Smoke & Dagger - Jack's Abby Brewing

stonermouse

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Into a standard pint glass from the bottle.

Pours a nice dark chocolate color, with a puffy yet fast-receding head.

Aroma is mild, and doesn't reveal much in the way of smokiness. It's a farely benign porter-coffee aroma, clean with little booze or other interference.

The flavor is quite clean and neat, and showcases a couple of very specific flavors. The smokiness is mild, in flavor and in potency, but it's there and is complementary to the other primary flavor, a sort of mocha coffee. It all works together in mellow fashion but quite nicely.

Again, these guys have a good thing going with their lagers here, as they plow in some serious flavors to their beers, but everything finishes clean and washes away quite nicely. Nice, smooth mouthfeel here.

Another excellent offering from Jack's Abbey. A fine introduction to the more potent Rauchbiers out there.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 23:43:29 | More by stonermouse

brunop

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev 0%

06-18-2013 17:19:38 | More by brunop

brez8791

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

06-17-2013 15:10:31 | More by brez8791

TobiasG

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

06-17-2013 00:46:53 | More by TobiasG

BigLittleHokis

California

4/5  rDev 0%

06-16-2013 05:37:44 | More by BigLittleHokis

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

06-16-2013 04:12:25 | More by kawilliams81

BColton1

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev 0%

06-14-2013 00:35:27 | More by BColton1

doremite

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev 0%

06-13-2013 20:36:59 | More by doremite

sweisel80

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev 0%

06-12-2013 14:09:20 | More by sweisel80

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle served in a snifter.

pours a deep amber; sits a an opaque, borderline black tone while yielding a frothy 1" khaki colored head; middling retention and a little lacing evident in small patches. nose offers notes of chocolate, with some roasted malt and a little smoke. nice.

taste delivers the chocolate, roastiness, and smoke along with secondary notes of vanilla, caramel, and even a little oak. flavors work well together; distinct yet cohesive. there's a subdued hoppy presence notable in the finish... smooth, creamy mouthfeel - medium bodied - with average carbonation.

overall an excellent brew, sort of a beer Frankenstein, blending elements from a few styles (rauchbier, schwarzbier, and smoked porter); the finished product is a smooth, flavorful beer. proves you don't need an imperial to deliver and onslaught of character. while i wouldn't count any of the aforementioned styles among my personal favorites, smoke and dagger does work for me, and though it won't earn a spot in my regular rotation i will definitely be back for more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 04:39:30 | More by BostonHops

tehmogue

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%

06-10-2013 14:04:34 | More by tehmogue

SadMachine

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

06-10-2013 04:46:14 | More by SadMachine

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.84/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle opened on 5.25.13
Dated 03.07.13

A - Pours a brown with a dark tan soapy head with good retention.

S - Smoke, fishy, malty, toasted malts.

T - Smokey and roasted malts, very similar to the nose.

D - Good carbonation with a light body.

O - Smoke and lots of lager yeast.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 04:42:23 | More by HuskyinPDX

SHCC

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev 0%

06-09-2013 13:42:58 | More by SHCC

cburns48

Vermont

4/5  rDev 0%

06-09-2013 00:50:19 | More by cburns48

nootch23

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

A - pours black with a about a fingers worth of a khaki white head. As the head recedes to the side of the glass makes a pretty presentable looking beer as expected with this style.

S - very roasty smell right up front with underlying traces of chocolate. Big maltiness to the smell.

T - for me this is all coffee and malt. No signs of sweetness to this beer, not even a little bit as expected. Has a semi-dry finish to it and a little bitterness that I attribute to the coffee aspect of this beer. Nice roastiness to it.

M - semi-dry finish to it. Leaves my mouth with the roastiness that was prevelant in the taste. Slight bitterness to it as well.

O - It's impressive that Jack's Abby only makes lagers and find ways of making lagers taste absolutely nothing like a lager. Smoke & Dagger is no different and tastes like a different style of beer. It's a pretty solid and a favorite of mine by them when the weather puts me in the mood for a black lager. Will definitely purchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 02:04:35 | More by nootch23

marcdalke

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%

06-02-2013 20:12:51 | More by marcdalke

RummyRedbeard

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

05-30-2013 22:01:56 | More by RummyRedbeard

thebigredone

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev 0%

05-28-2013 21:51:20 | More by thebigredone

ncaudle

Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%

05-28-2013 18:19:46 | More by ncaudle

comfortablynirm

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%

05-28-2013 01:59:37 | More by comfortablynirm

dnoahg

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%

05-25-2013 02:47:09 | More by dnoahg

kojevergas

California

3.25/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

My second Jack's Abby beer. Acquired from ICCULIS in a trade; thanks again, buddy! Per the label description, it's somewhere between a schwarzbier and a smoked porter. I'm reviewing it as a shwarzbier (not a rauchbier as currently classified on the site) because I trust the brewer over some guy who clicked a style. 5.8% ABV confirmed. 25 IBUs. 14.5 plato. 500ml brown glass bottle with standard silver unbranded pressure cap served into a Mitchells of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the brewery's reputation (though I was underwhelmed by their biere de garde).

Served cold, straight from the fridge, and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger light khaki colour head. Slight cream. Nice thickness. Above average (~3 minute) retention. No lacing as the head recedes. Body colour is an extremely dark brown; not quite a black but seemingly so if you don't look carefully. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Opaque (nontransparent and nontranslucent). Par for the style. Not unique or special.

Sm: Light oak catches my attention, actually. A light hint of vanilla. Has my broken nose steered me wrong? Dark malts. Chocolate malt. Very very light smoked malts - not the pork/meat or heavy smoke you get from most smoked beers, but rather a subtle backgrounded smokiness. It's extremely restrained and not at all dominant. This is definitely not a rauchbier as is currently classified. No bacon notes. Light indistinct coffee. Mild woodiness. Lacks sufficient roast. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable. Interesting for a schwarzbier. I can see where one could claim it's a borderline smoked porter. A mild strength aroma. I'm looking forward to trying it.

T: Smokiness is present throughout, but lurks as an undertone rather than surfacing as an isolated note. It lends the beer a guided cohesive feel. Dark malts and chocolate malt comprise the foundation, which is unobtrusive and somewhat generic. Any hopping is minimal; I don't notice any evocative character in terms of hops. Coffee is rather restrained; it's barely present. Tends towards the slightly sweeter side of the sweet/bitter balance, but the smokiness keeps it in check. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. I do like it, but while well balanced, it doesn't provide any unique or special features. It may be one of the better scharzbiers/black lagers I've had, but that isn't saying much in my personal case. Well put together, but I suppose an ideal beer in the style would bring far more complexity and subtlety to the table. I nitpick only because I respect the quality that's there.

Mf: Nice thickness. Interesting coarseness/smoothness interplay; it varies throughout but hits either end at just the right points in my opinion. Slight overcarbonation. Decent presence on the palate. Lackluster depth of flavour. Not very soft at all. Unrefreshing.

Dr: A solid schwarzbier from Jack's Abby, but there's definite room for improvement. I think in terms of adherence to style this is a far better effort than their biere de garde. Of course, style be damned here. It's a schwarzbier-come-smoked porter and so much the better; I think it's better for its experimentation and I like what it's trying to do. Hides its ABV pretty well. Drinkable for a schwarzbier. I think the smoked character is very well implemented; this is the only subtlety I detect in the beer. Jack's Abby still has yet to truly wow me, but this is only my second beer of theirs. A solid sporting effort that gives me renewed interest in trying more of their beers. Still, it leaves much to be desired.

High C+

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 02:46:16 | More by kojevergas

headyhopzhead

Indiana

4/5  rDev 0%

05-23-2013 21:34:26 | More by headyhopzhead

hopley

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev 0%

05-23-2013 00:46:37 | More by hopley