Jack's Abby Smoke & Dagger
Cloaked in mystery, this dark black beer skirts the line between a schwarzbier and smoked porter. The use of a small percentage of traditional Beechwood smoked malt adds complexity and balances the liberal use of chocolate malt. Notes of roasted grains, beechwood smoke and coffee accompany a full bodied and sweet chocolatey malt character. Smoke & Dagger uses locally sourced ingredients. OG 14.5 Plato
3.6
290 reviews
Framingham, United States
Community reviews
Deep brown-black pour with a thin tan head. The aroma is lovely. Smoke, cocoa and light chocolate. Medium bodied, some soft sweetness and a touch of earthiness. Rich and well-balanced. Intensely flavored. Pretty tasty.
Pours dark brown, clear blackish with decent mocha head. Aroma smoked bacon indeed. Taste a good balance of smoked malts, nice, bitter hops, coffee roast and some licorice. Some rather tasty lactose-like sweetness underneath adding some creamyness too. Very nice for a 5,6 abv lager.
On tap at Jack’s Abby, pours a deep dark brown with a reddish tinge and a small beige head. Aroma brings out light smoke, with just a feint touch of peat. Flavour follows accordingly, with pleasant peaty smoke, German lager yeast sweetness and a touch of bready caramel. Nicely balanced with plenty of depth. Really good.
Pours black with a full, off white head. Aroma is heavy smoke and light caramel. Taste is light caramel, moving to heavy smoke and rich roast malt. Finish carries the smoke. A good smoked beer.
12 ounce can. Mahogany brown color. Small creamy beige head. Light roasted malt nose hints at smoke and dark coffee. Flavor is light roast malt, smoke and toffee. Hints of cocoa and brown sugar. Lots of sweet malt and smoke throughout with a smooth creamy mouthfeel. Quite good.
Tap at Jack's Abby, Framingham. Colour is clear dark brown with very small white head. Aromas and flavors: Smoke, bread, sone chocolate and malts. Bready gently smoked good brew.
In tap at Hops and Pie poured a clear reddish brown with a lasting tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, smoke, bakers cocoa and light coffee. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a smooth dry finish. Flavors of roasted malt, bakers cocoa and light smoke with a smooth dry lingering roasty cocoa finish.
Smoked flavours, bacon, savoury, sweet, dark malts, dusty straw. Hazy, dark brown, small, creamy, beige head. Light sweet. More, sweet, dark malts, light chocolate, subtle smoked flavours, bacon, lightly, sweet, coffee, soft carbonation, medium bodied. Nice Smoked, rich in aroma, well-balanced. Keg at Milk & Hops, Astor Place.
Great looking beer dark black with a long lasting layer of head. Roasty toasty and malty. Chocolate and coffee notes. Extremely smooth. A dark drinkable lager. Very high drinkability on this one.
Night black pour from Station Taphouse. Off white lines the glass. A smooth and subtle smoked with some sweet malt and cream.
12-ounce bottle pours dark brown with ruby highlights and a rich, creamy tan whipped cream head and lacing. Aroma: caramelized brown sugar, nuts, dark bread burnt toast. Flavor: all the above, plus chocolate, coffee, campfire marshmallows. Mouthfeel: light- to medium-bodied. Refined, tasty, drinkable.
Draft at Mooney’s. Dark brown, small skin of head.Aroma is campfire and ashtray, some minor sweet malt. Taste brings in some chocolate, more sweetness, the smoke fades to the background. A nice porter with some smoky accents.
Bottle at home. Very dark brown with a small tan head. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Nice bitterness with subtle sweet tones. Roasted malts, smoke, caramel and coffee. Tasty.
And for our 40th style in 110 beers or so, we have the venerable Smoke and Dagger from local favorite Jack’s Abby. This pours a thick dark black with a thin head and has a nice roasty smoky coffee woodchip smell. The taste is intensely smoky and malty kind’ve like drinking coffee filtered through mesquite chips. My better half decries this as "garbage water" and actually dry heaved after sipping this so your mileage may vary, but if you are on the wave, this is a good beer. Good for putting out the sauces for your big passover shindig.
Just a hint of smokiness that lets the flavors of chocolate and coffee come through.
while sipping
Pours an opaque brown with a foamy light brown head the leaves lacing. Nose is smoke. Body is medium light. Taste is smoke, roasted malt, with slight dark chocolate with a faint sweetness. Slight bitternes in aftertaste. 12 oz can in a 12 bottle variety pack More Cans!
From bottle it’s deep, lightly hazed brown with a short head.
Aroma impression is black malt, roast, leathery coffee, touches of match stick, with strong diacetyl giving it a buttery burnt milk quality... and because the smoked malt is mild and seems eclipsed by the roast, the diacetyl actually lends it a Czech Tvame resemblance. Medium-light bodied and lightly sweet with balanced bitterness. Carbonation is supple and fine and the body slender, velvet-like and creamy, but lacks malt depth. I had a better experience from tap but still found it basic overall and a little watery-thin in texture.
12 oz single bottle from Molly’s Spirits. Black appearance with a nice tan head and light lacing. Aroma of roasted grain, light smoke, chocolate malt and coffee. Similar flavor, rich, dark and mildly sweet with a light roasted bitterness and a light smoky finish. Light to medium body with a slight watery feel and soft carbonation. A nice lager overall.
12oz bottle. Poured a dark brown color with an off white head. Smokey, chocolate, and some roastiness.
Bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is dark brown to black. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, coffee, unsweetened chocolate), lightly hoppy (herbs), with notes of smoke, minerals. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation.
Quite a nice brewski...the aroma isn’t super complex, but it’s very clean and enticing...great roastiness, with nice smoke in the background. A bit watery, but nicely balanced for quaffing enjoyment!
On draft at the Jack’s Abby Beer Hall. It is axdEk brownish black color with an ecru head.the aroma is fig and the taste is strong smokey tobacco. And had a smooth finish
On draft at the Jack’s Abby Beer Hall. Pours a clear cola with an ecru head. Light smoky aroma. Flavors of leather and tobacco. Smooth, smoky finish.
Nitro. Pours black, light at the bottom that is nearly transparent, with thick light tan head. A faint wasted down roasted malt and chocolate aroma. A watered down taste of chocolate, roasted malts, grains, and hint of smokiness. A tame aftertaste of malts.
Draught. Low fluffy white lasting head. Very dark red brown body. Mildly smoked roasted malt caramel aroma. Sweet roasted malt caramel flavor with little hops bitterness, low carbonation and a short finish.
Good aromas of malt and some hops. Pours black with a tan head. Light lacing. Nice flavors of hops and yeast. Dry layer like. Heavy carbonation. Lots of burps. Nice.
Bottle. Smoky aroma with notes of chocolate, coffee and roast. Pours black with about one finger of light brown head that has decent retention and lacing. Starts with good flavors of roast, coffee and chocolate as well as a rich full body. Finishes smooth with a good amount of smoke to go with the roast that lingers on the palate nicely. Excellent black beer.
Deep cola brown under a thin light tan head. Big German smoked malt aroma that has a nice little black pepper and meaty quality about it, and a light grassy hop. Crisp and cracker-grainy flavor that’s gentle on the smoke and very gentle meatiness, has a touch of black pepper, and a smooth dark malty lagered finish. Pretty tasty and smooth and refined.
on tap at City Tap House in University City - nice dark brown color. Sweet and smoky flavor and aroma.
at Mel’s Craft Beer and Dinner - Vienna . Pours black, no head. smell is bit smoked, but not extreme . taste is rather bittter, some dark malts. smoke is very mild. balanced in a complex whole. ok body and carbo. not bad
0,355l from bottle at Mels Diner. black colour, almost no head. smells of spices, earthy, light smoke, light caramel. nice smell. medium body, soft carbonation, sick mouthfeel. tastes earthy, some smoke, smoked sausage, spices, light caramel, light licorice. finishes lightly earthy bitter with notes of spices and licorice notes. nice one.