This month our host for the session is Lew Bryson at Seen Through a Glass.

I must admit that I was a bit worried when I found out the topic for this months session. I had only tried one smoked beer and I hadn't been impressed. Not a good start, but then, I'll try any beer and usually do it over and over again.

It seems that Aecht Schlenkerla from Bamberg Germany is usually mentioned as the definitive of the style nowadays. Since their Marzen is available locally I picked up a few bottles to see what I was getting into. I saved 1 for the actual session. I had heard that smoked beers were a bit of an acquired taste and that it usually took two or three to develop a taste. Not with me because I started to really enjoy this with only my second sip.

In fact I liked it so much I started looking around for other smoked beer. I discovered that "Church Key", a small craft brewery a couple of hours from home, made "Holy Smoke" A smoked Scottish style ale. A beer run was now mandatory and to make it worth while I grabbed as many of their other beers as they had available.

Now, the rules for this session state that we are to have a smoked beer in front of us while we write this so, I have two.

Along with some smoked Gouda cheese and some kippers.

Both beers in a chalice, just to be fancy, (not even eating off a paper plate as normal) and let's get at it.

First the Schlenkerla. Their Marzen.
Pours a very dark garnet colour with a medium white head which disappears quickly leaving a few clumps.
The aroma is very smoky, reminds me of smoked sausages.
Taste is like a campfire with some nice subtle berry tastes underneath, if you can get past the smoke.
It really enhances the smokiness of the Gouda, it totally dominates the kippers, making them almost irrelevant.

The Holy Smoke.
Also a dark garnet colour but with a hint of clouds, as if the smoke is actually in the glass.
The aroma is more like peat smoke than wood and is not as "in your face" as the Schlenkerla.
Taste has a lot more roasted malt chocolate flavour with a touch of a sour taste.
It really can't stand up to the German variety and should perhaps be enjoyed on it's own.
It does match up very nicely with the smoked kippers on a cracker. The Gouda it can handle, but only just.

Overall I think I prefer the Schlenkerla. It's over the top smoke flavours appeal to me, but then I live way out in the country and the smell of hardwood smoke is pretty normal this time of year.
I would never turn up my nose at the Holy Smoke though. On it's own it has a great flavour, it just gets buried when up against the German variety.

I have to thank Lew. I probably would have been a long time trying smoke beer had it not been for his challenge. As it is I am going to have to do some serious searching to find others.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy these beers without analysing them anymore so leave me alone.

Oh, yeah. We usually end our blogs with a quote so here's one for you.

"Work Baaad, Beer Good."
—:nemsis