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

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Surly Goat in West Hollywood, CA.

Pours a murky brown with a khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, smoke, wood, and whisky notes. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a very dry quality to this beer with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice balance between the smoke and the barrel aging.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 04:40:01 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phelps

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a wine glass at Boulder's.

Mostly clear deep copper. A very thin yet dense head of light sandy tan soon becomes a soft patch of bubbles right in the middle.

Peat and buttery, chocolatey oak in the nose. Sweet and tart figs and dates are also in here. It’s a nice mix of smoke and fruit, with lots of toffee and a touch of bourbon.

Apple, toffee and caramel make initial contributions to the flavor. Smoke comes after the swallow, blending perfectly. A little vinous oak and bourbon add their notes to the chorus of fruit and smoke.

Medium body, with light yet prickly carbonation. There isn’t much alcohol, which is impressive, though I do get a flash of heat at the swallow.

Epic’s beers are expensive, but they’re also usually very tasty. Smoked and Oaked, with its blend of Belgian fruits and smoke, is definitely worth a taste.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2012 22:50:05 | More by Phelps

challenja

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at The Black Squirrel in ADMO in DC.

A: Pours an opaque dark red, blood orange. Cloudy in character with a some light shinning at the bottom. The head is non existent.

S: Sweet honey suckle, juniper berries, tart cherries, white powder sugar, sticky sweet malts with a light open wine cork character.

T: The taste is obscene! Juniper berries and plums jump out quickly. The flavors smack the mouth with a long flavor profile that lingers on the palate like a sticky candied fruit stuck in Now and Later form. This has a high honey character that masks the high alcohol content. This taster like a Mead. The oak aging makes this malty mead brew taste very cask in feel and character.

M: Medium carbonation, a nice syrupy mouthfeel that feels nice on the tongue. Fun to play with :)

O: Holy mama jama! This is one serious brew, flavorful and to be enjoyed by serious beer geeks. Not to share with your miller lite buddies. It is very impressive and obscene in character and form.

M: Its got a sticky sweet cool mouth feel that sticks to the tongues with medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 20:26:16 | More by challenja

chadlebald

California

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
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

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A. Pours a hazy brown with some red and a nice somewhat creamy off white head.

S. A touch of smokiness that comes through more as it warms. A touch of bourbon with some cherry.

T. Very similar to the nose. Smoke, cherry, and some bourbon.

M. medium body with decent carbonation.

D. The best utah beer I've had.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 17:19:48 | More by BeerAndBourbon

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange with nice white head. Looks okay. Nothing special
Smells lightly smoky with some oakiness. Actually smells pretty solid.
Tastes smokey and sweet. Light, bourbony vanilla. Smooth, rich, a very interesting flavour profile. Overall surprising.
Good solid mouthfeel, overall surprisingly good.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 16:22:45 | More by Urbancaver

brew3crew

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasting at Jackie O's

A-burnt orange with a great head. Wow

S-subtle smokeand a little bourbon

T-follows he nose. Great smokiness that mellows well with the bourbon

M-medium body and smooth...

O-what a beer. Great suprise that iw would love mkre of

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 16:19:03 | More by brew3crew

Jmamay22

New York

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Beer pours a hazy caramel brown with a thin khaki head. It smells of candied sugar, caramel and peaty smoke with a very slight yeasty and fruity background. A very unique scent.

The beer mixes the flavor of scotch and the qualities of a Belgian ale well. The beer begins with a flavor of caramel and candied apple. The smoke comes into play midway through and plays well with the candied sugar flavor. Even if only imagined there is a peat like finish leaving me to believe there was use of scotch barrels. Unfortunately the mouthfeel is a little thin and I would have preferred emphasis on the Belgian style with a greater level of carbonation. Would be niceif it was bottle conditioned with cor and cage, but that would likely increase the price and may not currently be possible at this brewery.

A unique and enjoyable brew. Along with the sage saison, I am beginning to enjoy this breweries unique style.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 22:10:56 | More by Jmamay22

bcostner1

Tennessee

4.19/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Burnt orange with reddish hues. Khaki head that sticks around for a while.

S: Smoke, booze, vanilla, mild yeast.

T: Sweet caramel, vanilla, mild bourbon, candi sugar, molasses, a little oak, bacon and smoke on the back end. Nice combo.

M: Sticky, viscous, full, and satisfying. Booze mildly detectable but not abrasively so.

Overall, this is another solid offering from Epic. I would definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 23:30:56 | More by bcostner1

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
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

TheBigLebrewski

Michigan

1.68/5  rDev -56.6%
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

JayQue

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
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

Bung

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz. Orangy amber pour, just a ring of white. Not much lacing really.

Aroma, a lot of cherry, much more than I would like. Small amount of caramel, peat, some nutmeg and brown like sugar. This does improve as it warms to more smoked woodiness.

Taste, caramel and smoked peat up front. Quickly changes to more typical plum, fig and cherry. A fair dose of vanilla. Finish is a little of that smokey cherry.

There is some heat there, but it does not show in the taste much at least. A good level of carbonation. A sipper as to be expected.
Good overall but a little pricey. The heat being the only detractor. Probably a good one to cellar.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:36:02 | More by Bung

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer #60 in my great Utah Brew Hunt.

Release #15 says it is 10.4% abv.

Wow. A beautiful Belgian ale. Very nice wood tones, and yes, there is a smokey kind of thing going on as well. There is a bit of an alcohol burn, but it seems to mesh fairly well into the overall scheme of things. Bottom line is this is a very nice beer. Put some age on it, and I have to wonder how it would turn out. Definitely suggested.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 02:28:57 | More by RblWthACoz

Rukasu

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Release #13

A - Cloudy, dense rusty brown/deep caramel with yeast sediment

S - Big alcohol burn on the nose, brown sugar, scotch like whiskey notes

T - A bit sweeter than I thought it would be. Dried pit fruits, brown sugar, scotch peat, a lot of oak with a warming alcohol feel that lingers on the finish.

M - Light carbonation, the sweetness and high alcohol is a bit drying with a numbing on the tongue.

O - Not a bad beer, though not as good as I thought it would be. Less smokey and a bit sweeter than I anticipated. Though the oak and scotch underlying flavor does balance out the sweetness well.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 00:33:26 | More by Rukasu

mikeyv35

New York

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Date: 03/14/12
Type: 22oz. Bomber
Vintage: 2011
Glass: General Lafayette Pint Glass

Poured a brown mahogany in color w/ a small white cap head that left minimal lacing. Aromas of caramel, toffee, citrus, oak, and a touch of peat. The flavor was of caramel/toffee sweetness up front, leading into oak and slight peat, and finished like a Belgian Tripel (banana and orange peel). Medium bodied and lush w/ lower levels of carbonation. Pretty easy to drink as the 9% ABV was well hidden.

Overall, I was overly impressed by this beer that I was not expecting much from! Great array of flavors and all balanced well. However, just not quite worth the price of admission at $16.99 a bomber I believe.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 19:10:40 | More by mikeyv35

dtivp

West Virginia

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy amber brown with a half finger dirty white head that fades quickly, very little lacing.

Aroma of smoke, vanilla, sweet caramel and. Booze.

Taste follows the nose with smoky oak, sweet caramel, vanilla and booze.

Mouth Feel is medium body, light carbonation, very slick, smooth with a very nice alcohol warming.

Overall a very nice enjoyable ale. Very nice to sip and relax.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 18:20:51 | More by dtivp

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Release #11 (April 10, 2012). Poured in to Founders tulip.

A - Murky medium brown with one finger of dirty cream coloured head that quickly receded to a thin layer. Spotty lacing.

S - Caramel, smoke, bourbon, raisins and toffee. Good integration of flavours with no one flavour dominating.

T - Caramel, bourbon and oak up front with no one flavour overpowering the others. Lighter toffee and raisin notes are present in the background. The smoke shows up subtly in the finish with some spice. Fairly sweet overall with a lot of barleywine characteristics.

M - Medium body. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 23:39:13 | More by TheSevenDuffs

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy copper-amber color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of smoke, oak, and vanilla with cherry, dark fruit, candi sugar, Belgian yeast, some dark caramel malts, and some booze.

T - Starts off with some dark caramel malts with some cherry and other dark fruits with some vanilla. Through the middle, the smoke and oak flavors come through with some Belgian yeast flavors and candi sugars. The finish is a mix of smoke, oak, vanilla, candi sugars, Belgian yeast, and a bit of booze.

M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a smoky, warming, and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nicely balanced with just the right amount of smoke and barrel flavors.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 06:16:19 | More by ngeunit1

alysmith4

District of Columbia

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
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

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
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

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a funky redish brown with a thin off-white head that settles into an beigh ring around the edges of the glass. There is some lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is cherries, vanilla, caramel and smoke. Hmm, interesting. The vanilla oak is pronounced, but there is a boozy note to this beer as well.

T: Sweet and malty up front. It's malty with a touch of vanilla. The caramel notes are big in the middle. The finish is boozy and a bit spicy. It's really interesting.

M: Medium bodied beer. Sweet to start and it follows cloyingly. Spicy and boozy in the finish. The flavors linger on the palate for a bit, but slide off in a decent amount of time.

O: This is a solid beer, but it's not amazing. The vanilla oak flavors are spot on, but I feel like this beer just misses out a bit. I like the idea of this brew, but something just doesn;t seem right.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 22:44:21 | More by trxxpaxxs

edproctor

California

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a- like a dark amber color, less than half inch head with a slight amount of retention.

s- a really nice balance of smoke and wood...a bit musty, but in a very good way.

t- sweetness! carmel, roasted malts, red apples, deep ruby stone fruit!!! delicious!!!

m- has a deceivingly thick body... goes down extremely smooth. a nice bite of carbonation with the burn from the alcohol... this is a very complex beer!!!

o- overall, a very beautiful ale!!! would drink this again and recommend it to others. i am curious how it would age.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 09:08:02 | More by edproctor

KingofHops

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beautiful light brown pour with light carbonation. Smokey and yeasty bavarian aroma with a hint of sweatness. flavors are distinctly wheat, oak and rye, with a yeast and sweat taste on the backside. Overall good bear, complex and enjoyable, lacks the more traditional elements of a bavarian ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 02:11:04 | More by KingofHops

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
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