Tonight's beer: Mikkeller/Stillwater Rauchstar
Lots and lots of smoke, almost like bacon, or smoked gouda, or ham, or whatever—like something savory is the relevant point here. Caramel-toasted bread emerges as the smoke clears. Earthy-grassy bitterness shoulders its way to the fore, mainly in the middle, as the beer transitions from smoky-sweet to something more dry. Dim impressions of spice and fruits and peat; maybe a trace of some sort of whiskey way off in the background.
A little on the thick side of medium-bodied, with lots of carbonation. Chewy and sticky and syrupy and just a little resinous. Remarkably little heat or other boozy presence for a beer that's 9.4% ABV. Nicely drying and surprisingly refreshing.
A startlingly drinkable big smoked beer, product of a collaboration between two gypsy brewers who routinely, on their individual owns, make awesome beer. Intense and complex, graceful and integrated and balanced. I really wish I'd been able to find more than the one bottle of this. Yummy.
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| Mikkeller/Stillwater Rauchstar |
Lots and lots of smoke, almost like bacon, or smoked gouda, or ham, or whatever—like something savory is the relevant point here. Caramel-toasted bread emerges as the smoke clears. Earthy-grassy bitterness shoulders its way to the fore, mainly in the middle, as the beer transitions from smoky-sweet to something more dry. Dim impressions of spice and fruits and peat; maybe a trace of some sort of whiskey way off in the background.
A little on the thick side of medium-bodied, with lots of carbonation. Chewy and sticky and syrupy and just a little resinous. Remarkably little heat or other boozy presence for a beer that's 9.4% ABV. Nicely drying and surprisingly refreshing.
A startlingly drinkable big smoked beer, product of a collaboration between two gypsy brewers who routinely, on their individual owns, make awesome beer. Intense and complex, graceful and integrated and balanced. I really wish I'd been able to find more than the one bottle of this. Yummy.
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