Z Lager - Fort Collins Brewing

estlinska

Arkansas

3.06/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Served from the bottle into a standard shaker at the Pantry on 3/22/13. Pours a dark burnished orange like a worn sun-bleached oak barrel. There is a little cream colored head that dissipates quickly without much lacing left behind. The nose is off. It smells like a standard amber ale with hints of melted sugar and baked brown bread, but there is the smoke smell as well. They just don't work well together on the nose, and it reminds me more of just pure liquid smoke which is just a touch off-putting. The taste is not very smoky though. There is definitely a biscuit taste and some sweet caramel with just a touch of that artificial smoke flavor. Mouthfeel is medium. Overall this is just not working for me. Maybe the smoked flavor is more of a porter thing for me and I need to keep trying things, but I just didn't like it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 14:08:45 | More by estlinska

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.49/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fort Collins Z Lager has a medium, cream colored head, a clear, bubbly amber appearance, and minimal, splotchy lacing. The aroma is mostly of sweet, brown bread crust, but one can pick up a whiff of smoke in the sniff. Taste is of the same, with a nice, hearty, but not heavy, hop bitterness in the sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Fort Collins Z Lager finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and mellow. Overall, this is a much more approachable and drinkable beer that what is offered by the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbiers. Check it out and enjoy!

RJT

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 16:50:24 | More by RonaldTheriot

LibrariansLoveBEER

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a pint glass from a 12 oz bottle.

Appearance: Pours an orange/rust color. A one finger head which quickly diminishes, minimal lacing.

Smell: Smells like a lager, hard to detect the smoky notes that are supposed to distinguish this style.

Taste: Tastes like a typical lager. I was expecting more of a smoky taste. I was halfway dreading what I thought might be an overpowering smoky, sooty taste. Not at all, in fact I was mildly disappointed with the lack of distinctiveness.

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation, brisk, tingly.

Overall: A decent beer. I will not try this beer again, but I intend to try some of the other offerings from Fort Collins. I have a double chocolate stout chilling in the beer frig.
Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 18:38:10 | More by LibrariansLoveBEER

schoolboy

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It seems that some of the smoked beers I've had the last few days here in Colorado were flirting with being a rauchbier, and I think some of the were closer to it than this. I think it really should simply be classified as it is labled, a smoked amber lager, not a rauchbier.

As a rachbier, it falls flat as it is not nearly aromatic enough, but if not constrained to that style, it is quite good.

It's very pretty in the glass. The aroma is not that of a rauchbier, so a huge ding. But the taste is great, and the mouthfeel is too. Another great Colorado beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 03:48:38 | More by schoolboy

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear amber color with maybe one finger of fluffy off-white head that leaves decent retention.

The scent is that of smokey malts, caramel, and some spice notes.

The taste is of slight sweet, smokey malt, some notes of earthy hops, and some caramel.

Light bodied, smooth and crisp, moderate carbonation.

I thought this was a nice, more mild version of the style, the smokiness isn't so dominant that you don't have a difficult time tasting what else is here.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 18:43:01 | More by BeerCon5

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Fort Collins Brewing's Z Lager last week for $1.89 at The Lager Mill. It's been a while since I've have a Raunchbier, and I have never seen or heard of this beer, so I thought I would give it a try, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but the store just got it in so I assume it's fairly fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice and it's pretty well done, it also sticks out a little. It poured a nice amber color that took some burnt orange color when held to the light with a finger and a half worth of off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded to nothing and left hardly any lacing. This was a pretty average looking Amber Ale, the color was ok but the head and lacing were disappointing.

S- The aroma starts off with a lighter amount of medium smoke that impart a very woody aroma that resembles a campfire, after that comes the malts which have a higher amount of medium sweetness to them and impart some grainy, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, toasted malts and a light amount of coffee. Towards the end I get a light amount of citrus hops that add some nice complexity. The aroma is nice, but I feel like the smokey aromas don't blend that well with the dark fruit aromas.

T- The taste is a little similar to the aroma and it starts off with some medium sweet malts that impart some nice toasted, grainy, caramel malts, and slightly nutty flavors. Up next comes the Smoke which is on the lighter side but still noticeable and imparts a nice smokey and woody aroma. On the finish there is a light amount earthy hops that give this beer a lighter amount of bitterness, and a toasted malt and lightly smokey aftertaste. I liked the taste of this beer, it was nice and balanced, but the smoked didn't shine through as much as I would have liked.

M- Smooth, dry, on the light side of being medium bodied, with a higher amount of medium carbonation that made it a little prickly. The mouthfeel is ok, but the higher amount of carbonation makes it pretty average.

Overall I thought this was a decent beer, not true to style enough to be called a Rauchbier, but for an Amber Ale I would say it was a little above average. This beer was pretty drinkable, it was really smooth, and the flavor did an ok job at holding my attention, I could drink two of these but I think that would be my limit. What I liked most about this beer was the flavor and aroma, they were the highlights of this beer and were both pretty balanced. What I liked least about this beer was the lightness of the smoke and the higher carbonation, I needed more smoke and less carbonation. I would be buy this beer again when looking for a lightly smokey beer, but I wouldn't buy it often, I recommend giving this beer a try, it might make for a good gateway Rauchbier. All in all this was a lightly smokey amber, what it lacked in intensity it made up for in drinkability. This was the second beer I have had from this brewery and it was better then their Chocolate stout, I thought it was a pretty solid beer and I wouldn't mind trying some more beers from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 03:49:51 | More by StoutHunter

rangerred

Tennessee

2.8/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear reddish copper with a half finger tan head that fades pretty quickly. Ok lacing on the sides of the glass.

Aroma moderate smoke, light coffee, caramel, and toasted malt. Not really any hops detectable.

The taste has a pleasing smoke mixed with a healthy dose of toasted malt. Kind of tastes like an amber with a little smoke added. Some toffee and caramel. A slight tartness on the tip of the tongue along with a moderate bitterness finishing slightly sticky. Mouthfeel terrible though being extremely thin and watery.

Overall, an ok rauchbier but far from the top in the style. I would drink it again, though, purely for the ease of accessibility and lack of rauchbiers on the market.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 00:12:52 | More by rangerred

divineaudio

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

pint glass

a - pours amber in color with a thin cap of tan head. after calming i get a thin film and a few thin legs of lacing here and there.

s - molasses, campfire, dark fruits.

t - carmel malt with a bit of char and an odd, tangy sort of bitterness that lingers for quite a while. not entirely sure what's going on here.

m - heavier side of medium, adequate carbonation, finer co2 profile.

o - pretty good beer, but there are much better examples of the style that are easy enough to come by. wouldn't turn it down if someone offered me one though.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 05:14:36 | More by divineaudio

CuteZombieDoll

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Coppery red hue, not the best head formation

S- Smells like malt with a touch of smoke, very lovely but hard to really describe.

T- Malty and lightly sweet to start, followed by a smokey, bacon-like quality.

M- Full bodied, but still refreshing.

O- This is the first rauchbeir I have ever had, but it was a style I longed to try since I like other smokey things, so I can't tell you if it's a good example of it's style. However, it's well balanced, and come on it tastes a little like bacon. Who wouldn't like that? I was always told rauchbeirs were overbearing, so I don't know if they toned down the smoke, or if it's simply that I like smokey things.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 02:05:30 | More by CuteZombieDoll

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a rich, dark amber color. A finger of dark off-white head adorns and dissipates to a nice foamy ring.

The aroma isn't huge an in your face, but what's there is quite pleasant. There's an initial smoky, woody aroma, with a fairly rich, sweet caramel. There's also some faint chocolate notes that were unexpected, but not unwelcomed.

The taste has a pretty upfront caramel maltiness, with some touches of woody smoke. It's balanced pretty nicely by some bittering hops.

It's fairly light bodied, easy to consume.

I went into this thinking it was going to be meh, but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's not a very in your face rauchbier, but it's a well put together beer and tasty, despite being on the mild side for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 23:52:46 | More by EgadBananas

SLeffler27

New York

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy light copper with a slight head and no lacing.

Light woody smoke with hints of citrus hops. This is pleasant, however, there is little stimulant.

There is not much going on as the flavors follow the nose. While not significant, bitterness is the primary player. Malts are reserved to a wheat bread found in a long finish.

Z Lager has a medium body with no alcohol. It has light carbonation and is on the drier side.

A fine beer that could be sessionable, however, it lacks inspiration.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 02:44:17 | More by SLeffler27

FungusBrewer

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Delicate. Not complicated. But Delicate. Normally I'm used to being inundated with an overpowering campfire taste in Rauchbier's. Fort Collins does it right with imparting a very slight (albeit noticeable) smoke flavor and aroma. Hops are almost non-existent, but it tastes right. Why roast a grapefruit anyway? You get a little bit of sweetness from the malt, but again, nothing dominating. My only gripe is it tastes so light, giving it a watery mouth-feel.

I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 02:50:28 | More by FungusBrewer

Mitchster

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

$16.99 for a mixed 12 pack. Newly available to our area. 30 IBU's per the website, 5.4% ABV. No ingredients listed other than beechwood smoked malt.

Pours out to a sparingly clear amber, forming a modest light yellow head with good retention and adequate lacing. Slightly less than moderate carbonation. The aroma when first cracked is overwhelmingly biscuit malt, smelling like a dead ringer for fat tire, however it is followed by a touch of caramelized malt. I know and love rauchbiers and I am not picking up on any smoke whatsoever. The mouthfeel is smooth with a medium body, fuller than one might expect from a 5.4% ABV lager. There is a husky graininess akin to GLBC Eliot Ness Vienna Lager. This tastes very similar to it. Again, I'm not getting any smoke in the taste either. Bitterness is herbal and medium in intensity, nicely balanced, with little to no hop or flavor.

This is a really nice easy to drink everyday amber lager. I certainly would not call it a rauchbier by any stretch of the imagination, but I would buy it again. Seeing as how it's a nice blend between two of my favorite beers (Eliot Ness and Fat Tire), this is a nice addition to our distribution.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 06:51:25 | More by Mitchster

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

one of the better fort collins brews. has a fantastic nose of smoked malt and dried pitted fruit. described as a lager, there is nothing lager about what i taste here. smokey like a grill fire, slightly sweet like caramelized malts, and quite refreshing despite its heavy flavors. this beer is in excellent balance and the mouthfeel is just right. fuller bodied for a lager, and well carbonated. i could easily down a sixpack of these in a session any time of year. not as smokey as some of the traditional rauchbiers, but in that vein. this is great

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 19:41:50 | More by StonedTrippin

litheum94

California

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bronze body, clear, with a very scant, tannish head. Leaves a ghost of a covering.

Sweet, smokey aromas, very peaty, and reminds me of hickory. Roasted almonds and some caramel.

Sweet hickory firewood taste. Nutty malts provide a backbone. Some caramel sweetness and another touch of smoke on the finish. There is a lingering sweetness that coats the mouth like sugar. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy.

Very interesting smoked beer. I like the flavors, but the lingering sweetness gets a little sickly after a couple glasses. Still, this is easily the best beer I've had from this brewery so far.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 04:55:39 | More by litheum94

Dmart1223

Colorado

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Definitely an interesting beer.

Z pours a dark cherry amber with a thin almond head that fades to a dusting. Very cool color for an amber. It smells like toasted malts, and a little bit like sawdust, but in a good way.

The taste kind of threw me for a loop though. On one hand it has this rich smokiness that I'd expect out of an ale, but it finishes smooth like a lager. There's not a lot of mouth feel, but the flavor is unique. It finishes with more of that smoke and a dash of charry hops.

I can't tell what to think about this beer. Is it an ale? Is it a lager? Do I even like it? I'm not really sure, but it's definitely worth a try. I might not buy it for myself, but I wouldn't turn it away if someone offered it to me.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 05:04:10 | More by Dmart1223

setexascustoms

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I got this as an extra in a trade with Exiled. Thanks bud!

A: Deep crystal clear amber with some reddish highlights. Minimal head with some lacing present.

S: Clean grainy malts with a slight smokiness.

T: Caramel malts with a slight hop twang for balance and subdued smoke.

M: Light bodied and thin, some what watery, but with nice carbonation.

O: Glad I got to try it. There are no off flavors and I did enjoy it, but it's not something I'd seek out. I may be in the minority here, but I wish a lot of the rauchbiers I've tried featured the smoke more as a main character, rather than an extra. Maybe all the smoked Texas barbecue I grew up with has desensitized me.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:58:01 | More by setexascustoms

tdm168

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale amber with 1/4" of loose head that quickly fades. Smells of caramel malt, lager yeast, and faint wood fire. The taste is earthy with some obvious wood fire characteristics. There's a faint caramel flavor in the finish and just enough hops to add a balanced bitterness. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, crisp, and well carbonated.

This is very drinkable and would make a nice cold weather beer. Overall, though the flavor is mild and not very complex.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 22:53:10 | More by tdm168

kaseydad

California

4.05/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark tinted amber/copper colored ale with an off-white foamy head that stays pretty well throughout the session. Funky aroma. I am getting smacked in the nostrils with some smoked meat which is making me hungry. Meaty and campfire smoke abounds. There are some green olives and malt in there too. I think it's great! More smokiness on the taste and there is still some meat along with slight coffee and roastiness. Slight band-aid aftertaste which is a little putting-off. Overall I enjoyed my experience with this beer. I wouldn't say it is one of the greatest, but it has a lot going on and I enjoyed the session.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 18:46:29 | More by kaseydad

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark golden amber color with orange hues and a one finger white head that quickly settles into a thin lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

Toasted malt aroma that is only faintly smokey with hints of sweet malt and wintry spices. Very subtle smoke character with hints of charcoal, caramel and biscuit.

Medium bodied with a prominent spice character up front that takes away from what little smokiness is underneath. Hints of cinnamon and brown sugar along with faint bitter hops that are slowly countered by a sweet malt backbone. Very faint smokiness but it is completely overpowered by the other characteristics. Lots of sweet caramel along with some biscuit and toffee. As it warms the smokey elements become more evident but are still considerably weak.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 08:28:18 | More by corby112

flexabull

California

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright copper color with a thin white head, a little lacing.

Aromas are nice, distinct caramel, sweet grains, and hints of smoke.

Taste is more smoky than the nose suggests. Light caramel sweetness, cereal grain, with brewed tea notes, and light creamy sweetness. Finish is has a nice crispness, with solid undertones of smoky wood. Nice balanced flavors.

Mouthfeel is nice and full, with good carbonation.

Overall a very solid smoked lager. This is well worth trying if you are a smoked beer fan.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 19:06:43 | More by flexabull

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.18/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The sweet-smoky interplay of caramelized malts, toast and bread provide a firm background for the decoration of savory smoke for a tasty lager that begs for barbecue.

The medium amber-copper beer shows bright clarity while building a dense froath of lightly tanned foam while leaving broken patterns of lace behind. A very classy look.

Dense malty aromas are chocked full of caramel, bread crust, medium toast, and overall elegant malt profile. But the overriding smoke character is unmistakable. Showing a lot of restraint, the smoke character offers complexity to the nose but not without allowing the subtle malt aromas to pronounce.

The grainy sweet flavors of sun dried barley, mild toast or the crust of freshly baked breads blend with caramel sweetness decorated by notes of light toffee- malty rich indeed. Low in hop character, the smoke character seems to bring about a more savory and meaty flavor from the malt sweetness and leaves a lingering impression of smoke, grain, and caramel on the mouth. The clean lager could use more malty flavor and less grain to win me over.

Medium-light on creaminess, the beer allows grainy textures to impeed the mouthfeel as well, but only in low intensity. Releasing the early creamy flavors and foregoing the grainy feel, the beer finish malty-dry with a slight linger of sweet smokiness and light alcohol warmth.

A very nice smoked lager that's about as formitable as Negra Modelo except with a balance of smoke aroma and flavor that's careful not to dominate the brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 04:32:24 | More by BEERchitect

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark amber in appearance, no cloudiness at all, single finger cream-colored sticky head, nice lacing. A bit too thin in body, smells of mild bacon-ey smoke with a medium strong malt underneath, and tastes exactly the same as the nose, only with a heavy emphasis on the sweet malt. Did I mention that the smoke is really mild for a Rauchbier? This seems like its meant to be an intro to the style for those unfamiliar with it... Nice and mild, but not what I want when I seek out a rauchbier.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 02:25:17 | More by WastingFreetime

FarmerTed

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep amber in color. It has a nice malty taste, almost chocolatey, and has a mild, smoky finish. If I didn't know it used smoked malt, I probably wouldn't be able to tell from the taste alone. It's pretty subtle to me, but very nice.

Overall, it tasted really good. I would drink this again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 00:28:10 | More by FarmerTed

UCLABrewN84

California

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Part of the Brewer's Lunchbox mixed pack.

Pours a clear dark copper orange with a 1 inch off-white head that settles to a thin film. Small dots and streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of roasted malt and some smoke/campfire aromas. Taste is of roasted malt, smoke flavors, and a coffee grounds aftertaste. Mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. Good carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good American take on a rauchbier style that is much more mild than any of the others I have tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 00:15:58 | More by UCLABrewN84