The ministry previously conducted a review of this very beer on draft; results were similar. This is a beer so proud of itself that it boldly displays SMOKED right in front there on the label. West O is granted one additional point for the ‘ease of use’ metric (not listed), which is much needed when smokebeer hunting. This review was conducted off site with newly ordained ministers of the ministry, and even with the doctrine freshly ingrained in their philosophies, they/we were unable to direct the conversation at the table to focus on the beer. This was a failure of the beer and not of the mettle of the ministry. And over the howls at the TV, which displayed cats getting startled by cucumbers, a few notes of wisdom were jotted down: “Nice color, Good starter smokebeer, not very smoky, Intro to smokebeer.” Also, there were a few drawings that I think were intended to look like smokestacks, but came out rather crude and will not be displayed here on this site. Final score 3.2 out of 7.
| Brewer | West O Beer |
| Beer Name | Smoked Red Ale |
| Brewer’s Description | Roasted malts yield nutty flavors mixed with caramelly dark fruit. Hints of forest and campfire; low bitterness. 6.5% ABV, 20 IBU |
| Food Pairings | Tacos |
| Brewery Location | West Okoboji Lake, IA |
| Alcohol content by volume | 6.5% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | 20 |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 2 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 2.2 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 2 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 3.2 |
The more you know @ http://westobeer.com/
SmokeBeerMinistry 