LA-31 Boucanèe - Bayou Teche Brewery

teromous

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: It's hard to compare the appearance to other smoked beers, because they can vary. By the standards of any other beer, this one has no head at all, and is very hazy. The color is dark shade of amber.

S: The scent is a bit odd. It has a mellow wood-like smell to it, but I can't place it. It doesn't smell like oak. I can definitely pick up a smoky scent...like a smoked jerky.

T: Wow, this is a really smoky beer! It really has more than just a "smoked grain" flavor to it. It has more of an actual smoke flavor...like smoked sausage. This is like smoked sausage in a bottle. I've had other smoked beers before, but none like this. I think the originality really warrants a 5.0, but there seems to be something lacking in the back...like some background bitterness or something to add to the body. Really, though this is cool. I don't pick up any wheat at all.

M: The mouthfeel is pretty thin. It's fairly robust at first, and seems to hold its own about 1/3 way through the drink. It doesn't linger in the mouth much though.

O: Overall, I scored it average because it's a really cool beer, but it could be better.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2011 03:08:40 | More by teromous

slatetupelo

Mississippi

3/5  rDev -7.7%

05-18-2013 05:06:19 | More by slatetupelo

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Picked this up at Top Hops in New York, after having tried another beer from Bayou Teche a few weeks back. I wasn't sure what to expect with this and after having one of these, I'm not quite sure what to think of it. I can honestly say that I've never had anything like this and even though this isn't quite up my alley, it grew on me a bit as it warmed up and I became accustomed to the taste. This begs for food to be paired with, since it's probably not something that most people would enjoy just on its own.

The pour to this was a ruddy brown with a somewhat moderate head and just a bit of lacing to boot. Smoked wood, sour cherry, sausage, and a muenster-like cheese all combined for an interesting aroma that was repeated in the mouthfeel. This felt like a polish sandwich in liquid form with a cloying aspect to it, as the taste was reminiscent of dough from a thin-crusted sandwich bread. Hardly and hops and just a bit of carbonation in the back that washed most of the flavors down, leaving the smoke behind to wallow on my palate.

This was quite malty and left a slightly sticky residue behind in my mouth. The alcohol was light enough that I could have had seconds of this in one sitting but like most people, I felt that one at a time was enough. While this won't bowl anyone over, it's different than anything else on the shelf and is worth a go once, if for no other reason that in its own odd way, this was a meal all unto itself. Yes, it called for a food pairing but there was enough here to give it complexity to go with the oddity that a Smoked Beer was, and still is, for someone like me.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 12:05:49 | More by JerzDevl2000

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

05-01-2013 02:04:36 | More by WDJersey

vfgccp

New York

3/5  rDev -7.7%

04-27-2013 00:31:14 | More by vfgccp

gwiedman1

New York

4.5/5  rDev +38.5%

04-14-2013 19:47:49 | More by gwiedman1

GRG1313

California

3/5  rDev -7.7%

04-10-2013 05:40:36 | More by GRG1313

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +23.1%

04-01-2013 20:03:14 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

tbryan5

Louisiana

3.25/5  rDev 0%

03-24-2013 01:06:04 | More by tbryan5

gshackles

New York

3.75/5  rDev +15.4%

03-17-2013 04:22:59 | More by gshackles

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.15/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter. Off-white head, low retention on a clear, copper body. Aroma includes caramel sweetness, some butterscotch and maybe a slight hint of smoke. Taste showcases the smoke much more than the aroma, again some caramel sweetness and some of the wheat flavors shine through. Interesting mix of flavors, not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 08:15:29 | More by KickbacksSteve

Bearman13

Texas

2/5  rDev -38.5%

01-20-2013 22:49:23 | More by Bearman13

outdoor7or24

Georgia

2.91/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into sniffer glass.
A: pours a deep copper, half finger white head, little to no lacing
S: smoked wood, sweetness, Belgian yeast, sourness like from oak, cherry
M: medium, kinda dense
T: starts of kinda sour, smokeyness, wheat, sweetness, finishing up with a dry end.
O: kinda ok, nothing special

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 01:02:00 | More by outdoor7or24

Beejay

Virginia

3.05/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Medium brown/amber. Crystal clear with a little tan head on top.

S: Sweet, smokey, and perhaps a little corn in there as well. Interesting.

T: Smokey, with a light bready flavor. Some toasty notes, with a little oatmeal. Something a little off for me in this one, but I can't quite put my finger on it. The smoke flavor is a touch on the cloying for my tastes.

M: Medium in feel, carbonation is fine and somewhat low. Finishes pretty clean.

O: Overall interesting, but not something I am in love with. The smoke feels a touch sweet, and it seems like after the smoke there isn't much else to it. Not bad, just not interesting.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 01:00:40 | More by Beejay

Kahlerbock

Kansas

4/5  rDev +23.1%

11-26-2012 02:13:22 | More by Kahlerbock

MIMMSGod

2/5  rDev -38.5%

09-11-2012 21:49:00 | More by MIMMSGod

sd123

California

3.5/5  rDev +7.7%

08-28-2012 01:11:31 | More by sd123

harpus

Alabama

3.25/5  rDev 0%

07-27-2012 18:03:24 | More by harpus

jALEson

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +30.8%

06-28-2012 22:57:37 | More by jALEson

duff247

Texas

3.25/5  rDev 0%

06-24-2012 16:41:57 | More by duff247

kdown

California

3.75/5  rDev +15.4%

06-04-2012 21:45:37 | More by kdown

Zakk

2/5  rDev -38.5%

06-02-2012 23:26:34 | More by Zakk

FriedGold2112

4/5  rDev +23.1%

05-02-2012 03:56:20 | More by FriedGold2112

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.4/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Look - light ruby color, clear, with good carbonation and about half a finger's worht of light khaki-colored foam that disipates somewhat slowly.

Smell - malty and lightly fruity in aroma. Also with the earthiness that comes with a wheat beer.

Taste - malty and musky, but again, with an earthiness that comes from a wheat beer. The muskiness comes back toward the finish and aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - pretty well balanced, but leans a little more toward the watery side.

Overall - not a bad brew, but not terribly complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 04:02:51 | More by Nerudamann

acevenom

Louisiana

3.13/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours dark copper with an abundant off white head that dissipates, leaving little lacing along the side of the glass. The beer smelled smoky during the pour. That smokiness is pretty strong in the aroma, but I can also pick up the sweetness as well.The taste is smoky The malt sweetness does come through in the flavor as well. It's a pretty difficult flavor to describe. It's slightly astringent and acrid. I enjoy it more as I drink it. The body is light to medium. There isn't much carbonation to speak of. Overall, this beer is interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much going for it. It's interesting in the average sense. I'm sure it would pair well with the local cuisine, but I won't be rushing to the store for another bottle of this any time soon.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 00:54:35 | More by acevenom