3 Frogs

Second up from Barcelona’s La Cervesera Artesana was their smoked imperial stout: 3 Frogs. 3 Frogs was a bruiser, at 11.5% alcohol. My 330mL pour arrived looking black and bleak, with just a ring of tan suds. It had a wildly potent smokey aroma with scotch whisky peatiness leading the charge.

3 Frogs was smokey from front to back, but it transitioned from sweet to bitter along the way, with the top end incorporating treacle sweetness and the back tobacco and leather elements.

I have seldom sipped smokier beer, though 3 Frogs lacked balance—it was too heartily

smokey, at the expense of finesse. Additionally, the front end struck me as a touch too sweet, providing an unusual flavour profile. On the positive side, the strength was agreeable and the peatiness of the smoke didn’t seem at all artificial.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Smoke on the Porter

Smoke on the Porter is, as you'd expect, a smoked porter. It's a Torontonian ale, built by the raccoon-mad folks at Bandit Brewery. Sold in sharp 500mL bottles, this ale contains the standard 5% alcohol--a little light for the style, perhaps, but adequate.

SotP poured with a dismally thin layer of off-white head--a bit discouraging. If I had to guess, I'd say that this stuff had been sitting in the cooler at Bandit's bottle shop for a bit longer than it should have been. It's aroma was quite inviting though, with smoky malt notes and a whiff of leather. As for flavour, malt was the driving force, backed with a smoky tang that offered a bit of mystery. In terms of mouthfeel, SotP was fairly thin, which wasn't quite to my pleasure. It's finish was agreeable, though, with a blend of lingering smoke and bitter molasses.

My forays into Bandit's offerings have been largely positive, but I was a bit nonplussed by Smoke on the Porter. It had some delightful elements, but the overall product was a bit wanting. Still, I'd be willing to try it again, lest I picked up an unrepresentative bottle. For a smoked beer, there wasn't the assertive campfire warmth that I was pulling for. Coupled with a thin mouthfeel, this is a beer that, though promising, needs some fine tuning.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Smoked Honey

Royal City Brewing Co. is a new (or at least new to me) brewery operating out of Guelph, Ontario. When I saw their Smoked Honey hit the shelves of my local beer vendor, I jumped at it, both because it's an early offering from a brewery I know nothing about, and because the description beguiled me: "Lightly smoked, easy drinking brown ale ... made with real honey." Sold.

The 500mL bottle boasted an attractive label and it has a 5.5% on there too, which isn't bad at all. The label invited me to "share with friends & enemies", but I decided to hoard this one to myself. Smoked Honey proved to be a deep mahogany ale. It was cloudy and had some subtle ruby highlights underneath a healthy eggshell head.

The aroma found an interesting point in an unusual spectrum, somewhere between sweet and smokey. In addition, there was an entertaining waft of brown ale malt running through from end to end. The flavour wasn't quite rich, but close. I'd call it bourgeois, upper-middle-class ale. Honey and woodsmoke mingled in this one, giving it a slight BBQ hue; however, neither honey nor smoke was present in abundance. As for my old pal hops, there wasn't much of a sight of him in this particular beer. Just a few footprints in the finish.

Nuance and restraint typify this flavoured ale. Really, in spite of its apiary and incendiary leanings, this beer was basically a mildly malty brown ale. It was too sweet for multiples in an evening, but an enjoyable treat that I'd gladly welcome next to a campfire as the sun goes down.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Yazoo Sue

Yazoo Sue is an imperial smoked porter that hails from Nashville, Tennessee. It's brewed by the Yazoo Brewing Co.  Sue is sold in a great looking jumbo bottle, contains a weighty 9% alcohol, and has a formidable 93 IBUs. Apparently, it's smoked with cherry wood. I paired this stuff with a nice Toscano cheese.  It was a top shelf combo.

Sue is a tar black brew topped with a tan head. Its smoky aroma has a faint chocolate bent. It's a smoky, malt-forward ale. It moves from sweet to bitter, and there are a decent amount of cacao notes. Sue finishes with a healthy bitterness.

Every time I have a brew from Yazoo, I find myself impressed. This big beer is no exception.  Flavour to spare, strong as hell, and huge format bottles. This is a high quality craft beer.

My magnificent friend K.C. turned me on to this stuff. K.C. is a major booster of the Bitter World, and a great addition to good times everywhere.  Thanks!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale

Coming out of Campbellford, Ontario's Church-Key Brewing Company, Holy Smoke Peat Smoked Scotch Ale is a winner. It's sold in awesome looking 650mL bottles and contains a fortifying 6.2% alcohol. According to the label, this beauty is "traditionally brewed with Scottish peat smoked malt".

A slightly hazy brew, Holy Smoke pours a deep brown/amber colour that wears a crown of off-white head. It features a rich, malt-heavy aroma with, not surprisingly, considerable peatiness. The flavour is characterized by a pleasing blend of smoky and sweet. Holy Smoke is a malt-driven brew. It's finish is peaty, with a whisper of bitterness. If I had my druthers, there'd be a touch more hop presence in the finish.

This is a very nice Scotch ale. It's well built, with flavour to spare. Additionally, it can boast of a healthy alcohol content. A compelling beer regardless, but if you dig smokey beers, this one's more than worth your time.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Big Butt Smoked Dark Ale

C'est What? is one of Toronto's can't miss beer bars, but they also brew an interesting array of ales. Big Butt Smoked Dark Ale is a fine offering. I enjoyed a pint on tap at C'est What?  A cask ale, it arrived a dark ruby colour with a thin ring of cream-coloured head. BBSDA has a really wonderful aroma: licorice and campfire smoke. A very smooth mouthfeel builds to a nice bitterness at the close. The beer tastes as it smells--smokey with considerable aniseed.  The finish is a bit toasty.

 According to the menu, the Big Butt Smoked Dark Ale clocks in at 5.8% and 33IBUs.

This is a tasty, smooth and intriguing beer.  If you're in Toronto and thirsty for something different, I recommend dropping by C'est What? for a pint.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.