Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale Review

Name: Rogue Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale
Style: Smoked Beer/Rauchbier
ABV: 6.5%

Last year, Rogue Ales started doing collaborations with Portland-Based Voodoo Doughnuts to bring about some rather....interesting beers. For starters, in an attempt to draw attention,the bottle itself is  a Pepto-Bismol Pink and you can tell it was sprayed on because there's some pink opacity (fading away for you non-Photoshop users) near the mouth of the bottle.

The second thing you'll notice is the flavor: Maple Syrup & Bacon. Now I'm no stranger to Smoked/Rauchbiers in general and I'm familiar with the bonfire/smoked bacon flavor that comes along with it but this is supposedly made with actual bacon. I've actually had a maple-bacon donut before (not from Rogue) and found it to be rather good but that may just be my own messed-up palate.

So Bacon and Beer together at last, two of my favorite things in one package, there is no possible way this could suck.....

'Merica!!

The beer pours a dark hazy brown color with a pretty foamy head. The amount of carbonation is pretty mild and the lacing retention here is pretty lacking.

The nose smells like a Perkins Breakfast Platter....No seriously, it's like they took the Perkins 55 Plus Breakfast menu and made a beer from it! I'm getting some bacon, maple syrup, some yeastiness that may as well be pancakes and a very light hoppiness.

The flavor thankfully remembers that it's still a smoked beer.....sort of. To start, it's got a smoked/sweet malty backbone, bacon and and a very sweet maple syrup taste. There's also some slight oakiness to the flavor as well as some bready/yeastiness. I still say it tastes like breakfast!

The body is moderate in weight with some pretty light carbonation. It's got a fairly creamy mouthfeel so it's a pretty easy beer to drink.

I love Rauchbiers & Smoked Beers but this really didn't cut it for me. It's a bit too sweet for this style of beer and there are cheaper alternatives of the same style that taste so much better than this.

Rogue Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale - 6/10

Surly Smoke Review

Tonight I've decided to review Smoke, a Baltic Porter/Smoked Beer from Surly Brewing, whom I mentioned in a previous review is like our equivalent of Three Floyds in Indiana. I figured I would review this since this is one of the more spotty releases from Surly (Behind Darkness, Syx and Pentagram of course.)

Smoke pours a pitch black color with a brown head and some mild lacing. It does have a mild brown tinge towards the bottom when held up to a light.

The aroma is a smooth mixture of oak, smoked ham, chocolate, cocoa and roasted malts. Not as powerful as say....Schlenkerla.

The same can also be said about the flavor with it's smooth combination of smoked ham, oak, chocolate and roasted malts. The aftertaste is a bitter combination of hoppy & smoke.

The palate is pretty heavy for a smoked beer. The carbonation starts out moderate but tappers off into a mild feel. Overall texture of the beer is somewhat smooth and allows for easier drinking.

This isn't as smokey or rich as other smoked beers I have tried, but the flavor is very balanced which helps create a easy drinking experience. Check this one out if you get the chance!

Surly Smoke - 8.5/10

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Review

Name: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
Style: Smoked Beer
ABV: 5.4%

I'm a fan of Smoked Beers (or Rauchbier in German), and not just because it tastes like ham. I've always enjoyed the uniqueness of the flavor and the cycle as to how it's made. It's also considered to be an authentic German-Style beer and one of the reasons why I want my upcoming honeymoon to be in Germany though my fiance insists we go to France.

When I first wanted to get into Smoked Beers, I was unsure where to start so one of the clerks recommended I try out the (Aecht) Schlenkerla Rauchbier  for starters mainly because of it's price and popularity.

According to what I have found out, Schlenkerla is a brewpub based out of Bamberg, Germany, which itself is a UNESCO World Hertiage Site. According to the brewery's website, Schlenkerla has been around since the 15th Century.

So I took this home and a couple days later I tried it out. Needless to say I fell in love with it and the Rauchbier style, so this is more or less a re-review.

To start out, it pours a dark brown color with a foamy, but fizzy head. Really doesn't leave behind anything in terms of lacing and it's dark appearance makes it hard to see any sorts of carbonation save for a few bubbles climbing up the sides

The smell is a outdoorsman's dream. You got an aroma of Smoked Ham/Bacon, Oak and Roasted Malts. There is also an aroma of Bonfire that reminds me of going up to our family's cabin in the middle of the summer. We'd cook smoked ham, pancakes and eggs over an open bonfire pit before heading out fishing for the day.

The flavor is just like the smell....but better! It has some very strong ham notes and some equally strong smoke notes on the back of the palate, which gives way to the oak/wood flavor. The roasted malts also give the flavor a dimension of sweetness that keeps the beer from tasting too woodsy/smokey. I've forgotten how awesome this flavor is until now!

The body is light and the carbonation is rather mild as well, which feels very smooth when drinking. Despite the fact this is an easy drinker, you'll want to savor this beer as much as you possibly can.

Since I've first had Schlenkerla Rauchbier, I've had many different variations of the Smoked Beer Style from different breweries. While all of them were good in their own respects, Schlenkerla always leaves the biggest impression on me.With that said, this beer (and style) is not for everyone, mainly the causal drinker and those who don't like "unusual" flavors in their beer. However, if you're feeling slightly adventurous, like the smell of bacon, and looking for a truly authentic German Beer, then this one if for you!

Schlenkerla Rauchbier : 9.5/10