Smuttynose Zinneke - Smuttynose Brewing Company

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Very dark brown on the pour, nearly black. One inch of tan head quickly settles, but can be revived with a few strong swirls of the glass. Light wispy, spotty lacing.

S: Aroma is fruity and yeast forward. Banana and subtle apricot esters. Taffy. Caramel. Subdued roasted malt scents of chocolate and charcoal. Very slight phenols. Light prick pf alcohol. Muffled hints of toasted oak, vanilla, and bourbon.

T: Caramel and cola. Candi sugar. Belgian yeast gets a little lost in the shuffle, but it adds some fruity and vaguely spicy notes. Mild darkfruit esters of plum, blackberry, and fig. Banana taffy. Chocolate covered raisins. Roasted character builds on the mid-palate. Charcoal, wood, and dark chocolate cake. Slight jab of spicy alcohol and peppery phenol. Barrel character finally comes out toward the end. Drying woody oak and a kiss of bourbon on the finish.

M: Medium thick body, but deceptively light on the palate. Creamy and slightly chewy. Little to no carbonation.

O: A pretty good beer, but it's just a little too restrained across the board. A bolder stroke here or there would make all the difference.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:43:37 | More by ryan1788a5

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2012 bottled conditioned

Pours a very dark brown color with a good sized light tan head, fades slowly and leaves a lasting cap on top, only small bits of lacing on the glass.

Smell has a strong roasted malt aroma, dark fruit also hits the nose mixed with a strong vanilla aroma, kind of all over the place, not picking up much of the bourbon barrel aging though.

Taste starts out with the caramel roasted malt backing, vanilla and the Belgian candied sugars strikes next, a strong bourbon burn follows in the aftertaste, slight woody presence but not overwhelming like the burn, carbonation is nice and soft which gives a decent body.

An interesting beer, I think a year of age will mellow out the burn and smooth out some of the other characteristics as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 23:22:57 | More by deltatauhobbit

Immortale25

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Due South Brewing Co. snifter. Notch on label says Bottle Conditioned in 2012.

A- Pours a fully opaque black color with a 1/4 inch light brown head that doesn't retain long before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and spotty surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a thin ring behind on the glass.

S- Big dark roast aroma with nice notes of chocolate and a bit of Belgian candi sugar.

T- Flavor is more straightforward with a heavy thrust of dark roasted malt, a bit of sweetness and not much else. The sweetness is the only thing that stands out as Belgian-esque to me. Notes of chocolate, caramel and some raisin. I don't sense much of a barrel presence.

M- Thick and chewy but smooth. Medium carbonation and a robust body.

O- Not one of my favorites from the Big Beer series but still very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 01:34:24 | More by Immortale25

seplo

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-20-2013 23:43:55 | More by seplo

GrindFatherBob

New York

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-20-2013 21:34:05 | More by GrindFatherBob

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-17-2013 14:45:08 | More by twenty5

Tidesox28

Maine

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-14-2013 22:33:35 | More by Tidesox28

andrewschirmer

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +19.4%

05-14-2013 00:51:48 | More by andrewschirmer

whallgren

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-12-2013 19:06:37 | More by whallgren

cornpone

New York

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-11-2013 21:29:35 | More by cornpone

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter, the beer pours a dark, rich, ruby highlighted blackish coloring with a tall, frothy, light tan colored head that quickly settles into a sparse surface coating. Aromas of berry fruit highlighting a rich and roasted chocolate backbone. The initial light, fruit sweetness has a great contrast on the nose with the rich sweetness of the backbone. Smells tasty. Flavors of roast, followed quickly by a fruit characteristics that I can only liken to boiling fruit down when you are preparing it for jams or jellies. It's that concentrated sweetness that still has a light characteristic. Again, the fruit has a strawberry/raspberry profile to it, and that is quickly enveloped by a dry roasted and baker's chocolate backbone, with a subtle bitterness that grows into a strong roast and bitter blend in the aftertaste. There are also some boozy qualities in the palate that slowly build, as well as a warmth. This is a dynamic brew, and the layers continue to develop as you drink. Let this one warm in the glass before you drink in order to fully appreciate it. Smooth, dry finish, with a slight bitter chocolate linger. Very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 21:28:51 | More by GarthDanielson

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-07-2013 21:04:28 | More by dalepryor

barnzy78

Illinois

4.51/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into a 25oz snifter, the ale is near black and topped with a frothy tan head that holds excellent retention. Aromas are fruity, chocolate, roasty, bourbon, and boozy as it warms. Tastes are beautifully complex and balanced with notes of toasted grain, dark fruit - raisin, fig, date, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak, some faint coffee, and Belgian yeast. Mouth-feel is full with nice carbonation, while finishing just dry enough for the palate to want another sip. At 8.4%, there actually was better drinkability, as opposed to some higher ABV stouts & strong ales. Overall, I loved it! One of my favorites out of the Big Beer Series.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 11:56:01 | More by barnzy78

drummermattie02

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-06-2013 00:15:14 | More by drummermattie02

jdhasse

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-04-2013 02:47:25 | More by jdhasse

metter98

New York

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is very dark brown (black when viewed from afar) in color. it poured with a thin dense tan head that has good retention properties and hardly died down.
S: Light to moderate aromas of yeast are present in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of Belgian yeast along with hints of dark fruits.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a nice beer if you like yeast, but doesn't have much in the way of dark fruits or bourbon, even after it warms up. It's rather easy to drink because no traces of alcohol are detectable.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 00:03:58 | More by metter98

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-03-2013 06:45:13 | More by spycow

srgj88

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

04-30-2013 23:43:07 | More by srgj88

mychalg9

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-22-2013 11:12:32 | More by mychalg9

atoulouk

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-17-2013 12:51:19 | More by atoulouk

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-16-2013 15:09:21 | More by lunarbrew

Hanzo

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-14-2013 15:49:37 | More by Hanzo

Pencible

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a nearly opaque dark mahogany with moderate light tan head.
S: It smelled like dry roasted coffee and earthy dark cocoa powder, with some spicy Belgian yeast and oak.
T: It tasted like copper hops and dry roasted coffee and earthy dark chocolate, with a bit of spicy Belgian yeast. It had a somewhat clean aftertaste that was bitter and earthy.
M: It was somewhat thick with lots of natural carbonation.
D: This was not a great Belgian stout, and it had no bourbon character as advertised. The scent and taste were ok, and the body was decent. The finish was a bit harsh, so it was not super easy to drink. I'm not convinced age would improve either. Skip this unimpressive brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:57:54 | More by Pencible

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-09-2013 06:20:46 | More by BrownAleMale

Hairrrrrrrr

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-07-2013 21:38:45 | More by Hairrrrrrrr