Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #86) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 2.15.13)
Style/ABV: Smoked Porter, 7.0%
Reported IBUs: ?
Pipeworks has been busy rolling out new beers on a weekly basis, and I still haven't caught up to all of their old stuff. That's good news for Pipeworks, bad news for my liver, and.....///drumroll///...my cue to announce another Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. There's something about smoked beers that screams Autumn, and this beer should hit the spot tonight. About Pipeworks:
"Pipeworks Smoked Porter is brewed with classic rauch malt and cherrywood smoked malt, totalling 20% of the grist. This first offering in our smoked series starts with a rich malt base with hints of roast, finishing with a moderate level of smoky campfire-goodness. We'll be brewing this one with different levels of smokiness throughout the year, so we're sure to find something with just the right amount of smoke for you!"
I love how I vicariously learn how to brew beer through Pipeworks. Opening the cap yielded a loud "POP" and beer gushed out the side. And this is a first for me: the all foam pour. I've never actually poured a beer that has been ALL foam. Crazy. For what it's worth, I'll take an over-carbonated bottle of beer versus an under-carbonated one every day out of the week. Also, the picture to the right was taken about 30 seconds after I poured it. That half inch of beer in the bottom of the glass was not present when I first poured this beer. It was LITERALLY* all foam. (* and fuck you, Oxford, for trying to change the definition of literally).
Once the PCP-driven head chills the fuck out, you are left with a dark, cola-black body, and a mountain of foamy, brown head. The head to body ratio on this beer would make Giada De Laurentiis blush. In bright light, the body of this beer is a murky brown, total swamp haze, and the head has woody brown tones.
The good news is that this smells authentic and delicious. I'm getting lots of smoked wood, dry sauna, BBQ, some smoked pork, a hint of roast, and really nice smoked malt complexity. Unlike the amateur homebrew pour, this smells like the real deal.
Weird...I was expecting a lot more of the smoked malt up front, and a lighter body. This has Stout-like thickness, with dense chocolate and coffee up front, that gives way to smoke, smoked wood, and smokey chocolate. The back end dials up some big roast, and you get lingering smoked malt on the back. This sort of defies what I've come to expect from both Rauchbiers and Porters. The huge pull up front also digs up some sweetness, maybe molasses? Dark fruits? Hmmm.
So, I really dig this. The smoke is nuanced and subtle, and there's a dense, full body that reminds me of a hearty Stout. And all at 7.0%, which is completely under the radar. The drinkability of this beer is too damn high! The balance in this beer seems out of whack...but it works. It's an idiot savant, but whatever. Palate depth is phenomenal. Complexity is average. You get huge malt density, chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, roast, and smoke up front; that rolls into big roasty smoke, barbecue, hints of pork; the back end trails with roast and smoke (with wood, sauna), and the finish is smokey and dry. So nuanced, so awesome.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
I fucking love this, and I'm throwing this a Strong Above-Average. The balance doesn't suggest a Porter or Rauchbier, this is all Stout baby. And you know what? That makes this beer all the more impressive. At 7.0%, this has the density of a much higher gravity beer. That's awesome. My only complaint is the carbonation issue, but again: I'd rather have too much carbonation than no carbonation. At 7 or 8 bucks a bottle, this beer is worth checking out. Grab a bottle while it's still out there, if you can. I'm about to pair this beer with a salami sandwich of toasted bread, but this would go wonderfully with a pulled pork or anything BBQ. Awesome, awesome stuff.
Random Thought: I'm really enjoying the progress that Pipeworks is making. I still think Two Brothers and Revolution have the edge in terms of making consistent, refined beer, but if Pipeworks keeps this up the future will be bright.
Reported IBUs: ?
Pipeworks has been busy rolling out new beers on a weekly basis, and I still haven't caught up to all of their old stuff. That's good news for Pipeworks, bad news for my liver, and.....///drumroll///...my cue to announce another Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. There's something about smoked beers that screams Autumn, and this beer should hit the spot tonight. About Pipeworks:
Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.
The Smoked Porter is brewed with 20% smoked malt. The back of the bottle states:
"Pipeworks Smoked Porter is brewed with classic rauch malt and cherrywood smoked malt, totalling 20% of the grist. This first offering in our smoked series starts with a rich malt base with hints of roast, finishing with a moderate level of smoky campfire-goodness. We'll be brewing this one with different levels of smokiness throughout the year, so we're sure to find something with just the right amount of smoke for you!"
 |
| This shouldn't happen. |
I love how I vicariously learn how to brew beer through Pipeworks. Opening the cap yielded a loud "POP" and beer gushed out the side. And this is a first for me: the all foam pour. I've never actually poured a beer that has been ALL foam. Crazy. For what it's worth, I'll take an over-carbonated bottle of beer versus an under-carbonated one every day out of the week. Also, the picture to the right was taken about 30 seconds after I poured it. That half inch of beer in the bottom of the glass was not present when I first poured this beer. It was LITERALLY* all foam. (* and fuck you, Oxford, for trying to change the definition of literally).
Once the PCP-driven head chills the fuck out, you are left with a dark, cola-black body, and a mountain of foamy, brown head. The head to body ratio on this beer would make Giada De Laurentiis blush. In bright light, the body of this beer is a murky brown, total swamp haze, and the head has woody brown tones.
The good news is that this smells authentic and delicious. I'm getting lots of smoked wood, dry sauna, BBQ, some smoked pork, a hint of roast, and really nice smoked malt complexity. Unlike the amateur homebrew pour, this smells like the real deal.
 |
| Pipeworks Smoked Porter (20%) |
Weird...I was expecting a lot more of the smoked malt up front, and a lighter body. This has Stout-like thickness, with dense chocolate and coffee up front, that gives way to smoke, smoked wood, and smokey chocolate. The back end dials up some big roast, and you get lingering smoked malt on the back. This sort of defies what I've come to expect from both Rauchbiers and Porters. The huge pull up front also digs up some sweetness, maybe molasses? Dark fruits? Hmmm.
So, I really dig this. The smoke is nuanced and subtle, and there's a dense, full body that reminds me of a hearty Stout. And all at 7.0%, which is completely under the radar. The drinkability of this beer is too damn high! The balance in this beer seems out of whack...but it works. It's an idiot savant, but whatever. Palate depth is phenomenal. Complexity is average. You get huge malt density, chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, roast, and smoke up front; that rolls into big roasty smoke, barbecue, hints of pork; the back end trails with roast and smoke (with wood, sauna), and the finish is smokey and dry. So nuanced, so awesome.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
I fucking love this, and I'm throwing this a Strong Above-Average. The balance doesn't suggest a Porter or Rauchbier, this is all Stout baby. And you know what? That makes this beer all the more impressive. At 7.0%, this has the density of a much higher gravity beer. That's awesome. My only complaint is the carbonation issue, but again: I'd rather have too much carbonation than no carbonation. At 7 or 8 bucks a bottle, this beer is worth checking out. Grab a bottle while it's still out there, if you can. I'm about to pair this beer with a salami sandwich of toasted bread, but this would go wonderfully with a pulled pork or anything BBQ. Awesome, awesome stuff.
Random Thought: I'm really enjoying the progress that Pipeworks is making. I still think Two Brothers and Revolution have the edge in terms of making consistent, refined beer, but if Pipeworks keeps this up the future will be bright.
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