Heller-Trum Aecht Schenkerla Erle Schwarzbier

 Heller-Trum Aecht Schenkerla Erle Schwarzbier. Mit Erlenrauchmalz. Schenkerla Alder Wood Smoke. 

Black, near-perfect opacity, small brownish head. 

In the nose: mild smoke meets dark malts. Uncured ham plus cocoa. 

In the mouth: exceptionally smooth and hearty. There’s nothing like this. I love a nice, malty schwarzbier, but this is another thing. Rich and delicious, with that unique smoked malt touch. I can’t tell you what makes alder wood distinctive, but it works. 

Junkyard Estonia 10/30 Smoked Baltic Porter

Junkyard Estonia 10/30 Smoked Baltic Porter.
10.5 % ABV. 80 IBU. Barrel Aged.
Junkyard Brewing, Moorhead, MN.

Here's a crowler I did not purchase locally and did not buy at the brewery (which I haven't returned to since 2016, alas, not for lack of desire). No, it was a little ol' inter-familial trade. Nephew Pat who lives in Fargo brought two crowlers to our family Thanksgiving dinner, and I brought an Oliphant crowler we didn't open. Why not swap? And so we did, and now I get to review this one. Away we go....

Deep and dark, just about black, with a tight brown ring of foam encircling above.

In the nose: Malt explosion. Incredible aromatics. Packed with smoke, chocolate, coffee, char, caramel, ...richness upon richness.

In the mouth: Thick, viscous, and damned delicious. Everything encountered in the nose is visited doubly upon the palate. Massive malt. Chocolate intertwines with smoke. More richness, more deliciousness. Increasing alcohol. Wonderfully warming. Luxurious and lovely.

Wow. This is so good. One of my favorite Junkyard brews of all time. Please make more, Junkyard crew!

Baltic Porter originate in the Baltic region when brewers started to combine aspects of British porters with those of Russian Imperial Stouts. Our version of this style is brewed with lager yeast and smoked malt for a lot of smoky complexity that helps to dry out the rich malty finish in this big beer. 

Mikkeller Did you Mist ME? Collaboration with Fair State

Mikkeller Did you Mist ME? Collaboration with Fair State. Smoked lager brewed with hot rocks.
5.5 % ABV. Mikkeller SD, San Diego, CA.

Clear, bright golden color, slim white head.

In the nose: Sweetness. Malt. Rye? Smoke. Hmmm. Highly likable.

In the mouth: Slightly sweet, mostly malty, lightly spicy. Light bodied, and tasty. Nothing beating that, it's flat-out enjoyable. Nice and delicately smoked.

Smoked Lager brewed with Hot Rocks. Collab with Fair State Brewing Cooperative

Oliphant Citizen Krang Campfire Bock

I try to make it out to Oliphant as often as I can, but it's not up to me. I don't drive a car. I'm dependent on the kindness of my friends to drive us out there. I watch their social media, see the new beers out and wish I could go. Jason and I finally made it out last week. I'd missed out on several beers since my last visit over two months ago. I still returned with crowlers and growlers that I hadn't reviewed here yet. This one I'm about to review is the second of those five, and the only brought back in a glass growler. That's what I do, bring back one growler fill, and the rest are cans. Unless there's a special barrel-aged beer in mini-growlers. Those seem to be going away, as more of them are being crowelerized, and I was lucky to bring back two of them. Which we'll get to later.

And this is the one I filled a growler with, and it confuses me just a little. On Untappd, I find a bock named Citizen Kang, a bock named after a Simpsons reference, or an Avengers one, whichever illustration Jeremy was using at the time. But there's no Citizen Krang (which would be a TMNT reference, of course), which is different because Trevor threw some smoked malt in by mistake. Are the folks at Untappd just slow, or....I don't know. I'm not throwing stones.

Oliphant Citizen Krang Campfire Bock. 6.3% ABV.

Clear, amber-toned, slim white head.

In the nose: Soft and slightly smokey aromatics. Mostly malty, low bitterness.

In the mouth: More smoke. More malt. But not too much of either. A little heat, a little spice, but, again, pretty mild. Tasty stuff, easy to drink, and I am digging it.

josh ate 2 quarts of spaghetti and everyone made fun of him. i heard him mutter under his breath, "13 or 14 more times, and i'm leaving." was he serious? i don't know, but i haven't seen him since. no one has. check your milk cartons.

campfire bock. 6.3% abv.

I don't turn to the Oliphant website for factual information. If all I get is some type of weirdness, that's fine with me. We use this nonsense on our menus at Acadia. I don't mind if it freaks some people out. Of course, I also hope it doesn't turn people away from trying the beers.

Oliphant Smoked Wheat Erry Day

Smoked Wheat Erryday. Smoked hefe weizen with pineapple.
4.9% ABV.
Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Clear, amber hue, small white head.

In the nose: Getting the hefe yeast notes, the banana and the touch of clove, with the smoke coming on. Smoked malt, getting smokier. Nice.

In the mouth: There's the smoke, there's the wheat, but...what? Pineapple? Huh. Yeah, that's here, too. Smoked banana and pineapple, too. Light bodied, easy drinker. Plenty of interesting, while still palatable flavors.

 Why not make a smoked wheat, why not call it Smoked Wheat Erry Day (because, you know, Snoop Dogg, right?), and then pineapple? Got to be something else there. You tell me. I meant it, you tell, 'cause I don't know.

Who cares, it works.

Here's how Smoked Wheat Erryday looks like in 2019:

Town Hall Combustion Junction

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Combustion Junction Smoked Porter.

In the eye: solid blackness in this, with a rich, brown head atop, settling into a slim ring.

In the nose: Coffee, chocolate, smoke. Sweet, dark, delightful.

In the mouth: Full-bodied, rich and tasty, densely textured. Big chocolate malt meets robust smoke, with a little bit of heat. Here's a beer I can truly dig. This mini-growler is empty in no time at all.

A re-brew of Travis Lott's best in show Smoked Porter recipe from the 2016 Byggvir's Big Beer Cup at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. 7.9% ABV. 

Oliphant Hans MacGruber

Here's a beer from Oliphant that I had once at the taproom, last August, and then many times when we recently had a keg at Acadia. I took some notes before it finally kicked, not too long ago. Here they are:

Oliphant Hans MacGruber Smoked Vienna Lager. 5.4% ABV.

Clear, amber/copper, good sized off-white head, lace leaver.

In the nose, smoky notes meet sweet malt.

In the mouth: light, woody smoked flavor is dominant, but lightly played. Smooth, easy drinker. Good smoked vienna lager and you can drink it.

On the taproom chalkboard, Jeremy Hughes alternates between depictions of Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber) and Will Forte (MacGruber). When last I visited, he used an image from an appearance Forte made on an episode of "Tim & Eric", because, of course.

Town Hall Minneapple Smoking' Rauchbier

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Minneapple Smokin'. German Rauchbier. Brewed with applewood smoked malt. 6.8% ABV.

Clear, bright cherry red coloring, slim white head, swiftly evaporates.

Nose is all smoke, charred wood, fruit, malt. Delightful.

Intense smoke on the palate. Slightly sharp, rich malt favors. Surprisingly light bodied for such robustly flavorful beer. Excellent consumability. I'll polish off this mini growler in no time.

And you know what? I did. Sorry the picture's so lousy, though. Happens sometimes.

Hammerheart Ogham Smoked-hop Irish Pale Ale

Hammerheart Ogham. 6.4% ABV. Irish pale ale with smoked hops. Hammerheart Brewing, Lino Lakes, MN.

This is one that I tasted at the taproom a little bit ago, when Jason and I were coming back from Duluth. Even Tanner said it was too weird for him, and I tasted it, liked it, but wasn't in love with it. (Yet.)But, interested. I bought a keg for Acadia, sure I could sell it. And I took notes the other day. Here they are:

Lightly hazed, crimson colored, lasting, lace-leaving off-white head.

In the nose: smoke comes roaring out, intermingled with hop notes. Smoked hops? Really? Crazy. Subtle heat under the floral and pine.

In the mouth: That combo again, the bitter hoppy bite and smokey notes swallowing it up. Medium-bodied, long, bitter-smokey finish. Bitter-smokey? What am I talking about? But, there it is. Hoppy-smokey- malty-delicious. Dang. I love this one, though I've never had anything like it, and probably never will. Smoked hops? Whoa-aaa-aaaat???

No, really, wha---aaa??? Seriously, though, delicious stuff. Completely unique. Gotta hand it to Hammerheart.

Hammerheart Gorm the Old

Hammerheart Gorm the Old. Growler I've been sitting on for a few weeks. Missing the description band, because Tanner put it on Jason's growler accidentally. It's okay, I forgive him. (Kidding. No, I don't.)

Mesquite smoked old ale, 7.4% ABV.


Dark brown color, slim cocoa-tinged head.

In the nose: malty goodness, chocolate traces that will grow in scope as the beer warms. This has not spent enough time out of the fridge. Getting bigger and wider, but that cold is in the way. Gonna wait a bit...put on a Louis Armstrong record. Bah, bo be, be bo bay, oh, mama....Oh, no, this is a Hammerheart beer, it's got to be metal! And....I'm not into metal. Okay, I'll pretend Pops is metal. Give a new meaning to "Darkness on the Delta."....

As the cold drips away, and the beer starts to warm up, more flavors emerge, more smoke appears, all kinds of associations pop out, anise, pepper, brown sugar. I'm sure I'm missing a couple.

In the mouth: Pow! Bam! A forceful entry on the palate, much malt, more flavors, more smoke and
spice. Smooth and sumptuous, yet riddled with complexities. Warmer still, it's better and better. Smoke is nice and subtle, not too hot, not too intense up-front. Just right. Rich mouthfeel, full on the palate and unfiltered.

Hail, Gorm, first recognized king of Denmark!

Hammerheart Laurentian Mesquite Smoked Porter with Spruce Tips

Hammerheart Laurentian Mesquite Smoked Porter with Spruce Tips, 6.5% ABV,

Full-on brown color, with a rich roasted brown head atop. Looking good.

In the nose, it's malt first, then the smoke uncurls, with spruce coming in from behind. Blended beautifully. Just right, nothing too loud, nothing too heavy.

In the mouth: chocolate flavors check in first, then the roasty, smoked malt comes forth. Spruce tips remain a minor factor, waiting in the wings. It's all growing wider on the palate, hop bitterness keeping malt in check, and the smoked malt remains mellow and smooth. Everything in this is refined  and cool, calm and collected.

Rich, full, absolutely satisfying...it's just about perfect. If it were any bigger or stronger, I'd be headed for ruin.

Montgomery Brewing Smoked Porter

Montgomery Brewing Company Smoked Porter. 6% ABV.

Deep, dark brown, with ruby highlights, under a slim, but staying brownish head.

Roasted malt aromatics hit the nose first, some notes of dark fruit and coffee, dry and roast. Then on comes the smoke and ash, slowly unfolding.

In the mouth, it starts out sweet, rolls into dry, with tasty/toasty malt character coming through strong. Little bit of bitterness graces the tongue, but it's mostly about the malt here. Smoked malt character is subtle in this, but it's there. Smooth and tasty stuff. Very fine, very mellow. Good beer, and I'm drinking it.

Oliphant Swamp Thang Smoked Scottish Ale

The Swamp Thing was a "muck monster" character published by DC comics, first in the magazine House of Secrets in 1971, written by Len Wein and drawn by Bernie Wrightson, later in his own series where he interacted with other DC Universe characters, like The Batman.   He was a human scientist turned into a plant monster in a Louisiana swamp by chemistry and violence, later revealed to be some sort of cosmic elemental when re-imagined by British writer Alan Moore in the mid-80's. That's when I encountered the character, as Moore took American horror / supernatural comics into literary realms they'd never been before. The Alan Moore Swamp Thing run was an incredibly odd and beautiful thing, startling in it's originality, shocking in what it introduced to mainstream comics. It began a trend of sorts, that eventually became an imprint inside DC Comics called Vertigo, home to Sandman, Preacher, and other long-running imaginative titles.

And now, it's even inspired a beer from Oliphant. Only natural to name a beer based on the styles from the land of peat and bogs after the bog monster himself. A smoked Scottish Ale at 8% ABV. This is different from their beer Swamp Thing, which is not smoked, merely Scottish.
Let's open a growler and drink 'er up.

It's clear, reddish-brown, with a nice, light tan-brown head, leaving lace, drifting down, looking good.

Aroma: sweet and peaty, musty, and increasingly smoky. We're down in the depths now, we're keeping in the loam. Nice.

In the mouth, it's a bit more mysterious. And delicious. Smoky, rich, malty, delicious. Small bitterness, good balance, increasingly dry. It's pretty much incredible. Malty sweetness jumps back up once in a while, with some toffee-ish goodness, some caramel, rising up above the smoke, until the smoke takes control again. Alcohol doesn't take control right away, but eventually it makes itself well-known. Me, I'm loving it. It's flat-out delicious. Oh. Em Gee.

On this visit, there were so many interesting ales available that Swamp Thang was not the oddest or most unusual option. It was incredibly hard to choose what to take home, so I picked three, the most growlers or crowlers I've returned with so far. After those three, there were still five more beers I won't get to cover here. I only get out there once a month or so, but I want that to change. It's rough when I'm not in charge of transportation.

It's just one more in a long line of incredible beers from Oliphant. It's a trend that I don't see stopping. Fine by me.

Lucid Ora Smoked Amber Ale

Lucid Ora smoked amber ale. Brewed and bottled by Lucid Brewing, Minnetonka, MN. 6.5% ABV.

Clear, crimson coloring, slim, off-white head.

In the nose: malt first, then comes the smoke. Lightly sweet, increasingly smoke. Some fruit notes.

In the mouth: smooth stuff, easy-going, with light fruity notes, rich maltiness, and the subtle smoke factor rising up. Not too hoppy, not too malty, just right, and not too smoky, either. This one works, if you want something different.

This is my first bottle. Don't know what took me so long. It's good beer, and you can drink it.

Surly Mole Smoke

Surly Mole Smoke, Smoke Lager (Baltic Porter) aged on cocoa nibs and puya chili peppers.

This is one that usually appears only at festivals, special events, or the taproom. When I saw there were kegs available, I jumped at the chance to tap it at Acadia Cafe, and am writing notes now before it's gone.

Utter blackness, with a slim, tight tan ring.

Pepper heat hits the nose first, with cocoa right after it, with smoke swiftly smothering them both.

In the mouth, pepper hits hard again, coating the cavern, setting fire to the senses. Chocolate sits right behind it, but always plays second to the pepper's flame. Hangs long and hard on the palate. Heat returns hard and blazes the back of the throat with each new sip.

The base beer is strong enough to keep the blaze in check. What would be an inferno in other beers is a fiery tickle here, with the smoke and the cocoa and the rich dark malts adding to the richness and complexity. As has been seen before, pepper beers and I don't always mix. This, though, is one I've been going back to again and again.

Surly Nein, Ninth Anniversary Imperial Oak-Smoked Dunkel Weizen

Surly Nein. Ninth Anniversary Imperial Smoked Barrel-aged Dunkel Weissbeir. Ja.

I’m going to skip my usual method and read Omar’s part of the label first, before opening the bottle. “Who would have thought, when we sold our first keg in 2006, that we would raise our 9th Anniversary glasses in a new brewery, restaurant and beer hall? So much has changed in such a short time, both at Surly and across Minnesota. The state’s beer scene is exploding and we are proud to have been part of the boom. Two, things, however, haven’t changed a bit—Todd’s distinctive take on beer styles and our local artists’ amazing talent. Erica Williams’ meticulous design for Nein is the perfect match for Todd’s approach to his craft. Cheers to nine years!—Omar Ansari”

He’s right, the label art is amazing, better than what she did for the SurlyFest art last year and the 2014 Darkness bottle, and I loved those, as well. The 3 3-eyed lions represent nine years. What the other symbols mean, I am not sure. I’ll be certain to pick up some merch soon, t-shirts, poster, etc, but 9th Anniversary glassware? That’s a first. I could have gotten one cheap at the release party Monday if I’d only arrived a little earlier. But, cool as it may look, and be, do I really need more glasses, I ask myself? And yet, I keep collecting. Broke my Surly spiegelau glass recently, so I went back and bought one with the Todd the Axe-Man artwork. Because. Apparently, I have to.

So, I bought this bottle earlier tonight, about six hours ago, and now it’s time to drink it.

Dark and caramel colored, shining crimson highlights at corners and edges. Beautiful brown head that crumbles quickly.

Aroma spills out bananas and smoke, together. Wheat-y wafts and creamy tones. Caramel and toffee tickle the nose, while alcohol looms in the distance. Dizzyingly complex.

More complexity invades the senses once Nein boards the palate. This one ain’t fooling around. Whiskey barrel-aging, smoked malts, hefe weizen yeast, ringing in at about 10% ABV. Boom, boom, boom, boom. All the while, myriad flavors travel the tongue and delight the senses, as long as the senses are still around.

Okay, I love dunkelweizens, adore barrel-aged beers, delight in the smoked stuff, and cheer on the big and ballsy brews. This much you may have gathered if you have read this section of the internet I call home with any regularity. Here in Nein they come together as never before.

I had this for the first time at the Black Forest restaurant in a glass mug, and then in a plastic cup, with the noise of a crowd and an accordionist distracting my brain. With my choice of glassware and personal pick of music or not, I can relax in contemplation of the many brilliant aspects of this brew. How to unpack and parse them, though, how to pick apart and lay bare? Chocolate slips in for a bit, oak and vanilla knock on the door, whiskey speaks it’s peace, and that undercurrent of banana tones keeps whispering in the background. Meanwhile, the brute from this bottle bellows and calls out not to forgets that we’re in double digits, in terms of alcohol percentage.

Talk about this beer has been that it’s the best anniversary beer since Five, a return to greatness, I guess. I did like Syx, Seviin, and Eight, but they were a bit out there. Not for everyone. Neither is this, though. Look, if you can’t hang, scram, we ain’t got no room for no squares, man.

Time to read what Todd wrote on the label: “Inspired by a recent trip to Bamberg, Germany, Nein is brewed with oak-smoked wheat malt, fermented with German hefeweizen yeast and aged on charred oak. It is a huge, dark, complex beer, delivering the intense flavors of smoked banana, vanilla, and clove.”--Todd Haug.

Smoked banana? Mmm, hmmm, we drink that every day.

This is great stuff. I was glad to see it priced at $13.99. Not cheap, but cheaper than twenty bucks. So, I’ll be picking up more to keep and enjoy on those days when I’ll salute 10, 11, 12 years of Surly beers, and then some.

If you've got time to waste, read about Surly Eight here, (where I also listed my reviews of other anniversary beers and their variants not found on this blog), Surly Seviin here, Surly Syx here, Surly Five here, and Surly Four here. And let us not forget the two-pronged attack of Surly Two, the beer..... and please, won't you consider taking a peek at Part Two, Surly Two, the Art. It would mean so much to me.

Hammerheart Barrel-aged Peat-Smoked Dublin Raid Irish Red Ale

There's a signpost ahead...Hammerheart is here!

Hammerheart Barrel-aged Dublin Raid, Bourbon Barrel-aged Peat Smpoked Irish Red Ale, 7.5% ABV. Hammerheart Brewing, Lino Lakes, MN.

So, the other day I had my first Thursday night off since I started my new job, and was looking for something to do. I also hadn't been to Hammerheart in all that time, so I called Dave and we made plans. If you've read some of my previous posts, you might have come across my desire to diminish the number of growlers from different breweries that I'm hanging on to. Dave, though, has tried even harder, discovering exactly which breweries will take a growler back, give a refund for the return, trade them out for their own, or whatever their policy might be. I checked with Dave, and he told me that Hammerheart will take back their growlers, as well as fill anyone else's with their own beer.

I took my three Hammerheart growlers into the taproom with the intention of swapping them out for the credit on two of them, taking one of their beers home. This is always a hard decision. So many great beers. One determining factor would be the cost. They range from $15 to $30, and the more expensive ones are those I want to drink the most. It's hard to justify spending the money, but somehow I did it.


Then, Nathaniel Chapman, co-owner, reminded me that they had 750 ml growlers. And they're beautiful and perfect. These are most appropriate for Hammerheart, more than for any other local brewery. The prices are right, too.And I can finish those big beers in the small growlers in only one night. Right on.

Just for fun, a peek at the menu this weekend.

And Dave poked fun at me, because I was going to reduce my number of growlers, and I was trading in 3 for 2. Well, I am reducing the number by one, and those 2 will take up less space, and also, how can I only choose one beer, among all those great ones? If I were to do it his way, I'd return all the Hammerhearts and have them fill a different one that can't be exchanged. But I don't want to drastically reduce my collection that much. He's down to 4 growlers, by the way, and this reduction brings me down to 40. I don't think that he started at 52, though.


Now, it's time to drink some Barrel-aged Dublin's Raid.

Appearance: dark, fully opaque, with a slender tan head above.

Aroma: Bourbon spills out. Vanilla, coconut, some leather, cherries, chocolate, with hints of smoke down below.

My partially finished flight at Hammerheart.
Clockwise from top left: Skol Och Hati smoked chocolate stout,
Thor's Porter, BA Dublin Raid, and Surtur's Flame.

Taste: Sweetness first, the big bourbon factor, which I am highly susceptible to, chimes in the loudest. The sweet stuff first, the whiskey, vanilla, fruit, etc., and then the smoke rises up just enough. I can't really get a handle on the base beer, but I don't think one could expect an Irish Red to really stand apart from the bourbon in this barrel-aging.

Okay, wait a minute. Now, it's coming through, I can taste a sweetish and malty Irish Red somewhere down there, down underneath the peat smoked, and way below the bourbon barrel. Complexity, thy name is BA DR. Mmm. Yum. Just about right on the money. Full-bodied, rich, long finish, and highly enjoyable.

I am liking this, every lovable layer of it.

Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Smoke Oak Doppelbock

I saw a new label on the shelves the other day, and it got me wondering: have the beers of the Heller-Trum brewery, makers of Aecht Schlenkla, of Bamberg, Deutschland, home of the rauchbiers, made an appearance here? I searched via "tags" and only found two listed under "rauchbier", the version Harriet brews, Rauchfest, and one from August Schell. I've had the Aecht Schlenkerla brews before, but not, by this reckoning, in the past four years. Now I know I haven't had the dopplebock, so why not start with this one? Why not, indeed.

This one calls itself "Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche", the last word, I'm guessing refers to the German word for oak. Also on the label, below "doppelbock", "Schlenkerla Oak Smoke." I'll peruse the rest of the label once the bottle has been drained.

8% Alc./Vol.

 Appearance: thick and hazy, deep amber-hued, with a caramel-tinted, off-white head of foam atop.

Aroma: Smoke hits the nose first, with toffee and caramel malt notes coming right behind. Cured and smoked meats remains the dominant association.

Taste: Rich and delicious. Smoked malt flavors remain high, but are more mellow and integrated with the doppelbock flavors. Chewing on a bite of wurtz before the deep malty goodness washes over. Full-bodied lager, with a long, malty finish. Hearty stuff, here. Good as it gets.

Okay, I'm getting the glasses on now, gonna read the label. Here goes…."While for the classic "Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier" beech has been--and still is--used, the malt for "Aecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoke" is kilned with oak wood. The resulting Aecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoke Malt is smoother and more multi-layered smoky note than the intensely aromatic Beech Smoke Malt. The hence complex smokiness in Schlenkerla Oak Smoke is paired with the multifaceted bitterness of finest Hallertau aromatic hops. With 8% alcohol and amber color, it matures for months in the deep brewery cellars underneath Bamberg into a special treat for smoke beer lovers."

I'll say.

Brewed and bottled by Brauerei Heller-Trum, Bamberg, Germany.

Evil Twin Ashtray Heart Smoked Porter (Stout?)

Evil Twin Ashtray Heart Smoked Porter. 8.9% ABV. Brewed by Evil Twin Brewing, Statford, CT.

I haven't had much Evil Twin. This is the first one to enter this blog. They're popping up all over, faster than I can keep up with them. But, hey, you've got to start somewhere, and here's as good a beer as any.

Ultra dark. Black as soot, with a toasted brown head, starting proud and slimming down.

Aroma: Char. Cocoa. Toffee. Smoke. Nice. Deep and complex.

Taste: Sweet at first, then come the maple, the licorice, molasses and more. Full-bodied. Rich and filling. Long-lasting flavors. Vast, malty finish. I can't really find a fault with it, yet…I can't fall in love with it. It's not exactly rough around the edges, but it lacks a certain charm. Eh.

hey, there's words on the label! "Amazingly rich, seductively dark and smoking good. Yes a real heartbreaker. We recommend only the truly skillful, heavyweight beer champions to battle this awfully irresistible smoked stout."

Wait, which is it, smoked porter or smoked stout? It's called two things on the label. Make up your minds!

This falls in the domain of "okay", but don't go out of the way for it.

Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub Smokehouse Porter (with appropriate musings and mulling-overs)

If you've followed this web logging site with any regularity, you're aware that I made a change of employment in the past month. Gone from my 15 and 1/2 year tenure manning the bar at the Blue Nile Restaurant & Lounge, and donning the hat of a front of house manager at Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub. And how does that affect these writings? Why should you care? That's a question I've mulling over for some time.

There were only five entries for Northbound here before I started working there, two of their (I should be saying "our", right?) regular offerings, and 3 of the many seasonals. How could I only manage five of their beers in the course of a year? (they started selling growlers last May.) I had three days off at the Nile, and one of them was a Sunday, when, for no good reason at all, you are not allowed by law to purchase a growler. The other days off, when I would go out, it was to Town Hall or Harriet, but I  rarely thought about heading South. Just no good reason at all, actually. They were brewing it, and I was missing out.

Now, I have regular access to their beers, but should I continue to write about them here? Is there a conflict of interest? In the time since I started there, mulling and mulling on these issues, house beers came and went. Agave Brown Ale (though I did toss back growlers at home, taking no notes, mulling as I was), Five High Double Pale Ale, Small Ball Pale Ale, Granola Girl Golden Ale…all of these will return eventually, though. During Minnesota Craft Beer Week, 3 new beers went on, the Buckwheat Honey Porter, and 2 infusions, Cara Cara Big Jim, and Vanilla Bean Smokehouse Porter. These last 2 were small kegs, gone in under a day. I still have a growler of Buckwheat Honey porter in the fridge, waiting until the mulling is done.

I don't believe my employers would have an issue if I continued writing about their beers here, even if I didn't write overly positive things about them. But, would you, the reader, think that my views were compromised by my association with the brewery? Not if I'm honest. This is a brewery that's not going to make a bad one, so I'm not going to have to lie to protect them from criticism. It would merely be a matter of personal preference. And if I publicly stated that I didn't particularly care for one of our offerings, would that make a difference? Would it keep people out? No. Would drawing folks in be problematic? Would it seem like I'm praising our beers to drum up business? I hope not. There's plenty of business already, and I'm no longer making tips, I'm salaried now. Drawing new business wouldn't put money in my pocket. It would continue to keep the place open in a small way, an infinitesimal way, because this place is doing solid business, supported by the community, both the neighborhood, and the beer geeks.

So, if I write about a Northbound beer, and it cause you to come in, it's a win-win, for us and for you. But wait, another question arises. Would my association with this brewery mean that my views on other local breweries' products would be tainted? If I pan someone else's beer, how would that look? I think it would look like it always has, that I'm being as honest with my opinion as I ever have been. I believe I have a reputation for that, and it will continue.

One change that I will make is that these notes on Northbound beers will only be here on the Bitter Nib, and I will not also post them on BeerAdvocate or RateBeer.com, and will not rank, rate or review them anywhere else. When I post one on Untapp'd, I'll avoid use numerical rankings.

Okay, mulling over. Notes ahoy!

People ask what our signature beer is, what's our flagship? I tell them two: Big Jim is the big seller, since we love the IPAs here so much. But Smokehouse Porter is very distinctive, it's the regular dark beer, and it reflects the smoking process of the restaurant. How many brewpubs out there feature a smoked porter as a regular house beer? Can't be too much.

So, let''s open a growler up and see what we can see…

Solid blackness, beneath a slim tan head.

Aroma: caramel, toffee, cocoa, and just a whiff of smoke. More smoke emerges over time, to combine with the caramel and cocoa. Lightly roasty.

Taste: On the tongue and past the lips, roasted malt, rich and tasty, with sweetness kept in check with an appropriate level of hop bitterness. As in the nose, the smoked malt character starts on the mild side, but continues to flower with subsequent quaffing. Full-bodied, medium finish, long-lasting flavors. A solid robust porter, substantial and satisfying.

Here's the official word from the Northbound website: "Heavier on the caramel malt and lighter on the roast malt.  5% of the base malt is smoke in-house for a smoky complexity.  This beer will pair well with most of our menu items.  And weighing in at 6.2% ABV it can also be your winter warmer."