will go out and find one, after all, why else are you reading this if not for suggestions?

Don't forget to share with a friend!  It is half the fun.