Against the Grain MacFannybaw

Brewed By: Against the Grain Brewery (and Smokehouse) in Louisville, Kentucky   

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Friar Tuck in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Smoked/Rauchbier, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 25

Tonight's beer is just so much wuuutt. It's literally wutt. About Against the Grain Brewing: 

The Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is a brewery (and smokehouse) that was founded back in October 2011. The brewery is located in the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field at the corner of Jackson and Main Street, in Kentucky, and is run by four dudes who are cooler than you. For more information, check them out on Facebook or check out their website. 

The MacFannybaw is a barrel-aged Rauchbier, aged in Angel's Envy Bourbon Barrels. The bottle reads: "We're not blowing smoke up your rear! This barrel-aged rauchbier offers up all the complexity and flavor you could ask for, without all the highfalutin and grandiloquent ideas folks have about that famous islay liquid gold. MacFannyBaw is a sweet, smooth, smokey, and salty lionn, brewed with alderwood smoked salt and conditioned in barrels to add a touch of Kentucky flavor." With a Munich malt base and tons of Beechwood and Peat smoked malts and Alderwood smoked salt...this should be weird. 

Against the Grain MacFannybaw wuttt

This basically pours out exactly not how you would expect: orange and bright, with two fingers of gold-tinged head. This is as clear as my kidney infection, and looks like some sort of juicy and dank Saison or IPA.

I'm wondering again if this beer is infected, because it sure brings an ample supply of band-aid funk to the aroma. Along with the band-aid funk are rubber bands that would make T.I. jealous, and copious layers of smoked malts. Beneath all that are some honest-to-goodness citrus and pineapple notes. I just don't know.

This is more or less a wuttt affair with weird ass band-aid funk whiskey smoke notes piling on like a Comedy Roast. Honestly, this is equal parts confusing as hell and interesting, with smoked malts, beechwood, and salt coalescing with whiskey, barrel, oak, and some obscure and faint honey sweetness that lingers in the backgroud. I honestly don't think this infected, this is just an eclectic beer.

I'm drawn to things that don't make sense, and this is no exception. I don't even know what this is. A funky Rauchbier? It's relatively clean, hides the alcohol well, carbonated, and medium-bodied. Palate depth is fine and it's complex....I just don't know. The weird mash of smoke, salt, and ubersweet beechwood malts up front give way to that funky band-aid/rubber band man middle...the back end drops off oak, whiskey, barrel, and faint pineapple which suggests a few more years in the bottle and you'll have Orval. Wut. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. This beer is kind of like going on vacation to your aunt's house. Everything is cooler and more laid back, but also weird and different. Things smell different, and she cooks hamburger helper way different than mom does. Food pairings here include chili and that's about all I have.

Random Thought: Wut

Oskar Blues Old Chub: Nitro vs. Regular

Brewed By: Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Whole Foods in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Canned on 05/19/2014)
Purchased: 16oz NITRO CAN from a 4-pack bought at Whole Foods in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Canned on 07/07/2014)

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 8.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

DAE like getting drunk on a Thursday night? Does anyone else like comarison reviews? About Oskar Blues: 

Oskar Blues has a few claims to fame, like being the first American craft brewery to put their beer into cans. The brewery was founded in 1997, by Dick Dale Katechis, as Oskar Blues Restaurant. In 1998, Oksar Blues began brewing beer in the basement of their restaurant. In 2002 Oskar Blues became the first American craft brewery to can a beer, with their Dale's Pale Ale. During 2008, the brewery moved from its original Lyons location to a new, 35,000-square-foot facility in Longmont, CO, turning the Lyons location back into a brew pub. And in 2012, the brewery expanded its capacity to over 100,000 bbls. The brewery continues to celebrate success, and has been turning out some awesome beer...in a can. Their website is pretty kick-ass, so check it out HERE for more information about the brewery and their history.

The Old Chub is, at this point in time, iconic. Described as a "jaw-dropping Scottish strong ale," this one is brewed with malted barley, specialty grains, and a "dash of beechwood-smoked malt." What more could you ask for in a beer? I guess Nitro, right. For this comparison, the Nitro will be in the 4 Hands glass, and the Regular will be in the Sam Adams glass.

Appearance

Nitro - so I wasn't expecting to see any big differences with the apperance, but the Nitro definitely settles into a darker, cola-black body, with a persistent finger of perfectly whipped head. It's like Guinness, only better looking. There is some lacing, and when held to a bright light you do catch hints of red.

Getting a chubby for that Old Chub

Regular - Regular Old Chub pours into a slightly lighter body. It's dark, dark, ruby red...with cola tones. Also, the regular Old Chub kicks up way more head (as you'd expect) since it relies on good old fashioned CO2 instead of Nitrogen. Head retention on both beers is nice, but the regular version leaves a lot more lacing courtesy of the head.

Aroma

Nitro - The aroma on this beer is subtle, but when you really get into it and start digging around, you find lightly toasted bread, peated malts and beechwood, and hints of dark fruits. The fruits range from cherries to raisins, with some hints of almost Quad-like perfume spice. It's a nice aroma that doesn't go over the top.

Regular - The regular Old Chub seems to pop a bit more on the aroma, which isn't overly surprising. It seems like (IMO) the nitrogen hinders the release of aromatics a bit. I'm getting a lot of big peat malts on the nose, with light smoke, beechwood, toast, and far-reaching dark fruits and sugars. It also smells good.

Taste

Nitro - Wow...this is maybe the smoothest beer I have ever had. The nitrogen irons out any bumps, and you're already dealing with a malt-forward beer. This is simply delicious, with toffee, caramel sugars, hints of bread and toast, rye spice, kisses of beachwood malt, some caramel sugars and cocoa ala a Brown Ale, hints of nutty, and some dark fruits (raisins, cherries). 

Regular - This is still super smooth...however, the carbonation does changes the entire profile of the beer. This one has some bite. You get those tannin notes from the malts, with some peat malt astringency, and some bready and toasty astringency. It's welcomed, this is a Scotch Ale. It definitely changes the complexion of the beer. It may be the age, but the regular version just has more malt "umphh" with the sugary and subtle fruit notes coming afterwards. Really fantastic.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability/Final Thoughts

Nitro - Both of these beers have above-average complexity and brilliant palate duration. They both mask the 8.0% as well. The Nitro is way smoother. It also shifts the balance towards the sweet sugar, with less bready malts and less astringency. Both of these beers are full-bodied. On the Nitro,  you get silky smoothness, sugars, cocoa, and bread/toast up front; that rolls into more cocoa, some peat malt, beechwood, and some raisins; the back end drops lingering peat malts, but it is sweet. The finish is sweet and blunt.

Regular - As noted above, this is full-bodied with good complexity and palate depth. Up front: sweetness, but more towards the malty side with sweet peated malts, beechwood, bread, toast; the mids hit some serious Scotch Ale notes, with some bread, rye, brown sugar; the back end dials up sugars with some fruit notes (raisins, cherries). Wow...I'm amazed at how much these two beers differ. 

Rating

Nitro - Strong Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

Regular - Decent Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

Well, I think the ratings speak for themselves. For me, I'm really digging the nitro version of this beer. It's smoother...and it hits those sweet notes without going too far into the peat/smoked malts. The regular version is still delicious though, and this is the perfect beer to pair with grilled meats, or in my case, nachos. Yum. If you haven't checked this one out, do it now. This is a certified classic, and one of the better American Scotch Ales.

Random Thought: TGIF...T..G...I...F. 

Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Porter, 5.9% 
Reported IBUs: 53

Tonight's beer was just sitting on shelves, saying "tick me, bro." I've already dabbled wit Stone's Smoked Porter, which is really good. The Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans is even better. About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

The Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers is the brainchild of Chris Carroll, who in 2006, suggested producing a one-off version of the Stone Smoked Porter brewed with the addition of chipotle peppers. Stone describes this beer as a "deep, roasty quaff," which is also how I describe going down on Serena Williams. Let's get this into a glass and do that adjunct bench press. 

Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers

This one pours out like a Porter or Brown Ale. The shocker here is the three-fingers plus of dense, sustaining head. The head takes on root beer float consistency, and has that cola-brown color. The body of the beer is also hinting towards a dark brown or ruby red in low light. In bright light the beer is a just slightly hazy reddish-orange color, it's kind of murky and swampy, like port side storage containers. The head is hanging around, and there be lacing ahead. 

This one smells surprisingly sweet from the onset. I'm getting big toast, dusty cocoa, lactose chocolate, nuttiness, nutty coffee, hazelnut, and coffee sweetness. There's also an earthy element to the coffee aroma which is nice. There's a hint of earthy ash and smoke on the aroma as well. Noteably absent on this beer's aroma is the smell of chipotle or pepper. I'm not getting any in the aroma. If you handed this to me blind and told me to judge it based on aroma alone, I'd be SOL. 

Mild spice is the name of the game here, with tingly chipotle massaging the sides of your tongue and building towards a peppery finish that drops salty jalapenos, green peppers, and chipotle goodness on the back of your throat. It's a blast of refined and constrained pepper to your tonsils, if you still have them. The base beer is given plenty of room to do its thing, with lots of Brown Ale/Porter-esque goodness. There's plenty of toast, caramel, cocoa, sweet chocolate, nuttiness, and subtle coffee notes at work here. The peppery heat is a nice counterpoint to this beer's somewhat one-dimensional sweetness, but those are the ropes in Porter country. 

As a general rule of thumb, I am better than everyone. People complaining about this beer's heat are wrong and should try some of Stone's Crime. People complaining about this being too light should note that this is a gentle beer, really. The 5.9% goes undetected, and I'd almost dare say this is pretty accessible both in terms of drinkability and sessionability. I don't want to jump the gun on potential food pairings, but this beer seems like it would really go well with some chocolate cake, mole sauce, bacon, chili, clam chowder (per Stone's website), ribs, grilled meats, and big ass burgers. It's kind of a foodie beer, certainly a beer with purpose. It's the adjuncts. Anyway...palate depth and complexity are both pretty good, and this one has that medium-light mouthfeel with nice carbonation and tingly pepper heat that moves things along. If there was ever a case for Ales > Dunkler Bocks, this beer might be it. Up front: rich cocoa, dusty chocolate, nuttiness, coffee; the mids roll into more cocoa and coffee, toast, growing pepper heat; the back end continues with the cocoa, nuttiness, earthy coffee, ash, and big green pepper, jalapeno, and chipotle show up to punch the back of your throat. I'm digging this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a very Strong Above-Average. This is the perfect example of how you can balance adjuncts against a really solid base beer. Both the Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers and the Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean are an improvement over the base beer, in my humble opinion. This is a somewhat mild and manageable beer, but I suspect it will really work with the aforementioned food pairings. If you appreciate pepper heat, check this beer out. Yeah, it's somewhat spicy. But it's nothing like the abominations that Crime and Punishment are. This is a solid Porter, and you could do much worse at around $5.99~7.99 per bomber.

Random Thought: I debated drinking this tonight because I picked up some hoppy beers that I don't want to camp on for too long, but I think I made the right choice. I'm not sure how chipotle peppers hold up with time, but I have to image they drop off. 

Surly Smoke Lager

Brewed By: Surly Brewing in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Purchased: 1 Pint 9.4oz (25.4oz) GRAY WAXED bottle bought at Whole Foods in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 2013)

Style/ABV: Smoked/Baltic Porter/Oak Aged Smoked Baltic Porter, 8.2%

Reported IBUs: 50

Baltic Porters are the weird step-cousins of Imperial Stouts. These non-hoppy, malt bombs of a Lager are similar in style to both English Brown Porters and Schwarzbiers. The style was traditionally brewed by countries bordering the Baltic Sea, and is most similar to English Porters but was influenced by Russian Imperial Stouts. Tonight's beer takes the Baltic Porter format, and ratchets it up a few notches. About Surly Brewing: 

The Surly Brewing company is a brewery based out of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The brewery was founded in 2005 by long time homebrewer Omar Ansari with the help of Todd Haug (Minneapolis's Rock Bottom Brewery). For more info, check out the brewery's about page.

Tonight's beer, the Surly Smoke Lager, is massive in all the ways that matter. The bottle (and website) reads: "Ebony-hued, Smoke wafts out of the bottle and into your senses, borne on the wings of European traditions, wrapped in American innovation. Lager-brewed, like any true Baltic Porter, with smoked malts from Bamberg, Germany, the home of Rauchbiers, then mellowed by oak-aging. Black malt flavors mesh with notes of raisins, plums, figs and licorice with the subtle smoke on the side, for a complex and luxurious, yet silky smooth drinking experience. It's a sipper at Alc. 8.2% by VOL., but everyone knows you can't have Smoke without fire!" This one features Pale Ale, Smoked, Black, and Oat malts; it uses Warrior hops; the beer is fermented using German Lager yeast; and the beer is aged in or on oak. At 8.2% ABV and 50 IBUs, this one is sort of within the style guidelines.

Surly Smoke Lager

The Surly Smoke pours into an opaque, dark black/brown/reddish body, and kicks up three fingers of pretty dark mocha/brown head. There's a centimeter of hazy head hanging around, probably courtesy of the oats. Bright light confirms the same stuff...I'm okay calling this beer dark brown. It's opaque as they come.

The aroma here is big Bamberg/beechwood smoked malts, meats, ham/bacon, cherrywood, sauna, and dusty cocoa. SWIRL THIS BEER! When you swirl the beer in the glass, you unlock the mystery of dark grains, coffee, molasses, dark fruits, cherries, fruity alcohol, and big oak sweetness. The oak sweetness is woody and nutty and reminds me of the Two Brothers Atom Smasher.

The taste is intense, with big Rauchbier-esque smoked malts. I'm picking up beechwood, sauna, dark grains, cherries and boozy dark fruits, and layers of oak/wood/booze. Between all the smoke and fruity booze is some hints of molasses, coffee, and chocolate. There's a mild salty character here too.

This isn't as complex as I was expecting it to be...but that is not a serious knock against the beer. The beer is medium to full-bodied, depending heavily on the temperature that you drink it at. As it warms up, it starts to thicken up. The mouthfeel has added sustenance thanks to the low levels of carbonation. At 8.2% this is very drinkable, but you do get some nice, subtle booze in this. It adds a layer of needed complexity, and goes well with the dark malts and smoke. This is a Lager through and through, so a lot of the complexity comes from the malts, smoke, and oak. Speaking of: Up front is rich sweetness, dark fruits, molasses, chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee, and smoke; the mids roll into big sauna, beechwood, cherry wood, coffee, legit Bamberg Rauchbier-esque smoked malts, meaty hints, smoke, oak/bourbon/whiskey, more dark fruits; the back continues to bounce between oak/alcohol/bourbon/oak/dark fruits/etc. There is lingering molasses and smoke. The finish isn't super dry or sweet...very clean...hints of Lager spice. Like a Lager should be.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average for me. I enjoy the boozy fruits, coffee, and subtle oak that elevate this beer above just being a smoked Baltic Porter. It's a very well-made, clean beer too. It's kind of...like...an embodiment of Surly, to be honest. They make aggressive but clean beers that you can quaff all night long. I'd maybe pick this beer up again...it's hard to say with the $17 or $18 price tag. Food pairings here are pretty much smoked meats, bacon, BBQ sandwiches, chili, strong cheeses, ribs, burgers, and yeah. This is good stuff. Also, dat bottle art/wax. 

Random Thought: For whatever reason, this week just keeps going on and on. It's like the longest week ever.

Pipeworks Big Smokey P

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #201) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 9.5.13)

Style/ABV: Smoked Beer/Imperial Porter, 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Welcome to Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. It's cold out tonight, and the perfect evening to enjoy a big, bold, robust, smoked beer. 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.

Tonight's beer is an "Imperial Porter" that will likely feature Imperial Stout-like boldness. I guess we're splitting hairs here, but what can you do. The bottle reads:

"Bold, rich, and smokey. This is how the Big Smokey P Rolls. A deep malt base combining both Cherrywood and Beachwood smoked malts, this imperial smoked porter is Big. Get up on this Big Smokey P and enjoy the ride."

Pipeworks Big Smokey P

This beer pours into a black body with ruby red tones, and kicks up a pinky's worth of lightly tanned head. The head retention consists of a tan ring along the edge of the glass, and a hazy cauldron effect on top. Swirling the beer coats your glass with dense, dark lacing, and leaves some residual alcohol legs/tears behind. Bright light confirms much of the same: a dark beer with brown/ruby tones. 

This has a rich, velvety aroma, with lots of beachwood/cherrywood, caramel/molasses/brown sugar sweetness, hints of creamer or lactose, and tons of suggestive chocolates and meaty notes. There's a hint of butterscotch/diacetyl that comes and goes, but with the amount of UMPHH this beer has, I doubt it will be an issue. 

You do get a lot of beachwood, cherrywood, and smoked malts (with some hints of meat and campfire and the usual trimmings), all wrapped up in a delightful, full-bodied, malty package. I'm pulling out earthy notes, hints of coffee, chocolate, even some hints of sweeter sugars and fruits, and lots of molasses and caramel. But the smoked malts are pervasive throughout. 

This is full-bodied, dense, and big...it's also somewhat sugary, and leaves some residual sugars and stickiness on your lips. Nevertheless, for 10.5% this is drinkable. Palate depth is good...complexity is okay....and the beer promises what it advertises, which is nice smoked malt throughout. You get beachwood/cherrywood/smoked malt and cacao with some earthy notes hinting at coffee and roast up front; that rolls into chocolate, hints of fruit, some bitterness (hops???), and more smoked malts; the back end is lingering smoked malts with sugar/caramel/molasses sweetness. The finish is sticky sweet, and a touch smokey. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a very Light Above-Average here. I almost feel like the gravity boost here isn't as big of an improvement over Pipeworks' regular Smoked Porter as it could be...maybe if you take the bigger ABV and throw in some more cocoa or something, I don't know. It's a solid B/B+ beer, and the promised smoked malts are consistent throughout. This would be a great beer to pair with barbecue, grilled meats, a burger with bacon, ice cream, or dry chocolate cake. This is another solid brew from Pipeworks, and more proof that they have Stouts and IPAs down.

Random Thought: I had a cavity drilled and filled today. I rarely get cavities, and believe that tonight was number two or three. Getting the Novocaine shot is fucking weird, but it's kind of a cool sensation. The worst part is having the needle in your mouth for that extended period of time. I should probably harden the fuck up, so I'm gonna peace out. 

Pipeworks Chipotle Smoked Porter

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #95) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 2.26.13)

Style/ABV: Smoked Porter, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

The only thing I like better than a late night Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ is some nice copypasta. Tonight's beer is basically Pipeworks' Smoked Porter with the addition of some chipotle. Can you say yum? 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 back of the bottle reads:

"For those crazy enough to think our smoked porter needed something more, we give you Chipotle Smoked Porter. In addition to the already bold character from the smoked malts, we bring the heat with a healthy dose of chipotle peppers to take this rich porter to the next level. Recommended pairing with a giant hunk of smoked meat and a big ass bon fire on a cold night."

There was no gushing or carb issues here. This beer pours into a dark brown/soda-black body, and kicks up a pinky's worth of dark khaki/tan head. The head quickly fizzles out, and the beer has crackly, soda-like carbonation. In bright light, this beer is a swampy and murky brown color, with some tingly carbonation dotting the surface of the beer. I've had quite a few Stouts/Porters brewed with peppers, and this beer looks and pours like many of them.

Pipeworks Chipotle Smoked Porter 

For a beer brewed early this year, there's still a lot of smoke on the aroma. I'm getting chocolate, roast, coffee, and lots of beechwood-y smoked malts. There's a lot of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, molasses, chocolate, and vanilla on this beer's nose. What I would peg as an earthy coffee note is probably the chipotle, and the aroma definitely has a peppery vibe, but I don't know if I would place it in a blind tasting.

Chipotles are smokey and spicy, so the addition of chipotle to this beer only adds another layer of complexity. I feel like this is more smokey than the Smoked Porter, and there's a nice pinch of heat on the back that you can feel in the back of your throat. It's not End of Days good, but it's good. You get earthy smoke and beechwood smoke up front, and there's lots of coffee, earthy dirt, earthy peppers, and chocolate in the mix. The chipotle kicks in towards the back, and you get peppery spice and chipotle smoke on the finish. The lingering flavors on the palate are spicy pepper and some chocolate-syrup. Vanilla is in the mix too.

This is solid. Being the spicy food aficionado that I am, I would preference this over the Smoked Porter. Palate depth is good, and complexity is okay. This is medium to medium-full bodied. The mouthfeel is made lighter thanks to some carbonation and tingly pepper spice. This has good drinkability, assuming you aren't some smoked-malt hating hoser, and the 7.5% ABV goes mostly unnoticed. It's all about the beechwood smoked malts up front; the middle hits coffee, dirt, peppers, and chocolate; the back end is all chocolate and peppery spice. The finish here is spicy...and malty. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

In the same vein as the Smoked Porter, I'll toss this a Strong Above-Average. This beer drinks like a smokey chocolate Stout or Porter, so the addition of the chipotle pepper is very welcomed. I'd love to see Pipeworks brew this again, or any of their Stouts with the addition of chipotle. If you can snag a bottle of this...go for it. I'm about to pair this beer with a sandwich, but as the bottle suggests, you could certainly pair this beer with some BBQ or grilled/smoked meats. This would also go well with some chocolate cake, or chocolate dipped churros. 

Random Thought: TGIFF. 

Pipeworks Smoked Porter (20% Smoked Malt)

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 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.