Bottle from Liquor Mart, drunk on 9/30/2005. There were two different batches (or at least two different labels) at the store, my bottle did not look like the one at the left.

Pours a ruddy-amber-caramel color with some deep strawberry red tones. Full head is well-retained and light beige colored. Little to no lacing, quite a bit of carbonation. Aroma of bready vienna-like malts, but more prominent is the burnt, or, end-of-the-pot coffee notes. Sweet toffee/caramel, traces of lager yeast biproduct and a touch of bacon doused in maple. Flavor starts out with a roasty/toasty sort of thing, very bready, moderately acidic and quite dry. Sweetening some towards the end, with the light charred flavor, sugary malt and caramel. The mouthfeel does not make for a cohesive flavor experience, way too much sharp carbonation, which, when coupled with an overly bready flavor and moderate acidity makes for a difficult drink. I guess I’m spoiled from the Schlenkerlas being bottle conditioned, but this mouthfeel just really kills it. I don’t expect the smoke to be the same as Schlenkerla, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for it to have less breadiness and sharp carbonation. Body is medium, gets a bit too simple as it warms, with sweet, sugary, caramel and light burnt coffee notes.