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.

Cisco - Moor Porter

Cheers everybody and thanks for reading!  Today's brew is another one from my anonymous East Coast friend.  Not that this person supplies all my brews by any means, but I'm finally digging into that stash and I am loving every minute of it.  I'm especially grateful to receive this brew since it's available almost exclusively on the East Coast (MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, D.C., SC, FL, & GA)!  Today's brew is the Moor Porter from Cisco Brewing in Nantucket, Mass.  No limericks please.   OK, maybe 1 or 2 about craft beer.  I'll allow that if you feel so inspired.  Poetry comes later, though... let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

The aroma on this gets better and better every time I sniff it.  It began with dark roasts that also implied a little smoke with them.  Lots of black malts involved here, friends.  A lesser cocoa is present as is the bittersweet calling card of molasses.  As this beer warms it becomes wonderfully rich and brings out a warming chocolate, a well-blended black licorice, and plenty of the molasses.  Complex and delicious, but stops short of being a powerhouse.  Very nice.  The chocolate and cocoa seem to grow stronger all the time!

Appearance 3/3

This pours like a porter should and looks like it means business.  The glass is all but completely opaque with black goodness and shows a chestnut brown toward the top if held to light.  The head is tan and not large, but it lasts an adequate amount of time and covers the surface of the beer.

Flavor 16/20

For how dark this beer is, it starts out quite lightly.  It's almost a clean beginning with a light general sweetness and then fades gradually into a darker, more flavorful backbone.  Full disclosure: even the backbone isn't that dark.  This doesn't make it bad, but it is a surprise considering the aroma and appearance.  Fading in from the initial flavors are the smoke from the aroma and a light char.  The licorice is in the background, but grows a bit as the beer is held in the mouth.  This beer does have an interesting light sour that punches through all the dark flavors the way a ray of light shines through clouds.  Surely, the beam of citrus is diminished in comparison to its surroundings, just as the light is by the clouds, however its presence is just as noticeable.  The chocolate shows its sweet side toward the end and when it mixes with the darkly roasted black malts, gives the illusion of a coffee-ish flavor.  The finish brings to light a flavor that was previously so well blended, it was nearly undetectable.  A round earthiness comes forward in the finish and when it does so, it makes it that much easier to find in other stages of the beer.  It also enjoys a brief wash of bitter, but settles back down with the flavors of the black malts.  Funny, even the lingering aftertaste has that same illusion of coffee thanks to the roasted/bitter combination.

Mouthfeel 4/5

This is not the worlds most robust porter, but that is exactly where its strength lies.  This porter is light bodied and easy drinkin'.  It is assisted by a higher than normal level of carbonation thanks to its bottle conditioning, and the aforementioned overarching light sour flavor.  When this beer is held in the mouth the carbonation dies rather quickly, transitioning it from a light refresher to a smooth porter.  The fact that the chocolate flavors show up about the same time as the smoothness is about as nice a touch as they come.

Overall Impression 8/10

There's lots of dark goodness in this brew, but not at the expense of becoming heavy or a burden to drink.  The aroma was phenomenal, but lead to a lighter taste than anticipated.  This is a highly drinkable, accessable beer that would lend itself extremely well to introducing those that feel they are ready to darker beer.  It's lighter but not at the expense of good flavor.

Total 41/50

Another "better-than-average" beer that has some really nice things going for it.  Very drinkable, wonderful and complex aroma, and an interesting mouthfeel.  However, the flavors seem to be fighting for space instead of complementing one another or flowing one into the next.  This is especially odd since all the right ingredients seem to be utilized.  As I mentioned earlier, this brew is not a stretch to consume on a hot summer day or one after another, even at 5.5% ABV.  However, I would be more prone to use this brew to convert people to the "dark side" of beer.  If they're ready, that is.  If they're not ready, then dark beers are still going to taste like crap to them no matter how light a version of the style it may be.  But those that are ready, need not resort to flavorless American Guiness Draught (I understand that foreign versions are better, I just have yet to verify this for myself) or kill themselves on some super delicious, thick, monstrosity of a stout.  This beer exists solely to introduce people to dark beers or to be a drinkable version of the style .  It's local.  It's tasty.  It's an introduction to darker beer.  Well, as long as you're in their distribution states.

Two Brothers - Red Eye Coffee Porter

With the clamor that this brew has created in the Chicago suburbs, I wasn't about to leave Chicago (on a recent trip) without seeking out a bottle for myself.  According to the label,

"Red Eye Porter is the first of our 15 archive recipes we will brew to celebrate out 15th anniversary.  Red Eye debuted in the Spring of 2009 and quickly won acclaim from the public and press alike.  We brewed it a second time, which was the last time we made it, in the fall of 2009.  Since then it has easily become the most requested beer for us to bring back (like almost every day).  So we hope you enjoy the start of our fun 2012 project."


Bringing back beers simply on public demand?  That's good business and great PR right there.  No wonder I wanna support these guys!  I also wanna drink this beer.  So let's pour!

Aroma 10/12
There are definitely both elements of the coffee & porter here.  The coffee is present, but more in an "iced coffee" way instead of an "Ohmygoshwejustwalkedintoacoffeehouse!" kind of way.  Still a great coffee aroma, but not the embrace of fresh ground goodness, which I doubt is possible in a beer without using artificial flavorings.  It mixes well with the peaty, roasted porter malts and even includes a touch of chocolate from time to time.  I may be eating crow yet, because as this beer warms that authentic coffeehouse aroma becomes ever closer.

Appearance 3/3
This brew certainly has the appearance of a robust porter.  It is espresso brown (a.k.a. pretty much black for all intents and purposes), but barely shows some brown/red highlights toward the very top and only when held to light.  The head was smaller than average, but is a nice toasted marshmallow tan and leaves a little lacing as it fades away.

Flavor 17/20
Wow!  Not what I was expecting at all.  I was immediately bushwhacked by all sorts of porter-y goodness!  It starts strong as that sour, peat-like porter, gives a touch of coffee grounds, and then is joined by all sorts of sweet, gooey caramel and toffee flavors (and maybe even a dark fruit or seven).  Unlike the aroma, the chocolate is no longer subtle, but lends a darker sweetness to the lot and helps transition to some of the later coffee flavors.  Not that the coffee flavors on the back end ever take over this dentist's nightmare of sweetness, instead it sneaks in behind the chocolate and before you know it you're holding a much more bitter, coffee-emphasizing beer in your mouth than when you started.  Fantastic!  The sweets never truly go away, so truth be told, it's a very sweet coffee (like someone added too much sugar and no creamer), but the sweet flavors are fantastic, and I'd let someone make this coffee for me anytime.  A slurp brings the coffee bitter and alcohol warmth quickly to the forefront.  The aftertaste is coffee bitter (no surprise there), but also a tingle of said alcohol on the tongue and in the breath.  It's a bit of a shock since the warmth (9.2% ABV) was so well-hidden in the rest of the beer.  Overall, this seems very sweet.

Mouthfeel 5/5
A medium-bodied brew with a non-distracting level of carbonation.  I'm surprised that the beer doesn't feel thicker in the mouth given the high level of sugars present.  They really did an excellent job of making that happen and not erring one way or another with the carbonation.  Spot on.  The warmth is really only present during a slurp or in the aftertaste so Two Brothers get top marks for camouflaging (yet not completely hiding) their alcohol as well.

Great label art!  Love it!

Overall Impression 8/10
A lot sweeter than I thought it would be and a lot sweeter than most porters I've had, excepting some of the flavored varieties (maple, etc).  Not that porters can't be on the sweeter side, but this seemed to take every sweet porter characteristic and include it in a single bottle.  Even with that sweetness, Two Brothers managed to make the coffee flavors come through in a way that didn't take over the beer and included some excellent technical aspects as well.

Total 44/50
Still a very respectable score for Two Brothers.  My only real qualms with the beer were an initially weak aroma (I went back and changed the score after the beer warmed), which is more my fault than theirs, and a beer that was a bit sweet for my taste.  I feel it would've been easy for Two Brothers (@TwoBrothersBeer) to not only make a more balanced, attenuated porter, but they even had the coffee at their disposal to assist them in balancing the bitter and the sweet.  I suppose there is an effort made, as the aftertaste is mostly bitter to counter the sweetness of earlier portions, but it comes "too little, too late."  Does that make this a bad beer?  Hell no.  I'm now wishing I had bought more than one bottle when I was in the Chicago area.  I'm sure this beer's sweetness could help convert some folks ready to move on to darker beers.

I'm torn.  All these sweet flavors make a very tasty, complex beer, which is great to examine on a technical aspect, but a little harder to drink "mindlessly" and just enjoy the taste.  If you like a sweeter porter, you can't let this pass you by in the craft beer aisle.  If you like a more balanced porter, you could still give this a try, but only if you want to be impressed my the myriad of flavors they've managed to shoehorn into this bomber bottle.  I'm impressed, but one is probably enough for me.  Cheers to Two Brothers!  See you at the Hop Juice Festival!

Baltika - No. 6 Porter

This review is for Baltika No.6 Porter, or as our Russian friends would say, "Балтика №6 Портер."  This is another case of a beer of which I have never heard, but was featured for a reasonable price at my local wine & spirits store.  Sounds like a nice little adventure and a great excuse to have an "exbeerience."  Let's pour!

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

Aroma 8/12
There are a multitude of aromas taking place.  First comes dark toasted malt with a lightly smoky tinge to it.  Cocoa is not faint, and is detectable along with almost a slightly acidic sweet smell.  Once the beer's head settles to a disc, more dark fruit (fig), alcohol warmth, and malt aromas become prominent.  The dark fruit smell may be caused by a combination of the chocolate sweetness and the astringency, it could also be compared to Karo Dark Syrup.

Appearance 2/3
Pours somewhat thick into a handsome, dark espresso brown with a dark tan head on top, which dissipates ridiculously quickly.  No lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 17/20
This beer starts malty and milky across the tongue and then springs into a gaggle of flavors that simultaneously seek your attention.  The backbone casually presents the flavors of toasted malt, dark chocolate and dark fruits, but also features caramel and a light hop bitter AND manages to tint all of this with the aforementioned astringency.  The finish is very much the roasted malt, plus more of the beer's warmth.  The aftertaste is rather peppery with a coffee bitter, but very little in the way of bitterness from hops.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Medium to medium-full in body with hints of warmth, a low level of creaminess, and an overarching astringency.  The low level of carbonation was the only real disappointment in this beer.  The bottle is almost gone and so is the carbonation.

Overall Impression 8/10
A solid B/B+ for this Russian brew.  The ingredients are appropriate in strength, but never really seem to compliment each other.  It is rather like a symphony warming up.  Sure it sounds nice with everyone playing all at once, but that is not the true power of a symphony.  This is a very technically sound beer, but the flavors all seem to be talking at the same time instead of knowing who should be featured.

Total 40/50
I think the "Overall Impression" category summed it up rather well.  I would definitely buy this beer again and could recommend it to a friend even if it isn't the single best porter that I have ever had in my entire life.  However, it very far from a bad one.  In the end, I suppose I found the backbone difficult to disect.  All these flavors were present (never a bad thing), but none of them wanted to step and really define this beer.  There is not much fine tuning to be done to this beer and it is still a better example of the style.

основывает вверх по!

Saku Õlletehaas - Porter

I had never seen this beer before in my life so of course I had to try it.  Also, while I have had the porter style before I do not believe I have ever had the pleasure of sampling a beer from Estonia.  In any case, I love a good porter (especially one with 7.5% ABV).  Enough said.  Let's pour!

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

Aroma 10/12
Loads of chocolate assault the nose right off the bat.  A toasty, dark malt aroma is behind it, but still very rich.  There are also suggestions of dark fruit, which is a little unusual, but not unpleasant.  As the beer warms and the head settles, warm chocolate, coffee, and oatmeal become more pronounced.  A very nice touch.

Appearance 3/3
This looks exactly like a porter should.  It pours a medium-bodied brew that produces more than a fair amount of head.  Through it is essentially an opaque brown, there are shades of mahogany and dark sienna.  Very pretty.  Head maintains for a fair amount of time, covers the top equally, and remains as a collar throughout the pint.  No lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 18/20
Having no idea of what to expect can sometimes lead to pleasant surprises!  The first sensations are the sweet, dark malt and the tiny, prickly carbonation.  The main structure is toasty, almost smoky malt and the dark caramel carried in the aroma.  After holding the brew in the mouth, an oatmeal sweetness arises in conjunction with the coffee bitters to round out the earlier sweetness, yet the dark caramelly sweetness is still very present.  The finish continues to grow the toasty and coffee flavors, as it should, and then gives way to an after taste that features the coffee, but also includes a light yet distinct hop bitter.

Note: After finishing the review for this beer, I let two things happen that had very interesting results. First, the beer was allowed to warm a bit more than usual.  Second, I drank a bit of the beer directly from the bottle.  The warmth almost completely changed the malt flavor of the beer.  Gone was the caramel dominance!  Now it was a dark, bready wonder.  Drinking from the bottle allowed more oxygenation of the beer (much like a strainer/bubbler pouring gadget on a bottle of wine).  I could not believe how much more distinct the chocolate flavors became!  What was dominant in the aroma and overwhelmed in the chilled backbone of this beer finally reared its head and took a more important role in the overall scope of this brew.

Mouthfeel 4/5
While the carbonation of this beer borders on being a bit too prickly, everything else is spot on for the style.  The body is medium-full and suggests creaminess, but could use more.  The alcohol is hidden well and is not detectable by my palate.  The carbonation, while not abundant, is (as aforementioned) tiny, prickly, and a bit distracting/contrasting from the other smooth, dark complexities in this beer.

Overall Impression 8/10
This beer is extremely solid technically.  It does not add a whole lot to the style, but it takes care of all the essentials with flying colors.  Body is sound, appearance is dead-on, and the flavor is complex and appropriate.

Total 43/50
Despite having never heard of this beer, this score puts it toward the top of the "Excellent" category.  This brewer reminds me of a Samuel Smith's; while it does not add anything fancy or insanely memorable it nails the style so well (and richly) that you cannot dislike this beer.  It's a dang good beer and I would not hesitate to buy another Saku if I should finally find it again in stores.  "Tervist!" to my Estonian friends!  You know a good beer when you have it.  Solid beer.  Amazing price.  I whole-heartedly recommend picking it up.  You will not be disappointed.

Stone - Smoked Porter

Well, friends American Craft Brew Week is almost ended.  I hope you did it up right by drinking tons of your favorite AND LOCAL craft beers this week.  Extra brownie points if you shared a few with a friend or two.  I'm about to share some with a friend in a few minutes, but right now I'll write a review for a brew I shared with my long-time friend Jon who was back in town from Washinton DC.  Jon loves his nut brown ales, porters, and a good stout.  I picked up a few brew selections and this was one of them that we sipped on catching up on new stuff and reminiscing about the old.  What more could you want?  Let's pour!

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

Aroma 7/12
Starts with a dark, bready malt that mixes with a spicy smokiness.  The hops are nonexistant in the aroma at first, but eventually show up as a little earthy and spicy after the head dissipates.  Some distinct, comlplimentary flavors, but ultimately not a lot going on here with regards to complexity.  I think it mainly lacks the chocolately sweetness to go hand-in-hand with the malt.

Appearance 3/3
This looks like a perfect beer.  I mean, look at it.  The beige head is the proportionally perfect size and it leaves ridiculous amounts of lacing on the way down.  The dark brown color is very nice in this porter, yet still leaves ruby glints at the bottom of the glass.  The head pits dramatically and has an unusual texture (lumpy gravy?) before settling across the top of the beer.


Picture is my own.

Flavor 17/20
It is a pleasant discovery to find that the flavor profile is much more complex than the aroma.  The beer's first sip instantly relays its creamy texture which, in turn, blends with the first flavors.  The first sip hides how truly brown the malt is in this brew, but eventually it fades into a sweet, traditional, dark malt flavor.  The backbone is extremely malt heavy and leaves little room for other flavors to shine through it.  There are bitter dark chocolate notes, but the creaminess contrasts with it and the other dark flavors that this beer offers.  The longer it is held in the mouth, the more the complex chocolate bitters and coffee notes rise to the forefront.  The finish focusses more on a bold coffee note and a hop bitter, though with the strong malt presence from earlier, this is anything but a bitter beer.  In case you hadn't noticed, there is not much written in regards to the smoke in this "smoked porter."  The smoke flavor is moderate in the of beginning bottle, but your palate and nose quickly become accustomed to it and it is barely more than a suggestion as you continue.  It is still present, but extremely mild.

Mouthfeel 3/5
The light mouthfeel was one of the first noticeable traits about this brew.  For a traditionally dark, robust style, the body was lighter than expected.  However, it has redeemed itself with its abundance of creaminess.  The beer is smooth as silk and goes down remarkably well. 

Overall Impression 7/10
Some really good flavors are present(malt, dark chocolate), but noticeably absent in others (smoke, caramel).  The "cream/milk" flavor seems to dominate the backbone which lightens this beer considerably.  Unfortunately, light is not what one often seeks in a porter and conflicts with the dark delicious flavors that this beer stuggles to wholly deliver.

Total 36/50 (Very Good)
True to its scoring, this is a "very good" beer, but not as exceptional as everyone claims.  I feel like the bitter from the finish and after is supposed to influence the drinker to think that the whole brew was a very robust porter.  In fact, the backbone is quite creamy and malty leaving the bitter, dark, robust flavors to be handled by the finish and aftertaste.  The main structure of the beer had potential to offer a lot more strength that it did and it seems as if the contrasting "milky" flavors were meant to compliment the chocolate and coffee flavors, but ultimately ended up watering it down.