Unplugged Smoke On The Porter - New Glarus Brewing Company

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Big thanks to CaptainCougar for this beer. Served in a mini snifter. Pours a dark brown color with a good head. The nose has a moderate amount of smoke alongside some roast and a very light fruit component. Flavor is smokey and roasty. Nice and integrated. Medium body with good carbonation and a lingering smokiness. Not surprisingly, a German take on a beer that was done well by New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 19:04:19 | More by Thorpe429

Floydster

California

3.28/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle acquired in a trade with Lordsloth recently, thanks for giving me the opportunity to try this beer

Poured into my small Ommegang glass with an opaque black color, small 1/3 inch light tan head that only stayed around for a minute or two, not much retention or lacing

Smell was definitely smoky, aroma was similar to a non-gas barbeque, tons of roasted barley up front, some faint chocolate and coffee aromas, but they were so weak that they could barely be distinguished

Taste had lots of smokiness as well but that was expected with its name, got sweeter each sip which was not a bad thing because it was a little too dry at the beginning, small flavors of espresso came to the surface towards the end, smoky accents stayed strong the entire time, small hop profile to balance out the burnt malt, could have used a hint of fruity flavor to make this more complex

Body was too thin in my opinion, maybe an excess of carbonation as well, taste did last long however, somewhat creamy and spciy mouthfeel

Could drink much more than two bottles of this, forgot to look how high the ABV was, but it seemed about six to seven percent maximum, taste gets old and it is pretty heavy on the stomach

First non-sour beer from New Glarus and it was not bad, I am spoiled from Alaskan Smoked Porters, so I was probably a little biased going into this review, recommended if you somewhat easy access to it but do not trade away any goodies for it, a little above average overall

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2008 22:07:48 | More by Floydster

twbrewer

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours black with a dark ruby color when back lit.Very little to no head with no lacing.

S-The smell is all smokey with a dark roasted malt background.It smells very rich.

T-First taste is all smoke and malt but does have a slight hop bitterness to round it out.I'm glad it doesn't taste as smokey as it smells.Not much to it,not to complex.

M-Light body,crisp smooth feel with very little carbonation.

D-It is a smooth beer and somewhat easy to drink,it's not my favorite offering from New Glarus,but in the right mood I would try it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2007 06:52:35 | More by twbrewer

levifunk

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this at a small tasting recently. Reviewed from notes.

a - pours deep brown to black. tan head.

s - menthol smoke. charred wood.

t - sadly a muted flavor due to age. smokiness is still there, but the rest is a subtle porter flavor.

m - medium-light body with a good amount of carbonation.

fun to try a bit of NG history, but not really holding up well.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 18:44:46 | More by levifunk

getch

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a-dark copper color, one finger of head, foam quickly dissaptes

s-its ok, roasted smell, some chocolate

t-nice crisp taste, long after taste, of light roasted chocolate

m-very smooth, for a smoke porter,

d-i expect more from new glarus, i have high expectations, and this does not meet it, it lacks flavor, but still above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2007 01:45:14 | More by getch

ibbjamin

California

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Paid $2.19 for a loose 12 oz bottle from Discount Liquor in Milwaukee, WI. Poured into a pint glass.

Pours leaving a small half inch frothy light tan head. You can just barely see through the darkness when held to a light. Minimal head retention. Pretty good lacing considering the body of this porter.

Smells like some really good smoked beef jerky. Reminds me of the smell a sweatshirt has the day after you'd been sitting around a campfire all night. Would be a great camping brew.

Taste is of a mild smoked porter.

Medium body. Mild carbonation. Somewhat watery going down, but the aftertaste lingers of smokiness. Easy to drink.

A bit too smoky for my liking. Wish it was better balanced and more complex. Not sure how it ranks so high to be honest. Oh well, it certainly was worth a try ;)

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 02:59:04 | More by ibbjamin

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle acquired as a gift from R&S.

Tried Jul 2008.

Large brown head. Pitch black in color. Smells quite smoky, roasty, coffee and A claims egg yolks. Starts somewhat bitter and acidic, smoke flavor is milder than the smoke smell. Petillant in the mouth. Also some cocoa and pumpernickel. Finish is roasty sweet. The acidic start detracts from an otherwise good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2009 06:10:39 | More by htomsirveaux

movingtrain

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a nice dark brown, light head with some decent carbonation.

Very smokey...smells of smokes meat...which, as the bottle notes, was the inspiration for the beer...a local meat market/smokehouse near the brewery. Some chocolate notes, and coffee in the background...but the smoke is the overpowering element here.

Taste is similar...like drinking smoke. Light coffee flavor, caramel, chocolate...drinking this cold, but would probably be a little better warmed up a bit. This would pair well with smoked meats, some caramelized oinions...

This one is not incredibly drinkable...it's an interesting style, one in the style of other good smoked beers from Germany. Not one I would want to drink often, but one that I would love to have with a meal from the grill.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2009 23:58:20 | More by movingtrain

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thank Mike.

Beer is relatively dark, a little hazy / brown at the corners of the snifter, decent head but ow retention, some lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is smoke, roast, a little oak, perhaps some anise.

Beer is medium to light in body, quite smoky, interesting but not great. Other flavors, oak, malt, sweetness, a mildly dry finish, not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 01:57:32 | More by drabmuh

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to grub for cracking open this one.

Pours an opaque muddy dark brown, thin tan head forms, drops to a medium sized ring rather quick, lots of lace. Smell is neat, chocolate, smoke, wood, toffee, some roast, nice rich aroma, smoke is well done. Taste kind of drops off, a bit weak, chocolate, light roast, some herbal hopping, sugary, bit of toffee, light smoke, some floral with a metallic finish, flavour is too light and doesn't live up to the aroma. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, pretty smooth. Taste leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 17:55:47 | More by Viggo

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

EliteDigger was kind enough to include this as an extra in a recent trade. Thanks!
Very dark with faint brown edges. Fine, light tan bubbles formed a thin cap and produced a thin layer of lace. Pronounced smokey aroma with a bit of charcoal - dark malts and chocolate lurk beneath. Sweet chocolatey flavour with moderate bitterness, mostly towards the end. Smoke is prominent, but better balanced than in the aroma. Some caramel up front with milk chocolate in the finish. Nice texture, lively carbonation with a bit of creaminess, medium bodied. Pretty good and I enjoyed it, but the smoke character seemed just a little out of balance.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2008 00:20:07 | More by DrJay

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle thanks to tayner. Dark black color and an initial smell of smoked meat. The aroma then becomes just smoke without the meat and is allright. The flavor is smoky and peaty but it doesn't take over the nice flavor of the porter. I don;t care much for smoked beers but this one was alright.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2008 04:07:33 | More by ArrogantB

DrDogbeer

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a affligem goblet. Thanks to Tytoanderso for this funky beer!
I have loved all the new glarus beers I have tried so far, and I can not say I loved this beer - Too smokey for me, but, I certainly applaud the effort, it is extreme. Pours a jet black with minimal tan head. The aroma hits you as soon as the cap comes off the bottle- Smoke! Like a charcoal grill. Taste is smokey, burnt charcoal. Slight sweet roasted malt finish. Glad I shared this one, I dont think I would want to sip on this one for a while. Seems like it would be a great beer to cook with. I think i will cellar my other one some more and see if it mellows over time.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2008 12:42:41 | More by DrDogbeer

aggiearcher13

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've been sitting on this for a little while, wish I had kept more around but they were too darn tasty.

A: Chocolaty black, not much much head or lacing.

S: Not as much smoke to it anymore, but it's there, kind of a subtle woody aroma.

T: Smoke and some chocolate, not as much malt characteristic as I remember. Pretty good though, kind of bourbon-ish as it warms.

M: Medium bodied, very smooth, nice carbonation.

D: It's good, but I think the smoke is starting to wear out my palate as I finish it. For a smoked beer, it's better than average drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2009 23:12:30 | More by aggiearcher13

Tizzod

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours jet black with a nice head that fades fairly quickly. The smell is just like a smokehouse - reminds me of bacon or pulled pork. Flavorwise, there's a lot going on here. It's very malty and roasty (which I guess is sort of the point) with a nicely understated smoky finish that lingers on the palate for a long time. The mouthfeel is incredibly creamy, almost chewy. i would rate the drinkability fairly high for such a distinctly flavored beer. This is one of my first smoked porters and i'm impressed enough to seek out some more.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 03:03:34 | More by Tizzod

bennetj17

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark black, thin tan foam leaving a decent ring. Roasted malt intensity with loads of smoke in the aroma. Lots of coffee plus some buttery and meaty notes. Also a bit of chocolate cake sweetness.

The flavor yields more roasty smoke, but has very little sweetness to balance and comes off a bit watery perhaps. Very low bitterness at the end. The mouthfeel has a watery smoothness with moderate carbonation.

Overall I would say its a bit one dimensional with its smokiness but worth a try...

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2008 02:59:29 | More by bennetj17

markaberrant

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - opaque black, thick creamy tan head. Leaves a thick sheet of lace down the glass.

S - appealling mix of malty roasted chocolate and meaty smoke. Sounds gross, but it works. Quite strong, but not overpowering or harsh. I spent a little extra time just enjoying the aroma before taking the first sip.

T - taste is predominantly porter-like, a bit of dark fruit/toffee along with deep chocolate flavour. Hop bitterness is quite low, which is how I like porters. There is a woody flavour, but seems more like oak than smoke. After getting half way through the bottle, the smoke character begins to emerge.

M - There is a bit of astringency in the mouth that is smoke-like, and is more obvious in the finish and aftertaste.

D - interesting aroma, but otherwise this is just a decent porter.

Somewhat of a letdown based on previous hype and the incredible aroma. I'm not getting a lot of smoke character other than in the nose. I would enjoy the astringency if there was more smoke flavour to accompany it, but otherwise it just detracts from enjoying what is a solid base porter.

Thanks to Demcorhip for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 02:10:37 | More by markaberrant

orcasteve

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured into my duvel tulip glass, poured a thin black with a slight red tint and a three finger white head that slowley disapers, the sent is campfire and hints of hops. the taste is a huge wave of smokey biter chocalat and coffie with a dry malt presance that is sightly presant in the background, the hops kick in in the end but arnt very strong, all and all a good beer but i have had a few better smoked porters.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2008 13:44:50 | More by orcasteve

Tone

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark black color. 1/2 inch head of a tan color. Good retention and slight lacing. Smells of smoke, roasted malt, slight alcohol, and slight hops. Fits the style of an American Porter. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy with a low carbonation level. Tastes of smoke, slight alcohol, and roasted malt. Good blend, not overpowering smoke flavor, easy-drinking, but a little lacking in body.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 01:56:58 | More by Tone

NOOGIE

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was hoping to get my hands on the new unplugged, seeing that it was giving a limited release as all unpluggeds are.

First I poured the beer in my mug from a 12 oz bottle.

It poured a dark brown that you couldn't see through. Very little foam. It had that unique smell as all new glarus beers do, to me at least. This one had a smoky smell to it, which made me think of a good restaurant. That smoky smell also lingered into the taste with hints of coco, which made it enjoyable. A good mouth feel, which made the drinkabilty easy as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2007 02:44:51 | More by NOOGIE

Mdog

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Black, dense head.

Smell: Wood smoked, sweet barbeque.

Taste: Mild molasses sweetness and a decent smoke flavor that is not overpowering. Balanced.

Drinkability: They go down quick, not particularly thick.

A pretty good beer, not quite up to Alaskan Smoked Porter standards or Surly's Smoke, but good. Nice sweet barbeque flavor without hitting you over the head with the smoke. Give it a try if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2008 00:35:33 | More by Mdog

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle. Pours a dark brown brown color wih a slight tan head. The aroma is smoky but not extremely so, no more like only a small campfire as opposed to the full on smoke of some other beers. Laces on the glass pretty well. Slightly sweet tasting up front with a mild smokiness that lingers. Medium/light mouthfeel. In the world of smoke beers this one is on the light side but very easy drinking. This would be the ideal beer to introduce people to smokes.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 13:41:34 | More by kbutler1

srandycarter

California

3.8/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Black body, .5 inch head, leaves pretty quick. Lacing thin but continuous, sudsy.

S - Smokey. Like charred wood and well toasted malt. Maybe some hop in there too.

T - More complicated than I thought. In addition to the smell notes, hops and some chocolate at the end.

M - Thin and low carbonation.

D - Nice to try.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 05:23:36 | More by srandycarter

apfactor

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle:

Pours a deep dark brown with light brown hughes at the top and bottom of the glass. A smooth tan head falls quickly to the brew and leaves little trace.

A roasty aroma is noticeable but not much smoke at all. Taste is very smooth, the smoke is very balanced with the roasty-ness of the brew. It is not dominating or overpowering at all. Slight coffee bite with a milk chocolate finish. There is a hint of toffee in there at the finish as well. Light hop presence, well balanced...

Mouth feel is pretty smooth with a carb bite towards the end. Very very drinkable beer and a quite enjoyable one at that.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2008 21:17:34 | More by apfactor

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-A really dark brown with a tan head that holds on for a while leaving some lacing.
S-Smoky, malty
T-More smoke and malts plus a little coffee. The smoke dominates but not obtrusively. Nothing overwhelms anything else so it feels nicely balanced.
M-Light to medium.
D-A tasty beer that a couple would be nice to have.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 00:25:28 | More by meatyard