New Glarus Unplugged Smoke on the Porter
Smoke on the Porter began with our neighbors at Hoesly’s Meats. Their smoke house aromas waft through our door creating a special kind of decadence that must be shared. Wisconsin barleys were generously cold smoked with apple wood by the Hoesly family. Brewmaster Dan then harnesses dark malts smoked in Bamberg to create a team that steps out as a creamy smooth black brew that will forever linger in your mind as Smoke on the Porter.
3.8
393 reviews
New Glarus, United States
Community reviews
Out of the bottle, poured dark black with a large tan head. I got notes of bonfire smoke, smoked bacon, dark chocolate, espresso. Repeats of these roasted malt notes on the palate, along with black liquorice, black tea and tobacco/cigar. Lingering malt bitterness/ashiness on the palate. Did not perceive hops or esters. Overall a pleasant smoked porter with a long finish that would do well with salty cheese, or charred/smoked proteins (perhaps a chargrilled burger topped with bacon and aged cheddar!).
From Bushel and Peck. Wonderful stuff, both robust and restorative. Some smoke but not like drinking a campfire. Smooth and slick mouth feel. Serving: Bottle
12oz bottle shared. Dark black pour. Aroma is nice smoke, some bandaid. Taste is money, beef jerky. This is pretty good.
Bottle shared by Tom - thanks! Rich dense dark pour with a soapy head. Some band aid on aroma - too bad. Taste doesn’t suffer - mild beer jerkey. Solid.
12 oz 2016 thumbprint. Black thin khaki head. Aroma is smoke. Flavor is smoked malt. Slight chocolate. Band aid flavor on the finish.
12 ounce bottle from Badger Spirits in Janesville, WI (July 2016), served at cellar temperature in a New Glarus Glass. Not-quite-opaque black body topped by a very creamy taupe head, slowly diminishing...light to moderate smokiness in the nose, mostly typical porter dark roasted malts; I know porters are pretty popular to hit with the smoker, but this is not the first time I’ve thought that the Germans have had it right all along - smoking lagers gives you a stronger smoky intensity just about every time; if you’re using smoked malt in something that already has a lot of roastiness and sometimes comes off as smoky, what’s the point? anyway it’s a nice nose, but it’s got nothing on Schlenkerla that’s for sure...on the tongue, it’s a bit more distinctive I think, with a lovely velvety semi-sweet initial flavor, lots of sweet caramelized malts here, giving way slowly but implacably to an almost overwhelming finishing bitterness and burnt character that verges on harshness...the full body and soft mouthfeel and low-to-moderate carbonation are well-judged, and this ends up a pretty impressive experience after all, even if it’s not going to displace any of my favorite smoked lagers anytime soon...
Bottle:
Black with a small, dark tan head.
Smoke, chocolate, tobacco scent.
Sweet, smoky chocolate malt, roast...the applewood comes through nicely....
A little sweet and on the light side, but still, a pretty stellar smoked offering.
Shared 12 oz. bottle poured to snifters showing a black/brown hue, a modest layer of tan head foam, and dots & dashes of lacing. The nose was roasted, mocha notes, smoke & char, with a hint that may have been meaty, but came off to me as fabric Band-Aid. Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation, the taste was as the aroma, less the tape, but not the presentable smoke & char. Mellow roasted & earthy bitterness, without a typical tannic astringency. A decent Smoked brew.
RBSG 2016 shared at the Grand Tasting after-party in the hotel lobby. Bottle. Dark amber brown. Moderate meaty smoke, brown bread crusts, excellent balance.
Smoked flavours, dark, toasted malts, coffee. Hazy, dark brown, small, creamy, off-white head. Light bitter. More toasted, dark malts, cacao, coffee, soft carbonation. Very nice Smoked, well-balanced. Keg at The Old Fashioned, Madison, WI.
[Bottle] Pours dark brown with a very small head. Aroma is rounded smokiness and subtle anise. Restrained and simple, but nice. Taste is balanced between smoked barley, light hops, and a faint sweetness that I can’t quite peg. Medium-thin, but smooth and has a long finish. Overall, smoked beers can get overpowering pretty quickly, and aren’t always my favorite. However, this one has great balance and Is probably one of the best smoked beers I’ve ever had.
Purchased at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; enjoyed at a vacation home for a family reunion in Lake Delavan, WI. Appearance is pitch black with a rich dark tan head. Aroma of smoked malt and chocolate, smells pretty good. Taste is very good, reminds me of Schlenkerla, rich in smoke and not heavy, light chocolate profile. I like this very much.
Pours a dark, cola-black, with minimal head. Aroma is dominated by smoke, but there are roasted grains apparent as well. Flavor also a good amount of coffee, chocolate, some leather, roasted grain, etc. Pretty good and would probably go well with meat and cheese.
355ml bottle. An old one revived. This is the new version obviously. IT is rich and meaty a bit funky like say a schlenkerla but with a big chocoalte note as well. Good stuff.
12 oz. bottle purchased at the brewery on 7-19-16. Bottle doesn’t say Unplugged, just Smoke on the Porter. The UPC barcode was correct, so I’m assuming this is the correct beer. Poured black, tan head. Aroma was smoky, dark roast coffee, roasted malts. Taste was sweeter, dry, bitter chocolates, roasted malts. Nice.
12oz bottle. Thumbprint 2016 version. Deep brown-black body. Thin, steady beige head. Creamy, luscious, deep malt tones. Pleasant thick smoky tones, sweet bready brown chocolate malts. Easy drinking, though approaching full bodied. Fresh, delicious, really well done.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with small tan head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is strong smoke, roast, chocolate. Medium mouth, similar flavors to nose, light smoke, sugary malt, easy to drink, really good.
12 oz. bottle shared by shigadeyo- thanks, Craig! He said it was a 2007 vintage. It pours a hazy, deep cola brown with a few bubbles on the surface and some wispy film. It has an initial smoky and rubbery character, with dark chocolate, burnt sugar, earth, and some ashy notes in the back. Light-bodied, with low carbonation and a flat, smoky, smooth mouthfeel. Certainly has thinned over the years and isn’t as sharp as it once would’ve been, but it’s not bad.
12oz bottle, thanks to shigadeyo for sharing. 2007 bottle, apparently. Mostly clear brown color. Very little off-white head. Smoke, a bit of rubber in the nose. Wow, actually a nice bit of dark chocolate in the flavor, nice mild dark fruit, good bigger-porter type flavor. Moderate sweet taste, moderate bitter. Very light carbonation, but honestly I don’t mind it at all. Good bit of chewiness to the texture, medium to bigger body. Tasty stuff. Nice big milk chocolate on the finish.
Bottle in Vail. Thanks to adnielsen for sharing. Pours an deep brown color with white head. Smoke, wood, roasty, slight milk aromas. Nice smoke flavor.
Refrigerated 12 oz. brown bottle poured into a sample glass. Pours dark brown with off-white head. Taste is smoke, roasty, with some hops. Pretty good.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with no head. Aroma is smoky and roasty. Lots of smoke coming through. Warming on the throat.
Bottle from - shrug? - Breeze Thru is the guess, cellared since Feb ’11 according to my notes. Pours a quite dark black/brown with some reddish tints and an offbrown head leaving some drippy lacing. Aroma has smoke, and also chocolate and licorice and roasted malt. Taste is of salty meat smoke, sweet chocolate and roasted malts. Nicely balanced between the "smoke" component and the "porter" component. My memory of this fresh two years ago was more smoke-y and not as much porter-y, but that is anecdotal. This is quite yummy. Medium to full bodied. Could be more chocolate/roasty rich, in my opinion, but that angle perhaps would kill the smoke. Finishes slightly bittersweet, and a touch smokey. This is a nice one. Hope Dan brings it back at some point.
Bottle. Finally. Deep brown with a hint of red. Thin tan head. Still has a good nose of salty smoke and bacon. Some background elements of cocoa roasted malt and faint dark fruit. Flavor is even roasted malt/cocoa powder, mild smoke, charcoal, a tinge of plastic at the end. Mostly residual roasted malt/charcoal. Thinner than anticipated. This has withstood some age. Quality in, quality out. Re-rate: 2016 version. Light ashy charcoal and light roast cocoa character. +1
Big thanks to CaptainCougar for this beer. Served in a mini snifter. Pours a dark brown color with a good head. The nose has a moderate amount of smoke alongside some roast and a very light fruit component. Flavor is smokey and roasty. Nice and integrated. Medium body with good carbonation and a lingering smokiness. Not surprisingly, a German take on a beer that was done well by New Glarus.
Clear brown with a small head. Lactic chocolate with hints of toffee and caramel. Marshmallow and butterscotch in the finish. Not bad at all.
355mL thanks to CaptainCougar. Pours a clear a very deep ruby with rich beige foam. Rich smoky nose. Sausage, steak, peat, fat. Thicker lacing. Taste is lighter, tangy, savory smoke, lemon tea, mild cocoa. Palate is light and aerated. Lemon acid. Refreshing.
I’ve been saving this for some time, and wow, it was delicious. Pours a rich dark brown with a reasonably generous head. Delicious smoke in the aroma, with notes of chocolate and just a hint of salami. Smooth and porter-thin body, with a wonderful smoke resonance. It didn’t really improve as it warmed, though, interestingly. Easy drinking. Excellent beer, all around. Bottle.
Pours a deep black with thin off white head. aroma of smoke and chocolate. flavor is spot on for this style. Perfect.
Courtesy of northernbrews
Bottle: The aroma consists of smoked meat and a touch of chocolate. It pours a dark brown with a small beige head. The flavor starts with chocolate and caramel. The finish has moderate smoke and faint roast. Light-medium bodied with mild carbonation.