Beer Cheer 32: Sam Adams' "Bonfire Rauchbier"

[nexrad]

Included in their autumn seasonal case, the Boston Beer Company's "Bonfire Rauchbier" introduces with a clear medium amber body and respectable frothy head. The scent is quite mild, but speaks of a slight hint of roasted almond or cashew. This scent carries over heavily in the beer's flavor, presenting as a lively and smoky mix of roasted nuts,

Comments

[yomintyfresh]

Wow, that's a really unexpected style for Sam Adams to pick! Even in Germany, it's a rare style to find... there are maybe ten breweries that brew it in the entire country, and all but one or two are within about a 20 km radius. (They all use the same malt that Sam Adams uses, according to the Sam Adams web site.) If you want to try another Rauchbier, it is relatively easy to find Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier in good beer shops or Cost Plus World Market. Schlenkerla is considered the smokiest of all of the Rauchbier types; a friend once told a visitor that you are supposed to chug it till you get to the piece of bacon in the bottom. Apparently the guy was not happy. ; )

[nexrad]

A rare style? Curious! I wasn't too impressed with the Sam Adams' variety. It was a good, respectable beer but wasn't as complex as I'm used to these days. I'll have a look for the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier - maybe today. I'm low on rum, so a visit to Total Wine is in order. If they don't have I doubt anyone locally would carry it.

Bacon in the bottom, eh? That ought intrigue Loopy (who is starting to get into beers and learn that they don't all taste like Bud!).

[yomintyfresh]

There is only one more malt factory that makes smoked malt - Weyermann in Bamberg. (You can smell it when they are making the smoked malt as opposed to the other kinds, too.)

There's no real bacon in the bottom of Schlenkerla but it tastes like it. ; ) The Schlenkerla web site has a little more info on the matter: http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/beschreibunge.html There is one smoke beer brewery older than Schlenkerla, Spezial, which also seems to be available in the U.S.. A lot of people who don't normally drink beer will drink Spezial.

Based on your commentary on the cranberry lambic - when you go to Total Wine, also keep your eyes open for a gueuze, like Cantillon. Cantillon does traditional fruit beers too, without added sugar syrup, so they're nice and tart.

[nexrad]

That's incredible - that there's only a single malt factory making the product. This by itself makes the Sam Adams' brew a bit more special indeed. The Schlenkerla has me especially interested now - a beer that has a bacon taste. I was thinking it was a joke about the bacon, but one can be unhappy for many reasons after chugging a hearty beer. :-p

I'll keep a sharp eye out for the Cantillon, too! Sam Adams' Blackberry Witbier is on the border of "too sweet" for my likings and another company's "Wild Blue" definitely is a overkill, though nice when one feels more like a dessert wine sort of drink than a proper beer.

Many thanks for the continued expertise and recommendations!

[yomintyfresh]

After googling "bacon beer," Rauchbier came up a few times, as well as this interesting homebrew link for bacon porter: http://www.byo.com/component/resource/article/2060-breakfast-beers-bacon-beer : )

Gueuze and fruit beers without added sweeteners are tart and not sweet, due to the microorganisms in the air near Brussels. Cantillon still uses 19th century brewing equipment and recipes (including a special type of sour cherry native to Belgium), so it should suit your palate.

[nexrad]

I haven't tried homebrewing yet, but imagine I might well do so in the not too distant future. This is good to know about the brewing with fruits. I hadn't known the tartness was a natural flavor whereas the over-powering sweetness was additive. I'll keep an eye out for the Cantillon. I didn't get a chance to head to Total Wine this weekend, but will try to pick-up some Cantillon the next time there! :-)