Forgetting Smoke on the Water
Written: May 13 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: tasty, full bodied and potent
Cons: not quite liquid pork
The Bottom Line: This is a pretty good smoked beer from an American Brewer.
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| fuche_bu's Full Review: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale |
Being a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania and longtime beer geek, I take great pride in the beers of Pennsylvania. It may be boasting but this state has one of the longest standing brewing traditions in the country. We boast the oldest continuous brewery in the country as well as a crop of great microbreweries.
One craft brewery that has made a strong impression on me is Weyerbacher Brewing Co from Easton, PA. I was a fan back when they only had a small little brewpub around the corner from the State Theatre. These days, they have a larger brewery and the small brewpub is closed. I am hoping they one day reopen a new brewpub. Until then I will settle for their brewery products.
They recently released a new beer called Weyerbacher Fireside Ale. This one is a homage to the smoked beers of Germany. This was originally released as Charlie. That was part of their Brewer's Select Series. Now it has been added on as regular winter seasonal. It is set to be released every January. So that means I am catching this beer toward the end of its run.
I poured the beer slowly. It formed a bumpy head. I was getting Brussels lace on my glass so the beer retained a good degree of freshness. The beer had a copper to reddish hue. It even looks a little hazy. The head settled and I prepared to drink the beverage.
I was picking up some peat and charcoal in the nose. The malts are very dominant in the aroma here. It has a toasty but sweet scent that is very inviting. I know this is a specialized style but I found these characteristics to be quite inviting. The beer is medium in body and has a surprising drinkable quality.
The flavor is intriguing. I was getting some smoked quality in the beginning. It wasn't quite liquid pork but it was close. I was detecting some oak and nut in the flavor. The malts here are very prevalent. There is a nice subtle sweetness to this beer. The toast and roast character remained throughout. There was a bit of burnt charcoal in the flavor. That may not sound appetizing but it did not diminish my enjoyment of the beer.
I was surprised that it was a very drinkable beer. It goes down pretty easily. It is not heavy or cloying so one can take generous sips. It's also pretty dry. It does not oppress the tongue. The 7.5% abv is well hidden.
This is not a style that will please a wide range of drinkers though. This is one of those geek styles. It's like a Flemish sour or a barley wine. The average drinker will probably not cotton to it. I think newcomers will probably not enjoy this the first time they try it. This is one that I recommend but I think it will be best for those who are already into smoked beers or the beer geek who has to try every beer and every style.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fuche_bu
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Member: George Schaefer
Location: West Bristol, PA
Reviews written: 1103
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About Me:
Busy at work and missing a lot of epinions fun.
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