I cracked this one open and and took a swig posthaste which is a little unusual given all the ceremonies that typically precede a tasting. I taste creaminess in there. Wasn’t expecting that at all. Then I was immediately confronted with a sharp bitterness. But upon closer reflection light smoke arose from a fizzling light beer. This beer is practically a gratzer. This is a light beer, which is fine. There’s a beer for any occasion and this beer will pair well with yardwork, and maybe grilling out. Hell, just do both. Maybe buy a sixer because that sounds like you might need to take a lot of breaks. This beer was made with malts smoked by peach tree wood, giving it the very light smoke profile, similar to all fruit woods. This beer is ok. That’s as high as the praise is going to get with this one. Total overall happiness metric tops out at 4 out of 7 smokestacks. Also, happy birthday Owen!
| Brewer | Funkytown Brewing and Is/Was Brewing Collaboration |
| Beer Name | It is what it was |
| Brewer’s Description | We got together with our friends at Funkytown Brewery and set out to make a perfect ‘food beer’, specifically one to pair with creole or cajun cuisine. So we built a base with pilsner malt, malted purple rice, and peachwood smoked barley then hopped it with Michigan-grown Cashmere hops. The resulting beer is crisp and structured with notes of white peaches, strawberry compote, rice-derived nuttiness, and wisps of fruity smoke. |
| Food Pairings | Jambalaya, Gumbo, Po’ Boys, Boudin, Red beans and rice |
| Brewer Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Alcohol content by volume | 5% |
| IBU | 28 |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 1.5 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 2 |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 2 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 3 |
| Foaminess 1-7 (thin ring – rabid dogs mouth) | 4 |
| Overall Happiness Rating: 1-7 (low – high) | 4 |
Here’s a link to Funkytown:
https://www.iswasbrewing.com/buy-beer/it-is-what-it-was-collaboration-with-funkytown-brewery
SmokeBeerMinistry 