Revisiting the first ever smokebeer tasting (as seen in “Madison photo and spreadsheet”) you’ll notice Dirty Bastard in the lineup. Reason being, the brewers description includes the phrase “hints of smoke and peat” which is often all it takes to get SBM to offer a smokestack rating. Furthermore, given how smokebeers can wash the taste buds right off your tongue, it’s good to start tastings with the lighter end of the spectrum before moving into the heavier stuff, which is what we did. And hints of smoke and peat is almost exactly right, although more so peat than smoke. Nice frothy head, sound viscosity, a bit too bitter for my palate, but comes off as a well rounded scotch ale. The fleeting notes of smoke echo late night campfires, but still fall short of moving this beer into the smokebeer category. Having said that, the next 2 reviews will be for Backwoods Bastard (the barrel version of this very beer), and the elusive Founders KBS because, well, SmokeBeerMinistry wants to know just what all the kerfuffle is about. Overall impression of Dirty Bastard – 5 out of 7 non-smokebeer smokestacks.
Comparison trifecta shown above.
| Brewer | Founders |
| Beer Name | Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale |
| Brewer’s Description | So good it’s almost wrong. Dark ruby in color and brewed with seven varieties of imported malts. Complex in finish with hints of smoke and peat, paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard has to live up to. Ain’t for the wee lads’. |
| Food Pairings | Pub fare |
| Brewery Location | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Alcohol content by volume | 8.5% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | 50 |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 4 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 1 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 2 |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 3 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 5 |
Learn more at:
foundersbrewing.com
SmokeBeerMinistry 
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