Smoked & Oaked Belgian-Style Ale - Epic Brewing Co.

TheBigLebrewski

Michigan

1.68/5  rDev -56.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Unappealing appearance. Ugly mid-brown, opaque shade that looked cloudy, even muddy.
Smell was an even greater put-off.

The drinking buddy pulled it off the tip of my tongue when he said it smelled like meat. I didn't get meat in the smell, but I certainly do in the flavor - cured, sweet meat. Indeed, the flavor is not too far from Rogue's Voodoo Donut, in certain ways. The Belgian yeast certainly maintains a difference in flavor, but it ends up providing the factor of sweetness that brought the voodoo to mind (which contained maple).

In my opinion, it's not smoky enough. The smoked aspect seemed to be what came through as a bit of salt, and even more-so meat. Which I wouldn't choose as a flavor in any sort of beverage, save maybe bacon bloody marys. The oak was lacking as well, being completely overwhelmed by yeast and malt, and, if anything, contributing to the carnivorous off-flavors.

I was pretty excited about this - I tend to favor both smoked and oaked beers of various styles, but the Belgian sweetness and the weak oakysmokiness didn't pair well at all.

Could the bottle have gone bad?

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 08:17:25 | More by TheBigLebrewski

Wasatch

Utah

2/5  rDev -48.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

22oz. Bomber
Exponential Series
1800 Bottles Produced
Release #1
$11.89 ea.

Poured into a chalice a amber color, some carbonation, fizzy white head, which leaves pretty quickly, with some sticky lacing. The nose is, malty, with some yeast, caramel. The taste is malty, yeast note. Medium body. Barely Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 21:09:10 | More by Wasatch

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

2.38/5  rDev -38.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

22oz bottle from the brewery, into an old school NB globe. I think it was around $12. Release #2, 8.8% abv.

A: Pours a burnt sienna color with a stark white head, not quite an inch or so that recedes to a thin cap of bubbles and a few chunks of lacing. Fairly cloudy. A few spots of lacing as the head recedes. Not a bad looking beer.

S: I'm not sure if this is supposed to be infected, but I get some very distinct lacto sour/funky notes from the nose mixed with some yeasty esters and at the back a hint of peat smoke. Decent bit of booze here. Not pleasant.

T: Once again, not sure what the hell they were shooting for here. I get notes of caramel, barbequed pork, banana, cherries, smoke, whiskey, oak, and this odd out of place tart flavor way at the end. Fairly estery in there as well with a few additional notes of cloves and apples as well. Incredibly sweet. This is um...better than the nose leads on, but it is completely all over the place.

M: Medium body, light(er) carbonation, fairly boozey and warm, really really sticky on the finish, I don't think this quite got as dry as they wanted, and the oak aging definitely didn't help dry it out any either.

D: Really not for me, this beer is absolutely all over the place with caramel sweetness and a hint of smoke which work together, but the banana/cherry/tartness is odd expecially on top of massive sweetness in this beer. Maybe it is still a little on the young side, but I think they need to do some serious revisions to this one. Sorry, not a winner.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 02:56:40 | More by pokesbeerdude

kojevergas

California

2.45/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

1 pint 6 fluid ounce brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into an EKU 28 snifter in me gaff in Los Angeles, California. Expectations are below average; I had a beer from this brewery before and I wasn't too keen on it.

Served a bit warmer than refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a somewhat pathetic head of a quarter finger, white colour, hardly any cream, decent thickness, and awful retention (even for the high ABV). Colour is a somewhat dark grapefruit-amber. Nontransparent but not opaque. Some floating yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Oak dominates the aroma, with yeast and hints of cherries. Some peat but not quite smoke. A strange off-the-wall aroma that is intriguing but not quite appealing. A mild strength aroma.

T: Some cherry juice notes that are far too strong and tart for the balance. Misplaced oak tones. Awkward peat. Vague fruit esters. A hint of alcohol. No yeast. The peat is too strong. Clean malts are backgrounded. Poorly constructed and badly balanced. The cherry feels artificial and is badly handled. Almost a bit vinegary. No layering, complexity, or subtlety. It's as though the brewers are using all these advanced brewing processes without having mastered the basics. Where's the balance?

Mf: Smooth and wet. Weak and thin. Not carbonated enough. Badly handled. Doesn't suit the flavour profile well at all.

Dr: What is with all the hype for this brewery? This is the second beer from them I've had that I haven't liked at all. Pricey for its limited quality. A big disappointment. I won't be purchasing another Epic Brewing beer unless it's recommended by a friend, has fantastic reviews, or is the only good option. Hard to drink because it's not good. Not quaffable. I wouldn't recommend this to friends or even to fans of the style. A terrible waste of advanced brewing methods and time.

High D+

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 07:05:02 | More by kojevergas

JohnGalt1

Idaho

2.75/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Inflatablechair opened this one a while back.. Thanks Sammy.

Pours a hazed orange with a decent lite tan head.

Nose is a pretty standard Belgian strong ale... overly phenolic IMO... tons of clove and quite a bit of band-aid... the phenols go a good way to masking the smoke and the oak... in fact, I get no oak at all... the smoke is more of a bacon aroma.

Flavor is about the same.... sorta acrid bacon with a syrup sweet maltiness... again, the phenols seem stale and medicinal.. tastes like a medicine chest... the sweetness is accentuated by a brutal estery presence... thick apricot and overripe plum.... not digging this one at all.

body and carbonation are both about right... medium...

I need to revisit this one, but I hesitate given the $$$ price tag.

3.5/3/2.5/3.5/2.5

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 07:20:24 | More by JohnGalt1

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Duvel tulip glass.

Thanks to JayQue for this bottle!

Perhaps this would reach pure perfection if it were also yolked...? Either way, it pours a mostly clear magenta-ruby topped by a finger of light tan foam. The nose comprises caramel, candi sugar, banana, clove, light Band-Aid, and a small wave of honey-glazed ham after a little bit o' time sniffing at things. The taste holds notes of caramel, clove, black pepper, banana peel, vanilla, orange peel, honey, and a sort of bitter Band-Aid. The smoke isn't exactly pervasive, and never really achieves any kind of smokiness, just elastic strips that are used to stem the tide of blood flowing from breaks in the skin. All I know is that it doesn't taste very pleasant. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a lightly syrupy feel. Overall, an okay beer, but the smoke (if you can call it that) doesn't help anything, and the oak does very little, if anything. Not really a fan, here...just disappointed...

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 04:04:04 | More by TMoney2591

chadlebald

California

3.38/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An interesting beer for sure.

Pours a cloudy, almost 'chunky' looking way--looks a bit similar to an apple cider (non alcoholic kind).

Aroma is prett nice - both the oak and smoke come through. Caramelly sweet too. Vanilla.

Taste is what kind of throws me - again, both the oak (taste of whisky barrel) and smokiness are there. I like both of those favors in my beers, but combined, my jury is still out: like they are competing for my affection. How does one choose a favorite child? alcohol is quite present too, which seems to go well with the aforementioned whisky oak.

A lot going on in this brew. Worth a try, for sure. Curious to see where YOUR jury nets out!

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 02:14:26 | More by chadlebald

gford217

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle.

Pours clear amber with a small bubbly beige head that recedes and leaves little lacing.

Aroma is ever-so-slightly smoked with lots of sweet Belgian yeast esters and caramelized sugar.

Taste is more of the same with the sweetness of the Belgian yeast and dark fruits melding with the lightly smoked malts.

Mouthfeel is light bodied for the style with soft carbonation.

This is a subtle beer all the way around. Light sweetness, light smokiness, easy drinking but nothing memorable.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 02:53:59 | More by gford217

alysmith4

District of Columbia

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I got this beer as a birthday gift, and was finally brave enough to try it the other night. I had a bad experience with scotch once, and just can't get past that taste and smell. Unfortunately, this beer was very scotch-like (which for most people is probably a good thing!), so I can't say I enjoyed it. I do think it's a well-crafted beer however, despite my aversion to it.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 17:53:13 | More by alysmith4

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to nmann08 for sharing this bottle last weekend. Served in a Cigar City snifter.

Pours a fairly-clear light brown-copper color with a good white head and a bit of lacing. The nose has a moderate amount of oak plus some semi-sweet malts. Smoke is moderate. The flavor is similar. Everything is really muddled and "in between," though nothing is really off. The smoked character isn't too heavy as to be overpowering, which is refreshing. Light-medium body. Interesting, but probably not something that I would come back to.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 00:56:33 | More by Thorpe429

billab914

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Bruery tulip. It poured a murky caramel color with a modest, frothy head barely covering the top of the beer.

The aroma shows a lot of the sweeter, caramel malts to it. I get just a little of the smoke along with some crisp, tart fruits.

The taste shows more of the sweeter, caramel malts to it up front. Midway it seems all about the Belgian yeast and crisp fruits, while the finish is where the smoke really shines. It's very cool how the flavors change so much and how different they are. The smoke in the finish is probably my favorite while up front it feels a little more overly sweet and unbalanced.

The mouthfeel is leaning towards the heavier side with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a decent beer, I liked the smoke to it but it also felt a little overly sweet and sugary at times. It was a neat range of flavors, but they didn't really come together all that well.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 03:33:13 | More by billab914

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a copper amber color. A layer of beige head with a little bit of lace left.

Aroma: Smoke and some roasted malts. Liquid bacon. A hint of whiskey and some oak. Light spice.

Taste: Much like the nose, but more bacon flavors. The whiskey adds a nice layer. Fairly oaky. Campfire smoke. Where are the Belgian flavors?

Mouthfeel: Smoked and dry. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends with more smoked flavors.

Overall, this was a decent beer, but I would have never guessed this to be a Belgian. It reminds me more of a German rauchbier. Decent stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 01:10:28 | More by mothman

JayQue

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not bad! More smokey than Belgian, but is goes down nicely. Poured into my Chimay goblet. An orangy brown color with a smallish off white head. About average head retention and minimal lacing.

Aroma a bit weak for a Belgian. A little dark fruit and some smokiness. None of the yeast, spices, candi sugar etc that you would expect in a strong Belgian.

Taste is pretty good. THe smokiness is just right and there is some malt, dark fruit and a little sweetness to round things out.

Mouthfeel is rich, there is a distinct alcohol "burn" but not enough to ruin the drinking experience. A year's aging is probably in order.

Not a top-tier Belgian Strong Dark Ale, but not a bad beer either.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 01:41:29 | More by JayQue

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 01/15/12 notes. Thanks to nmann08 for sharing this one.

a - Pours a medium amber color with two inches of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of fruity malts, light spice, smoked malts, peat. Less smoked than I was expecting, and decently fruity.

t - Tastes of smoked malts, smoked bacon, fruity malts, caramel, toasted and roasted malts. Much more smoke here than in the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a decent smoked beer. Nose isn't overpowering, and has some nice fruit, and then the taste hits you with a ton of smoke. Worth checking out if you liked smoked beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 21:33:30 | More by mdfb79

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer is brown in color with an off-white head. As expected, lots of smoke on the nose. Fairly nutty and a mild meatiness. Just a bit of salt in there as well. A mild sweetness of toffee and brown sugar. The flavor has a nice toffee malt sweetness, more than the aroma, to go along with the pronounced smokiness. Lots of salt, toasted nuts, and a bit of a woodiness.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 21:41:52 | More by womencantsail

ebrauser

Utah

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz into a pint glass

Appearance: Dark red/amber with a tight beige head and lots of CO2. Minimal lacing, though head retention is good.

Smell: Smoked salmon and subtle grapes

Flavor: Smokey-sweet. Starts with a sweet grape juice (almost vinous) flavor then taken over by strong smoke. Along with vanilla and light fruits, there is another sort of flavor, I think it is what Epic calls 'peat.'

MF: Light like a belgian, but with substantial flavor and minimal yeastiness. Easy to drink but the smoke might be too strong for multiples of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 05:01:51 | More by ebrauser

Pencible

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a cloudy dark copper with almost no head.
S: It smelled like banana nut bread and smoked malt, with a little caramel and ham.
T: It tasted like ham and banana nut bread, with some smokey barley and metallic hops. It had a bittersweet and smokey aftertaste that was a bit harsh.
M: It was somewhat thick with moderate carbonation. Nice body.
D: This was a pretty nice beer. The scent and taste were good, like half dubbel and half rauchbier. The body was good too, and the alcohol was well hidden, so it was pretty easy to drink. Not sure if it will improve with age. It's nice fresh, but enjoyable mostly just as a one time novelty.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 01:24:09 | More by Pencible

OsuJohn

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- dark amber and cloudy. Very little head.

S-sweet hints of bourbon? It smells malty with bread aroma.

T- the first sip is complex, but the smoke flavor is evident in the end of the end.

M- on first sip I can taste the alcohol. There us a heaviness but I think it comes from the abundance of flavors.

O- I wish I was eating bbq right now! This is a pretty good here but would be great with some food. I think I could go through a couple of these on there own, but would have to deity it up eventually.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 05:45:32 | More by OsuJohn

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Release #7.

A: Deep burgundy when backlighted exposes a dense turbidity of swirling particulate matter in the vessel. A whispy desert sand tinted head is weak on the hold but offers some lace.

S: The aroma was decent, oaky alcohol character dominates, some scotch but not much smokiness.

T: The flavor was strong oaky alcohol upfront, scotch laced fruitiness of apples, along with some sugar malt and dry grainy toasted grains. Sweet and boozy, warm alcohol at punch out. The smokiness lies low but offers gentle hints and compliments. Smoked toffee and munich sweetness along with some figs. Nice flavor though the booziness takes over at times.

M: Slippery and syrupy texture, sweet and boozy, low carbonation with a boozy warmth on the swallow.

O: Overall the smokiness is very subtle, the alcohol not so much with a boozy fruitiness that makes this a slow sipper but with an interesting complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 13:00:33 | More by beerthulhu

superspak

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, batch 9, bottled 11/7/2011. Pours hazy reddish brown color with a small 1 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin ring of lace. Some minimal spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big bourbon, caramel, banana, clove, toffee, molasses, apple, raisin, oak, and yeast spices. Some pretty nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of big caramel, toffee, raisin, apple, molasses, pepper, clove, banana, oak, vanilla, butterscotch, light bourbon, and light yeast spices. Lingering notes of caramel, toffee, bourbon, oak, molasses, dark fruit, and yeast spices on the finish for a good bit. Some nice balance of malty flavors, with no cloying sweetness. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming present after the finish. Quite drinkable but is still definitely a sipper. Overall this is a nice and very enjoyable Belgian style ale. I really did not notice much smokiness at all; however, it had a nice and quite complex malt flavor profile from the bourbon barrel aging. Very enjoyable to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 04:03:59 | More by superspak

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

a smoked Belgian? I wasn't sure what to make of this one, a seemingly strange fusion between the german rauch style and the Belgian yeast was sure to be strange, and this indeed is a stranger. pours a light brown shade, cloudy, with only a thin film of tan suds. the nose is Belgian yeasty, some bright plantain fruity flavors, but also that classic biscuit dry crumbly spicy teacake sort of vibe. plenty of smoke, sweeter smoke, some toffee and caramel, nutty too like a good brittle. the oak isn't as strong in the nose as it is in the taste, the whole back end of this is whiskey soaked and really vanilla heavy, especially as it warms. the smoke flavor is rather mild and despite my hesitance, actually matches up very well with the Belgian yeast. the alcohol is nowhere to be found, which is nice, it allows the complex flavors to not be disturbed. the finish is long and yeasty, with a campfire feel. low carbonation is still just enough, and the texture is soft. overall a very interesting combination of flavors, im not sure its balanced perfectly, but I really like the idea behind this one. went well with some cheese steal pizza, and I can think of a range of other food pairings. for the adventurous palate.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 16:40:28 | More by StonedTrippin

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is Smoked and Oaked #5 (to distinguish from the seven others they have in the series). Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a wide-mouthed wine glass. Pours a hazy amber color with virtually no head. In this glass there's a ring of foam around the edge that stays pretty much the whole way through the glass. This brew has a nice smell- it's fruity and malty with a touch of alcohol and yeast. The taste is a little bit of a letdown for something called smoked and oaked- I taste no smoke. I do taste a hint of bourbon from the barrel-aging along with a little of the fruit that I smelled and a heavy dose of alcohol sweetness. The mouthfeel is very nice however- it is a little syrupy but has more then enough carbonation to remedy that. While this is a pretty decent brew, it's not something I feel was worth the twelve dollars I paid for it.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 03:27:57 | More by Hopdaemon39

homebrew311

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a medium brown with reddish hues, tan head, decent retention and a bit of lacing. The nose is exactly as described on the label: smokey and oaky. The smoke takes center stage and features a woody char like character. There is a hint of belgian candied goodness that sneaks in at the end. Interesting combo of flavors. The taste is predominantly smoke with waves of bubblegum and clove hanging beneath the surface. The body is medium and has medium carbonation. Overall, I must say this brew is kinda weird. Nothing tastes bad, but the flavors just don't all add up. Worth a try for someone wanting to try something unique.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 04:29:33 | More by homebrew311

petacutlasaurus

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Epic brewing just came to D.C. a couple of months ago, holding an event at De Vinos, missed the event, but grabbed this bottle in place. I was pleasantly surprised. Full bodied with a forward taste of dark fruits and a trace of the "oak" - very pleasant. On the back end, you get hit with the "smoked" aspect of the beer. It's somewhat subtle, but those crispy burnt notes really make for a great close. It seems like there are Epic bottles everywhere, and I look forward to picking up another.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 19:32:43 | More by petacutlasaurus

Beaver13

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, release #8, 9.5% ABV. Pours a hazy copper with a small fizzy off white head that quickly goes to a thin collar.

The aroma is sweet bready malts, some fruit and some peaty liquid smoke.

The flavor is sweet caramel malts and dark fruits, some Belgian yeast, and a lot of peaty smoke. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, there's a lot of smoke. I like how it interacts with the other flavors - makes for nice complexities.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 05:36:06 | More by Beaver13