Session #26: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale

This edition of The Session is sponsored Lew Bryson at Seen Through a Glass.

Announcing Session #26: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

There may be more smoked beers than are dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio; it’s not just rauchbier lagers from Franconia. Within the last year, I’ve had a strange smoked wheat beer, light and tart, that local brewers insisted was a re-creation of a Polish grodziski beer; a lichtenhainer, another light smoked wheat beer; several smoked porters; the odd Schlenkerla unsmoked helles that tastes pretty damned smokey; and, yeah, several types of smoked lagers. You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.

Smoked beer. Not my favorite. Smoked anything generally doesn’t make it onto my hit parade. What the hell? How bad could it be?

I hied myself over to my favorite beer retailer. There’s the Stone Smoked Porter. Ron’s doing that one, so I’ll skip it. Rogue has one. In a bomber, though. Do I want to make that kind of commitment?

Ah, here we go: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale. “An Intriguing Dark Ale with a Touch of Smokiness”. Sounds like just the thing.

7.5% ABV. Sounds like the kind of thing one should enjoy sitting next to a fire.

It’s brown; the color of coffee, with a tan, craggy head. I get maltiness and maybe just a hint of smoke in the aroma. Malty, nutty, and just a trace of smoke in the flavor. Moderate bitterness in the finish I think this would go well with a nice sharp cheese. (I think I have some cheddar in the house. Off to search.)

It’s not something I think I’d make my regular, but it’s not too bad.

This is also Beer-a-Day #93.

Weyerbacher Fireside Ale