Smoked Porter 4 Review

I've been pretty busy over the last few weeks. Went on a ski-weekend, got a tooth pulled (which sucked, so brush your teeth and floss more diligently than I have been), recovered from the tooth extraction, stewarded a home brew competition, brewed last weekend (write-up early next week) and this weekend going away. Plus, I may have a bit of a cold. So this review might not be up to my usual standards, which my army of faithful readers know are very insightful, masterfully written, and demonstrate my world-class palate, along with my humility.

Plus, this review might be slightly biased, for more than the obvious reasons. 

Appearance: Dark mahogany. Not black, especially when held up to the light, but basically opaque. Thin tan head that does not last. The head retention is a little bit disappointing.

Aroma: Smokey but not like bacon or other smoked meat. I get some roasty or chocolate notes in there. Not overpowering smokiness, but then again my sense of smell is not functioning at 100% today. I don't get much if any hop aroma, but if it's there, it's kind of earthy.

Taste: A pretty good balance of smoke, roasty notes, chocolate / coffee, and a slight sweetness in the background. Hop presence is low, but may come through a bit as a spicy or earthy note. The smokiness is pretty smooth. I think for this reason I could drink more than one glass of it, unlike the Bamberger Rauchbiers.

Mouthfeel: Pretty low carbonation, moderate body bordering on slightly thin. I think it has a thinner body than my previous smoked porter. Aftertaste is smoke, slight bitterness, and a combination of roasty sweetness. A little bit of astringency in the aftertaste.

Overall: A "balanced" smoked porter which combines smoke and roasty flavors in pretty equal portions. Slight sweetness and bitterness, but some earthy / spicy hop qualities.

Special Feature: This beer scored a 35 at a local competition, and won 3rd place in the Smoked Beer Style (Category 22). The judges' comments about the beer more or less are consistent with my own impression. I am pretty happy with the results here, though I wish I had gotten something from the judges about how I could push the score "to the next level".

For Next Time: Play around with it. Perhaps use Marris Otter malt as a base for some extra complexity. Or try some German beechwood smoked malt instead of the Cherry-smoked malt. Or perhaps use an English yeast such as S-04. We'll see.