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

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

Pours an opaque dark mohogany/chestnut brown color with dark ruby edges.  Thin half finger off white head that immediately fades.  Minimal lace.  

Earthy oak aroma with smokey malt notes underneath.  Hints of charcoal, bacon, BBQ  and butane along with caramel sweetness and toasted oak.  The barrel aging tones down smoke but adds complexity to the nose.  

Medium bodied with a really nice balance of earthy, toasted oak, burnt wood and vanilla along with smoked malt notes.  Hints of charcoal, campfire, bacon and caramel sweetness.  Sweetness and oak balance out extreme smoked notes very well.  Good amount of alcohol heat in the finish.  Well balanced and pretty tasty.  

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 16:42:58 | More by corby112

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
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

zaphodchak

Virginia

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

Appearance is nice, ruby amber body with gigantic 3-finger foamy, creamy ecru-white head (from a relatively mild pour) that retains like a champ and laces liberally.

Nose is interesting, faint citrus, with some smoky bacon and the faintest of hops.

Taste is nice, sweet and smoky, apple and some dark grape flavor, vinuous, even.

Mouthfeel is also nice, creamy and complementary to the taste.

Overall fantastic; different than a standard rauchbier but in a refreshingly original way.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 01:48:47 | More by zaphodchak

Ig0r

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The pour is a dark straw almost amber with a short head that dissipates quickly leaving slight lacing. The smell is smoky with an apricot sweetness. The feel is slightly syrupy, smooth, and with light carbonation. The taste is sweet with some tart and citrus, and a light hop finish, some smokiness is in the aftertaste but not as much as expected.
Overall good drinkability for the alcohol level and a rather mellow flavor that doesn't overpower.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 00:28:40 | More by Ig0r

emmasdad

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to inflateablechair for sending this one out as an extra in our last trade. Shared this one with schmittymack tonight. Poured a hazy amber color with a big white head. Aromas of smoked fish, oak, caramel and yeast. Medium bodied with flavors of oak, yeast, sweet malt, wood and smoke

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 02:49:25 | More by emmasdad

ebrauser

Utah

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
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

petacutlasaurus

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
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

mrandypandy

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle purchased directly at Epic Brewing Co, Salt Lake City, UT. Release #2, 8.8% ALC./VOL.

A - Pours a hazy brown/orange, slightly off-white head, HIGH carbonation.

S - Thick malty sweetness (caramel) with fruity notes as well. Figs perhaps? If I strain I can get some faint smoke in the aroma.

T - Different. Malty and sweet, with strong fruit overtones. Smoke in the finish, but not much. Reminds me of a strong ale, fermented with saison/Belgian yeast and lightly smoked.

M - Medium to full body, highly carbonated, slightly syrupy and sweet.

D - Medium. There is a lot going on, and the heavy body and sweetness start to weigh it down after a while, but the restrained smoke makes it enticing for more. Alcohol makes a slight appearance as th beer warms.

Overall - One of the better efforts I've had from Epic. Lots of flavors and the fruity/malty/smoky pairing actually works well together. I enjoyed this more on the cooler side, for what it's worth.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 01:49:44 | More by mrandypandy

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Strange and nice concoction: smoked, yeasty, and very sweet.

Presentation: 22 oz brown capped bottle . Paper label with a simple light cream and soft blue range, with name of the brew and series branding . Side narrative Offers a small note about the special and limited character of the brew (1800 numbered bottles, although the number is not apparent anywhere), and encourages to check their website for more details. Notes release #2, and 8.8% Alc. by Vol. Served in a tulip glass.

A - Hazy deep amber pour, good frothy head, fair retention, surface memory, and some splashes of lacing.

S - Smokey nose, fruity Belgium yeast notes, some caramel... More smoke.

T - Taste expands the nose greatly with a nice forward smoked sense, that pretty much in an orderly succession gives way to a Belgium yeasty sense, followed by an intense sweetness. Nuances come on top of that, with notes of dark fruits, smoked dark fruits that is, hefty sugar, dash of wood... And back to the triad of smoke, yeast, and malty sweetness.

M - Medium body, feels a bit heftier given the assertive flavors, medium to low carbonation, sticky and with a warming sense in the finish.

D - Hmm, the sweetness in the final part may hinder a bit with its intensity the overall drinkability, but not by much. If one digs it, it is still very enjoyable.

Notes: Very close to climbing a notch in the evaluation. Maybe after a revisit... I can understand the complaints about lack of balance, style, etc. But there is something rather bizarre that I liked about this unusual brew. Thanks Randy for the special opportunity!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 00:09:18 | More by Daniellobo

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

2.38/5  rDev -38.5%
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

Douglas88

Utah

4.53/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber bought at Epic. Pours a deep ruby color with a initially large thick white head, later goes down to a small white head. A really complex and great aroma; large rich fruit especially strawberries, sour and woody bourbon barrels, Belgian yeast, smells like a aged beer somehow. The flavor is rich vanilla bourbon, sweet oak, fruit, like a bourbon inspired Quad. Not really a huge smoke aspect, but it really comes through as lightly smoked cherry wood- and mixes with the fruity esters to create a very sweet and fruity brew. Complex and hard to pin down somewhat. I guess oak and bourbon flavors along with a blast of a fruity Quad fits well, some smoke and earthy aspects as well.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 05:25:46 | More by Douglas88

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

A smoked Belgian beer? What is not to love about that?

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the meaty smoke, but there is also a little bit of toffee hidden in there. The flavor is toffee, caramel, heavy smoke, meat and BBQ. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

I really couldn't get any Belgian characteristics out of this beer, but the smoke is very well done.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 07:22:41 | More by Mora2000

Wasatch

Utah

2/5  rDev -48.3%
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