Rauchstar
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

RauchstarRauchstar
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From:
Stillwater Artisanal Ales
 
Washington, United States
Style:
Smoked Beer
ABV:
9.4%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 18.9%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
58
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 15, 2014
Added:
Oct 09, 2011
Wants:
  26
Gots:
  4
Collaboration with Mikkeller

A Scandinavian smoked ale brewed with applewood smoked malt and loads of resinous hops.. like a heavy metal BBQ in a pine forest.
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beesy:
Photo of beesy
Reviewed by beesy from Ohio

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Sam Adams glass. No bottled date but a NHT date of 17.07.12 printed on bottle,
which I take as a best by date.

A - pours a medium brown with some beautiful red and dark mahagony hues at the edges. A slight haze. Some
waterfalling takes place leading to a rocky, three finger medium-dark kahki head that has excellent staying power.
Nice lacing.

S - campfire smokey wood that overwhelms everything. A little sweetness and maybe a touch of chocolate in the
aroma as well.

T - surprisingly malty up front. The smoke isn't as apparent in the taste (it's still very prominent) as it is
in the aroma. Some yeast profiles show up in this one in the mid/late palate along with some hop flavor that comes
on late. A firm hop bitterness lingers with some smokey malt bitteness paired with some dark chocolate
and a touch of caramel sweetness. It has a littl bit of aged oxidized flavor as it warms.

M - Full bodied with a nice mouthfeel. Any less and it would become very acrid and extrememly smokey.

D - Low for me - the smoke is very poweful in both aroma and flavor making it more of a long drinkig beer.

Overall, an interesting beer I'm glad I tried. A little overwhelming on the smoke, but a great beer otherwise.
With a $11.99 price tag, probably won't pick it up again except for maybe a tasting or something.
Feb 03, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.56 by mkdzimiera from Maryland

Aug 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Jul 01, 2014
 
Rated: 1 by mendvicdog from Maryland

Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by afsdan from Colorado

May 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by tegelaar from Massachusetts

Jan 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kirk from England

Dec 28, 2013
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle: Poured a dark amber color ale with a large brown foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of caramelized sugar with light smoked notes is quite warming. Taste is a mix dominated more by caramelized sugar with light sweet toffee notes than by smoked malt. Hops presence is not as powerful as I would have expected. Body is full with good carbonation. This must be an older bottle as it appears quite a bit of smoked and hops notes have disappeared.
Oct 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Schlafly33 from Missouri

Aug 30, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by icehawk from South Carolina

Aug 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by APBTMarcel from Missouri

Jul 20, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by beerist from Missouri

Jun 30, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by wrightst from Maryland

Apr 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by jsanford from Georgia

Mar 07, 2013
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
500ml bottle poured into a matching Mikkeller teku glass. The brew pours a dark muddy mahogany brown color with a rich 2 fingers worth of yellowish stained froth. Rising bubbles of carbonation maintain about a finger seemingly throughout the entire duration. As the cap fades, it leaves a full wall of webby lacing effect on the glass.

The aroma is pretty intense with smoke quality however underneath is a bounty of fruity alcohol esters coupled with hops. It displays almost a raisin-like aspect mixed with burnt sugars coming across like caramel or molasses. As I smell this brew more, it gets a bit of earthiness mixed with some mineral components across the back.

The taste initially is pretty much dominated by a beefy smoked quality that is somewhat reminiscent of pete but without the phenolics. Bacon comes to mind before the onset of the previously described fruity alcohol notes mixed with hops. Just like the nose led on, there is a flavor a bit like raisin mixed with some herbal hoppy bitterness and trace mineral aspects that lingers long into the aftertaste.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It has enough character to keep it interesting and a bit different from the usual smoke beer. However, coming from the 2 most over-priced breweries I have ever encountered, this was an epically over-priced offering that I wish I never purchased. Had it not been for my friend wanting to try this and the guy who sold it to me proclaiming it's uber rare status that I would never see again, I wish I could have a take back on this one. Even if it is offered to you for a discount price, buy something else.
Jan 23, 2013
Photo of rangerred
Reviewed by rangerred from Tennessee

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on tap.

Arrived a hazy dark brown with a thick tan head that seemed to last forever.

Aroma of lots of smoke along with bacon. Really smelled like a campfire that someone had thrown bacon on. There was some fruit coming through as well adding another element to the smoke.

The flavor was not as heavy on the smoke as I was expecting. Lots of caramel along with bacon nicely complimenting the smokiness. A nice fruit element as well lending a nice balance to everything. I kind of wish the smoke would have been a little more prominent.

Overall, a nice take on a smoked beer. I like the fruit and hop elements making this beer just a little bit different.
Dec 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by bcostner1 from Tennessee

Dec 13, 2012
Photo of FLima
Reviewed by FLima from Brazil

4.08/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark brown color. Medium size creamy head with a low retention.
Very accentuated aroma of smoked malts and dark chocolate.
Sweet malty taste, hints of wood (similar to barley wines) and a hoppy resiny feel. Touches of alcohol but well hidden considering it is 9.4% ABV, giving some warmth to the beer.
Light carbonation with small bubbles. Pretty good beer, especially for who likes hoppy and/or smoked type of beers.
Dec 11, 2012
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.19/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
First had: bottle from Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Kinda surprised I haven't reviewed this one until now--I only uploaded the pic on this site--but oh well. Obviously the bottle art drew me right in to this beer. Extra appearance points for incorporating Metallica, Slayer, and general black metal logos.

Poured a dark brown-black, opaque, with a small tan head that receded to a ringlet and left a bit of lacing on the glass. Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of this beer other than it's bottle and appearance. I like a good smoked beer once in a while, but this one just wasn't doing it for me. Aroma thick with liquid smoke, malty sweetness, charred wood. More of the same in the taste, liquid smoke, strangely sweet and jarring, soy sauce and BBQ sauce, ash and charcoal, chewy caramel malts underneath, with a resinous bitterness coming in near the finish. Medium body, seemed a bit thin in mouthfeel, but definitely huge on smokey taste. This was a tough tough beer to finish.
Sep 11, 2012
Rauchstar from Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 58 ratings