Smoked Lager
Samuel Adams Boston Beer Co. / 5.0% ABV
The past Saturday was the first day of the trout fishing season here is Pennsylvania. The weather was going to be great so two friends of mine, Charlie T. and Bob W. and myself decided to head out to Moon Lake to try our hand at catching a few trout. Like the ritual that it is for many fishermen, women and children, we decided to get on the road at 5:30 a.m. so we could be lakeside no later than 6:15 a.m. Yes, you read that right, on the water no later than 6:15 a.m. First day of trout along with good weather bodes well for potential shoulder to shoulder fishing, lines tangling and shoreline brawls. It is always possible for things to get ugly out there.
When we arrived at Moon Lake, the sun was just peaking up over the horizon and to our surprise there were not that many people there yet. Since our timing was good, we quickly unpacked our gear and hustled down the shoreline to grab what we thought was a
"sure thing" spot. When we got to our spot, we set up our poles, fold out chairs and the Coleman Grill. We were now ready to catch a few of the 3,000 Rainbow and Golden trout that the PA. Fish Commission had stocked into Moon Lake.
When 8:00 a.m. came and the horn blew, the lines were cast and trout season had started. We were anxious to see which one of us would get the first bite and the first fish caught. Well, 9 a.m. came, 10 a.m. came and not a bite. At this point, the three of us were slumped in our chairs, and I was day dreaming of Rainbow Trout being cooked in my smoker. I have have to tell you, there is no better way to eat trout. The flavor of a nice oak smoke on a trout is outstanding.
However, I will need a few fish in order to smoke them.
It was approaching 11:00 a.m. and still no bites. The sun was high in the sky now and it was getting hot. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back and my face getting sunburned. It was time to peel off the heavy shirt and get down to my tee shirt. As I looked around the lake, I could see lots of humans, but none of them catching any fish. Since this
seemed to be the trend of the day, I sat back in my chair and started thinking about the smoked trout again, but this time with a nice cold beer. That got me to thinking, I wonder if there is such a thing as a smoked beer? Great question isn't it?
I was pondering this question on the shoreline of Moon Lake when I was snapped out of it by Bob W. saying, "I've had it! Let's get outta here". Charlie and I could not agree more so we packed up our gear and headed home. Once I got home and showered, I headed over to Leo Beer to see if there was such a thing as smoked beer. I know many of you are saying that there is no such thing. No way can you smoke a beer. Well, to my surprise, I actually found a smoked lager. Sam Adams makes a winter sampler that includes their Smoked Lager. Since I didn't have any trout to smoke, I thought I would pick up a sample pack to try. It was a glorious day outside so Mrs. Meister and I decided to sit out on the patio to have a few beers. Of course my first would be this Smoked Lager.
THE REVIEW
SIGHT: At first pour, you get a clear dark brown color with an orange hue throughout the entire glass. The head was about a 1/2 of an inch thick, off white in color which hung around for several sips. I thought that this lager looked exactly as I expected. It kinda looked smokey.
AROMA: As I poured my Smoked Lager, I could smell the smokiness. I must say, it smelled a little bit like my smoker. As I dove in for a better whiff, I was able to get through the smoke aroma to get some earth tones and sweetness. Definitely all of the aroma's worked well together.
TASTE: Now it was time to take a sip. I had not tried a smokey beer before so I was a bit apprehensive. As I took my first sip, I tasted a prevalent smokey flavor. It was not a true smokey fire flavor but more of a liquid smoke taste. This lasted throughout the drink and was followed by a little sweetness and a back of the throat bite at the end. I have to say this beer was very different. I was not sure whether I really liked this a lot or not at all. I had to take a few more sips and a few steps back to decide.
Overall, I was not crazy about Sam Adams Smoked Lager. Don't get me wrong here, it was OK, but nothing to write home about. It was more of a I'll try it once to say I tried it. After doing some research on smoked beers, I found out that there is whats called a Rauchbier. A traditional German Rauchbier is made with a beechwood smokiness and toasted barley malts. The malted barley is actually dried over an open flame which gives it that smokey flavor. If you are looking for a good beer to drink by the fire pit on a cool evening, I would suggest an Alaskan Smoked Porter or Spezial Rauchbier. I think I would pass on the Sam Adams Smoked Lager.
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5= Outstanding
4= Very Good
3= Good
2=Fair
1=Skunk
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