Rauch Bier - Redoak Boutique Beer Café

Stew41

Australia

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Smokey nose, lots of character with the beechwood / maple leaping out of the glass. Thins out a little on the palate but retains a lifted, aromatic flavour (does that make sense?). Not a bad attempt, although a little too much fizz for my liking. Not sure anyone else does these locally?

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 09:41:19 | More by Stew41

laituegonflable

Australia

3.13/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a Hellish red colour, with minimal head. Slight cloud in the body but not enough to stop light passing through, minimal bead. Looks minimalist, kinda meh.

Lots of smoke on the nose, very cedary and fairly dark with a caramel malt base. Decent rauch smell, yeah.

Taste is lacking on the assault, has hints of that caramel malt flavour but not a lot else. Smoke comes through midway but still seems kind of weak and subdued. Flat, in a way, without that rise and lilt of a strong German rauch. Lots of meaty bacon that does dominate the palate without ever seeming particularly flavoursome.

Could use more body, I think. There is a baseless quality to this beer and it needs something more for that smoke flavour to float on.

I'm not a big fan of rauchs in general as far as drinking goes, and the weakness of the smoke in this gives it a quite sour, almost rancid quality, and overall it's a bit flat, so I wouldn't order another.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2011 05:40:40 | More by laituegonflable

vancurly

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a straight, tall, handled glass. 500mL
a) Murky dark chestnut, beige foamy head.
s) Bacon & washed rind cheese, roasted grain
f) Sour citrus tang and dark malts. Lengthy smokiness
m) Light body, tingly
d) Good in small quantities. The body is light enough for a session, but the flavours are quite strong. 500mL is too much.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2008 06:04:33 | More by vancurly

LittleCreature

Australia

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - 4.5
Wow, a foamy, frothy three fingers of off-white head sits atop of my glass after a fairly conservative pour. The colour is a deep, hazy amber/tan.

Smell - 3.5
Like nothing else! The beechwood and smoked malt are immediately evident but do not dominate entirely. There is a sweet fruity quality to the aroma also, as well as a definite maltiness.

Taste - 4.0
Starts semi-sweet with apricot, smoked honey, beef jerky, general woodiness and a moderate level of fruity hops in the finish. Plenty of rich malt, very complex and leaves a very nice aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - 3.5
Feels thick and heavy in the mouth with a moderate level of carbonation that feels sharp over the tongue.

Drinkability - 3.5
Perhaps some could drink several of these in a sitting, but for me it is overwhelming and I need time for my palette to recover! I may get it again, but I dare say it won't be for a while.

OVERALL - 3.9
This is my first rauch, and I wonder how the German brewed examples compare. I was very impressed by this beer - it is very full-bodied for a lager and the quality is very good. A great accomplishment by Redoak.

OVERALL

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2008 09:54:49 | More by LittleCreature

belgbeerdrinker

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a: copper color with good head that settles after a minute,
s: smoky aroma, reminiscent of smoked beef jerky, subtle malts as well, doesn't smell too appealing at first
t: smokiness not as overpowering as the aroma -- much more balanced with the lightly sweet malts present
m: medium body -- not as chewy as some german rauchbiers, fair amount of carbonation
d: enjoyed this one vs. some of the german ones i've tried as it's not a meal in itself.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 10:08:43 | More by belgbeerdrinker

brendan13

Australia

3.63/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Amber colour with a big rocky head that takes a minute or so to fall.
S - The smokiness dominates a little subtle sweet maltiness.
T - Big smoked salmon taste going on here with some mild dried fruitiness.
M - Medium mouthfeel with a pretty carbonated feel over the tongue.
D - I would drink this again and it seems pretty true to style. A very interesting beer indeed.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2007 10:03:12 | More by brendan13

porter17

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer had a nice appearance. The smell was that of your traditional rauch bier and the taste was very good. Not as full flavored as Aecht Rauchbier, but tasty none-the-less. A good mouthfeel but nothing exceptional. This is a beer that you can drink as a session beer but I am not sure I'd get hammered on it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2006 03:08:48 | More by porter17

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I sampled this beer after tasting it as part of a tasting tray prior to our dinner here. The beer is cold and arrives in a tulip glass. The color is amber to chestnut with a fluffy off white head of 2 cm that leaves windowpane lattice as it fades to a sturdy surface layer.
The aroma is smoky with a hint of sweet caramel mixed in for some balance. Slightly like maple smoked bacon.
First sip reveals an average body with smooth mouthfeel and very fine and tingly carbonation. Flavor is smoked meat (salmon here) and some sweet fruitiness of apple with caramel again. THe smoke lingers but is lite and not overpowering. A well structured example of an underrepresented style.
Go to Sydney and definitely hit Redoak to check this one out!

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2005 05:04:46 | More by sulldaddy