The Bandit - Revolution Brewing Company - Brewpub

MasterSki

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Revolution. 5oz taster glass.

A - Filled to the brim. Thin collar, skim cap, light transparent dark brown body with ruby glints. Glass-coating lace is left behind as the beer is consumed.

S - Initially served too cold. However, as it warms there's plenty of smokey and meaty notes, along with note of campfire and hickory. There's a faint hint of chocolate, marshmallow, and roasted malts too.

T - Taste is pretty much all smoked malts. Smoke, ham, hickory, campfire, and not much else to report. Very meaty with only light malt sweetness.

M - Surprisingly zesty carbonation, medium body, and a smoky and sticky finish. Lightly tannic and gritty, with no apparent alcohol.

D - It's a smoked stout that delivers exactly what is promised (and not much else). If you're really into smoked beers you'll love this, but I found it somewhat laborious to work through my 5oz and ended up blending the last ounce with some Weegene to see what would happen.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2012 00:06:30 | More by MasterSki

AgentZero

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Black body with a finger of creamy, brown head. Pretty good retention with some solid lacing left behind.

S - A lot of smoke, some chocolate. Fairly meaty smell, but not real detracting from the more traditional notes of a porter. Nice campfire smoke.

T - This is pretty good. It's got a nice meaty and campfire smoke going on. Good roast, there's a touch of dark fruit. The finish on this one is really good, some nice sweetness which gives it a full taste that a lot of smoked beers don't have.

M - Slightly thin, decent carbonation.

O - Good beer with good flavors. I'm a fan of smoked stuff, would go for this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2011 23:06:47 | More by AgentZero

Sean9689

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Revolution.

A - Pours black, off-white colored head, sticky lace, thin collar.

S - Rich smoke, chocolate, nice level of roast. The smoke is not over-powering and the chocolate and roast compliment the rest of the beer really well.

T - More chocolate-forward, smoke, roast, some cream in there as well. The chocolate sweetness helps balance the smoke and the roast finishes things off nicely.

M - Light to medium, perhaps a bit too thin for me, good carbonation, creamy finish.

O - A nice smoke beer that I enjoyed. I'm a fan of the style to being with, so I would have this again if on-tap for sure. Drinks easy and 6% is just about right. Good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 17:10:22 | More by Sean9689

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark cola colored with an aggressive tan head. Good retention on the head.

The smell is dominated by smoke, reminds me of liquid smoke. There's not much else to the smell other than that.

This beer is all about the smoke. It's not subtle, it's in your face. The flavor also allows a little bit of chocolate to come through to give the campfire smoke a light sweetness. It finishes with a spicy tobacco.

Mouthfeel is creamy with low carbonation. It makes for a smooth drink.

I really enjoyed this beer. The smoke dominates, so a growler was a bit much but thankfully I had some open minded friends and family to share it with. Even the non-beer-geeks got a kick out of it. If you like smoked beers, you'll like this one. If it's not your thing, you'll hate it. I liked it.

Serving type: growler

12-25-2011 18:57:01 | More by Vonerichs

jegross2

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewing The Bandit from Revolution Brewing Company.
Score: 86

Tap pour served in a pint glass. Forgot to snap a picture of my pint, but I took a picture of the sample I had as part of a five beer flight before hand (pictured to the right).

Appearance: Deep brown color. Largely opaque with caramel colored highlights at the top and bottom of the body. Creamy tan head settles into a thin ring around the glass. Solid lacing. 3.5/5

Smell: Peaty rye and hickory. Light chocolate. This one smells like a campfire. 3.5/5

Taste: Imagine turning a campfire smell into a drinkable liquid. That is this beer. Tons of smokey hickory throughout with hints of smoked turkey and ham. A little dark fruit and some rye/toasted spice. Light roasted chocolate and smoked hickory finish. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Creamy mouthfeel. Medium bodied with low carbonation. Leaves a spiced smoke finish. 3.5/5

Overall: A very solid tasting smoked beer. Smoked beers are an interesting style that I have only had a few of. Some may not like it because it is very smoky, but I enjoy that peaty sensation. Be forewarned, this beer is a palate killer, so do not order it first. I do not think The Bandit was as good as the New Glarus Unplugged Smoked Rye ale, but I could easily order another one of these if it's still on tap next time I go to Revolution.

Recommendation: If you do not mind smoky flavors, then I highly encourage you to try this unique brew.

Food Pairings: Pulled pork or smoked turkey sandwich on rye bread.

Cost: $6 for a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 07:27:21 | More by jegross2

KDawg

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

had on tap at revolution. Poured into a pint glass with a solid dark brown color.

good aromas of smoke, toffee, spices and malts. nice depth, but while there is a smoke aroma it isn't as defined as you'd want a smoke beer to be.

medium bodied with a really good feel. The smoke flavor is there again, but not as prominent as I expected. It is well balanced with flavors of toffee and caramel as well

If there was more of a smoke flavor to this, it would be a lot better. This does have a really good feel and was very easy drinking

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2012 23:07:58 | More by KDawg