Funkenrauch is a smoked wild ale aged in bordeaux barrels which smells great with moderate notes of campfire wafting around; smells better than it tastes, not to take anything away from the taste (5.85 overall is a solid score, and is all too rare). Funkenrauch pours fine, frothy foam head fizzled fairly quickly, and got cloudy towards the end of the pour, so I left a half inch in the bottom of the bottle, although I haven’t had too many taste changing experiences when silt does get into my glass. It just gets in my mind. The taste really comes off as a sour more than anything, which fades away from your palate after a few sips. This beer is a little dry, a little bitter (which can be avoided in sours), and has an ashy flavor to it. Funkenrauch kinda reminds me of the Jester King beer, Gotlandsdricka, I had just a few weeks ago. Good beer. I’m glad I got this one.
Here’s another picture in different lighting, if that adds anything to this review.
| Brewer | Wild Heaven Beer |
| Beer Name | Funkenrauch |
| Brewer’s Description | A truly new beer style is a rare thing. Funkenrauch is born of brewmaster Eric Johnsons’s obsession with understanding beer on a molecular level. A 100% smoked malt beer shouldn’t be so bright and light – but the addition of Drie Fonteinen brettanomyces eats up much of the smoky phenols that could have overwhelmed the palate, leaving behind a sour smoked ale that is unlike any we’ve ever tried. |
| Food Pairings | Peach cobbler |
| Brewery Location | Decatur, GA |
| Alcohol content by volume | 7% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | 7 (disputed, closer to 40) |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 1.8 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 2.8 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 5.5 |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 2 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 5.85 |
They have a good website, feel free to learn more:
SmokeBeerMinistry 
Pingback: ATG and Holy Mountain – Ashes to Mashes – 4.1 smokestacks out of 7 | SmokeBeerMinistry