Home

Monday, December 28, 2009

Surly Brewing Company: Smoke

Smoke
Surly Brewing Co.
4811 Dusharme Drive
Brooklyn Park, MN
22B. Other Smoked Beer


Aroma: (10/12) 
Slight roasted hints, nothing over the top at all.
No hops evident.  As beer warms, the presence
of smoked malt comes alive (only became apparent
after warming up).

Appearance: (2.5/3)
Deep black hue with no ruby color on the edges. 
Decent head, but it waves a quick
goodbye; very little to no lacing at all.

Flavor: (17/20)
Roasted grain up front with very little to no smoked
malt noticeable.  No bitterness and very smooth.
Tastes very similar to a Schwartzbier. 
After waiting a bit for this beer to warm, there IS a slight
smoked flavor that arises.

Mouthfeel: (4/5)
Very nice and smooth and medium-bodied.  There
seems to be a touch of oatmeal in this recipe, because
of the creaminess, but it actually wasn't added into the
grain bill.

Overall Impression: (8/10)
This Surly offering was very good, but definitely not
exceptional.  I didn't pick up the smoked Bamburg
malts until the beer really warmed up and didn't pick
up any oak notes at all.

TOTAL: 41.5/50

3 comments:

  1. Wow man, I am quite surprised to hear about the lack of smoke you were getting. I have not yet had the Smoke yet this year. Last years was probably the smokiest beer I have ever had. Todd said the recipe was identical this year but that the smokiness was substantially less. It makes me wonder just how much less, or just how cold your beer was. Best make time to get out and try it. Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, it definitely was poured pretty cold at the Muddy Pig, but once it warmed up for 20 minutes, I could finally tell it was there.
    Good thing I tried the Bourbon County Stout after the Smoke, or else I definitely wouldn't have tasted anything!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I got about the same out of this beer as you did. Not much smoke...which in my opinion is a good thing. Just very underwhelmed.

    ReplyDelete