Many thanks to beastiefan2k for gifting this bottle to me (you rock, Eugene!) - clear reddish copper pour, with a short-lived head - very intensely smokey aroma, with charred hickory and various other woody notes (it smells like the embers left from a campfire when you crawl out of your tent in the morning), and some suprisingly tart, musty, earth smells - 10.2% alcohol? - if it is, it is well-hidden, because this stuff is smoooooth - not as much smoke flavor as the aroma suggests, but it’s still nice and strong - mild caramel sweetness - some light toffee as well, with touches of roasted nuts - the smoke really keeps the malt sweetness in check - a hint of alcohol swells up near the finish, but it mingles with a subtle spicy character that makes the slight burn warming and welcome - quite an interesting brew.

Spring 2006 bottle from Crosling, drunk on 2/25/07, thanks Nick!
Lovely, light-garnet with light auburn and darker mahogany hues as well. Beige head forms quite small, despite a vigorous pour, but is retained nearly perfectly throughout the entire glass. Light to moderate lacing is left behind in small patches with a fair amount of carbonation in the liquid and high clarity, leaving some moderate sediment in the bottle.
Plenty of melanoidins show a true bock-like character, with just a touch of grainy roast giving the hint of singed wood. Boisterous strawberries, raspberries and light melon notes combine with sweet medium malts and pale malts to give a bit of toffee-caramel and lots of sweet cream aromas. Moderately acidic, punchy yeast character on the finish is very authentic and still characterful after almost 8 months in the bottle. No alcohol or other flaws perceivable. Fairly high strength of aroma.
Fruitiness and very sweet malts are the mainstay in the flavor, adding lots of fruity tartness and moderate acidic character on the finish. But the moderately-heavy, sweet malts balance soaking up most of the acid. A bit mushy at this point, but the gentle, low carbonation makes it seem borderline creamy. Cinnamon, vanilla and some spicy hop bitterness all are layered atop a light breadiness. With every sip, vanilla cream-like malt sweetness mixes with very bright fruit flavors to give an enticing (though tending sweet) balanced flavor. Nice and drinkable if you’re in the mood for something on the hearty side. No alcohol perceived in flavor, no flaws. Body could stand to be a touch more crisp/dry.

Came home with a package waiting for me from Beer&Blues2. Didnt even put it in a fridge and popped it open with dinner (turkey sausage & eggplant ziti, by the way). Pours with a small head that quickly fades. Body is dark brown, nicely clear but dark enough that you can’t see through it. Aroma is strong smoke, just how I like it. Nice sweetness to it, a strong sweet smoke beer, pretty much what I was hoping for. Taste is similarly heavy smoke and sweetness. Medium body with a short medium bitter kick at the end. Finishes clean with s sweet smokeyness. This beer was just what I was hoping for and I got it. Mouthfeel is slightly undercarbonated which fits perfectly with the what the beer is going for.

Bottle pours a clear and very deep mahogany with a nice creamy tan head. Nice sheets of lacing. Aroma is a dark roast, slightly sour porter like, but with the more smokey, almost beefy notes as well. Flavor is similar, but not so pronounced smokey as the aroma suggested. Late papery flavor and a very thin feel. Slight woody bitterness at the end. Soft carbonation and interesting decent over all. Thanks to Kenb for the trade.

Bottled
Hazy dark ruby color, small tan head. Chocolaty aroma in the roasted malty nose. Roasted, lots of milk chocolate and cocoa in the flavor. Coffee in the aftertaste. This is more like porter made with lager-yeast than a schwarzbier. Tasty.

Bottled, thanks heemer77. Very dark amber colour (close to black). Strong chocolate, coffee and hay in aroma. Flavour is strong old coffee, with hints of chocolate and roast. Also some fruitish hoppy bitterness noteable. Quite full-bodied for being only 4.1%. Aftertaste is dominated by old coffee as well as dark chocolate. Lovely. The only minus is that the palate is a bit watery,,,

Almost black with a glow of garnet where it lies thin in a tipped glass. Sweet malty aroma, toasted nuts and smoke. Roasty & smoky but the sweet malt underneath keeps this from ever becoming bitter. Plenty of body.

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.