Blog Archives

Le Trou Du Diable – Punkrauch – 4.5 out of 7

Posted on March 25, 2016 by

I was too excited to let this one wait its turn and had to review it right away. Punkrauch, an unfamiliar beer, comes from an unfamiliar brewer (Le Trou Du Diable), with one badass image on the label. A cool … Continue reading →

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Surly Brewing – NEIN Ale (Imperial Smoked Dunkelweizen) – 5 out of 7

Posted on March 21, 2016 by

Nein, Surly Brewing’s Imperial Smoked Dunkelweizen, is supposed to have smoke in it, and I guess it does. It smells sweet, smoky sweet, and tastes alright. It’s a sweet, smoky, dark, wheat beer with a slight campfire taste. It’s frothy … Continue reading →

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Ass Kisser – Stubborn Jack Smoked Porter Ale – 2 out of 7

Posted on January 24, 2016 by

Smells like a thick, rich, and delicious barrel aged smoked beer. Looks and pours like one too. But the taste… where is the taste? My palate was quite prepared for something at the opposite end of the spectrum, but that … Continue reading →

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Jopen / The Monarchy – Grätzer historic ale – 3 out of 7

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

Its a snow day at SBM, so you are allowed to question The Witchdoctor’s sobriety. A sour bitterness hits you front and center. Smells great. Tastes fine. The bitterness hides the wheat flavors. The smoke stands out. Tiny tiny bit … Continue reading →

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Emelisse – Rauchbier – 4.9 smokestacks

Posted on December 13, 2015 by

BTW, I’m still drinkin’. I confessed my sobriety in the last post and plowed right through another review because I love smokebeer AND because my guest bedroom is filling up with rare beers, and I find that a little embarrassing. … Continue reading →

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Mikkeller – Rauch Geek – 3 out of 7

Posted on December 13, 2015 by

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve had a few tonight. One thing about beer reviews is that one’s mood can play into the review. Regardless of my spirits (psychological or ingested), I feel fully prepared to deliver an unbiased … Continue reading →

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Stillwater Artisanal – Readymade: Vacuum – 3 out of 7 smokestacks

Posted on October 25, 2015 by

At first take, this beer is malty. It poured nice, smelled nice (and malty), had a nice tan head fizzle fairly quickly. Then, after a couple of sips, bitterness cropped up and it never went away. All I could think … Continue reading →

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Fort Collins Brewery – Z Smoked Amber Lager – 3 out of 7 smokestacks of happiness

Posted on September 27, 2015 by

Fort Collins brings all kinds of great beer to the table. Not only do they have a robust selection of different kinds of beer, they also have a healthy library of distinctly unique smokebeers (their Out of the Ashes series … Continue reading →

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Mikkeller – Rauchpils – 4.1 smokestacks of happiness

Posted on September 16, 2015 by

This is a well made beer as we have come to expect from this team. Everything they do is for sophisticates like us and Rauchpils is in line with that. Rauchpils is skunky. A nice foamy  white fluffy head emits curious aromas … Continue reading →

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Invercargill Brewery – Smokin’ Bishop – 4.5 out of 7

Posted on September 2, 2015 by

Smokin’ Bishop pours a nice color with a touch of campfire and maybe even a little peat smoke wafting out a bit. The taste comes with a nice sweetness to it, a little bitterness, a smidgen malty, a tad ashy, … Continue reading →

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Aecht Schlenkerla – Fastenbier – 7 out of 7

Posted on August 13, 2015 by

Schlenkerla can do no wrong in His eyes. This beer is what happens when you open the doors of your holy sanctuary to the nectar of the gods. It cannot be understated that SmokeBeerMinistry walks in stride with this marriage, … Continue reading →

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Braustelle – Freigeist Abraxxxas Smoked Lichtenhainer Weisse – 5 out of 7

Posted on July 27, 2015 by

Freigeist Abraxxxas is a lichtenhainer kind of beer, which is apparently slightly different from gratzers (both are kinds of smoked beers with high wheat content and a sour taste). Abraxxxas comes off as extremely similar, delivering the same compulsion to … Continue reading →

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Black Husky Brewing – Smoke Monster – 4.1 smokestacks of happiness

Posted on July 22, 2015 by

Oh ya, eet ghets code up der. Way, way up in Wisconsin some dog lovers started brewing beer. Smoke Monster gets just over the hump in spite of a settlement of silt on the bottom of the bottle (looked like … Continue reading →

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To Øl – Black Ball Porter – 3 out of 7 smokestacks

Posted on July 20, 2015 by

Here’s a world traveler that came from across the pond. Black Ball Porter was conceived by To Øl Brewing company of Copenhagen, Denmark, brewed at De Proefbrouwerji in Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium, purchased in Dublin, Ireland, and brought to the US. This is … Continue reading →

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Stone – Smoked Porter with Chocolate & Orange Peel – 2 out of 7

Posted on July 20, 2015 by

Tons of slimy orange and brown globs in the bottom… Do I need to keep writing? You’ve already seen what flavors they’ve dumped into their marginally acceptable smoked porter beer, so I don’t know if I need to continue. The … Continue reading →

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Beavertown Brewery – Smog Rocket Smoked Porter – 3 out of 7

Posted on July 20, 2015 by

Notice the can! The sample is too small to extrapolate statistical conclusions on a smokebeer’s success when sold out of a can or not, but out of the only 2 smokebeers that I’ve ever had out of a can to … Continue reading →

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Brauerei Göller – Göller Rauchbier – 6.2 out of 7 smokestacks

Posted on May 30, 2015 by

We got a good one here! Bamberg smoke punches you in the nose right off the bat. The color is the Goldilocks hue, not too light, not too dark (although the picture is a bit deceiving due to some lighting … Continue reading →

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Talon Extra Select Smoked Double Porter – 3.5 out of 7 Smokestacks

Posted on April 5, 2015 by

Awfully foamy (Bad)! No silt (Good)! 10% Alcohol (Good)! I can’t really taste the booze due to all the flavanoids packed in there. This smokebeer is thick like syrup. Just too crowded with flavor for me to enjoy. Its beating … Continue reading →

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Triptych – Smoke Me Out (draft) – 3 out of 7

Posted on March 19, 2015 by

This one earns a 3 out of 7 smokestacks. A little below a middle of the road kind of smokebeer, and an elusive one at that. I’ve only seen this once, at Big Grove Tavern, where it was for a … Continue reading →

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The New Albanian Brewing Co. – Bonfire of the Valkyries – 6.4 out of 7

Posted on March 16, 2015 by

Oh the taste! I raised my right eyebrow as I saw the opaque color pour out of this one, followed by polite suspicion considering having not been knocked over by the smell (along with the quickly rising and fizzling head absent … Continue reading →

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Epic Brewing- Smoked Porter – Exponential Series – 3.9 out of 7

Posted on February 6, 2015 by

It smells like a smoked porter. I smelled the smoke right off the bat, not too heavy, just a hint. As you know, I’m looking for the smoke factor to fall in the overwhelming category, so this falls short on … Continue reading →

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Nils Oscar Company – Rökporter (Smoked Porter) – 5 out of 7 smokestacks

Posted on February 4, 2015 by

I barely get to conduct these beer blogs anymore. My job is taking up all my drinking time. This is a pretty good beer. This dark Swedish beer (the Swedes aren’t known for their beer, are they?) comes off smoky, … Continue reading →

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Flossmoor Station Brewery – Shadows in the Smoke Smoked Oktoberfest – 3 out of 7

Posted on December 7, 2014 by

Not much to say about this one. It tastes and smells like a fest beer, where all the left over grain is shoveled into some alcoholic concoction… we celebrate. It’s not a bad beer. Not a lot of smoke (take … Continue reading →

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Fort Collins Brewery Out of the Ashes Smoked IPA

Posted on December 7, 2014 by
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Dark Horse Brewery – FORE Smoked Stout – 5.7 Smokestacks of Happiness

Posted on December 2, 2014 by

Here’s a robust, knock your socks off, kind of beer. Fore Smoked Stout wow’d the 3 newly ordained ministers just by watching it pour. It pours like syrup, coating the inside of the glass with a sweet smelling, used motor … Continue reading →

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O’Fallon – SMOKE – 5.75 Smokestacks of Happiness

Posted on December 2, 2014 by

This smokebeer would score higher if The WitchDoctor were running a monarchy, but he isn’t. I’ll let the people speak via quotation marks posted on this website. “This one clearly made my wife hallucinate.”, “Smooth.”, “Certainly an excellent.”, “Great distribution.”, “Too … Continue reading →

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Lantz’s – Smoked Porter – 4.5 Smokestacks of Happiness

Posted on December 2, 2014 by

“Totally the most awesome beer I’ve ever tasted… like top five!” said one extremely enthusiastic Ministry official who unashamedly backed off his “the most awesome” statement to settle for a “like top five” clairifier. Lantz’s was reviewed by 3 recently … Continue reading →

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Ölvisholt Brugghús – LAVA Smoked Imperial Stout – 4 Smokestacks

Posted on November 9, 2014 by

I smell the stout, but struggle to find the smoked stout. Great looking bottle with the erupting volcano on it which is one of the three things that I know about Iceland. This beer has no real head rising up, … Continue reading →

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