Samuel Adams Bonfire Rauchbier

Samuel Adams Bonfire Rauchbier

Bold, smoky character with a smooth malty finish.


The first thing one notices about a Samuel Adams® Bonfire Rauchbier is the deep smoky flavor which is balanced by a blend of malts that provide hints of caramel & toffee sweetness.
3.3
228 reviews
Boston, United States

Community reviews

3.3 The beer is burnt orange with a small, off white head. The aroma is of smoke, malt, light peat, sweetness. Decent flavor. Smoke is there, but sweet malt overtakes it. This is a decent brew, but not on the same level as Aecht Schlenkerla’s masterpieces. Worth a try. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-23-2011
3.3 Sampled at SBWF11 Clear copper colour. Smoke and leather in both aroma and flavour. Slightly stale mouthfeel.
3.3 Bottle. Pours medium amber with a small off-white head. Aroma was smoky & earthy with notes of caramel. Flavor was slightly sweet with caramel, smoke, earth and had a hint of toffee.
3.3 (12oz bottle) clear medium amber, ring and sparse white bubbles. Nose of campfire, yams, caramel, cinnamon. Taste of sweet potato, smoke, caramel, spices. Nice beer in the smoke category.
2.5 Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival 2011. Clear amber beer with a minimal head. Malty, smokey, woody aroma with some caramell notes. Simliar flavour.
3.3 Pours a soft orange with a thick tan head. Very nice aroma strong smoked notes, biscuit malts and residual sweetness. Flavor is a little lacking for me. Personally I like a LOT of smoke in my rauch’s and the flavor doesn’t match the aroma in my opinion. That being said it is still a flavorful light bodied beer that is perfect for a night around the campfire. Over the years I am finding less Sam adam’s beer that I enjoy but this is one that I still appreciate.
3.0 Taken from old notes. Smokey, malty nose. Taste is the same. Thin mouthfeel with a smokey finish.
3.1 Great fall tailgating beer. Loved the smokey/woodsey scent and taste. it would be nice to purchase a six of that instead of 3 in a sampler
3.3 Pours an opaque orange, with light tan head. Aroma of malt. Taste of smoke and malt. Fairly complex, drinkable, and smooth. Thumbs up.
3.1 From notes: Poured clear amber with a small, white head. Aroma was smoky with mild earthy undertones. Medium-bodied with a moderately long finish. Flavor of wood smoke with a mild malt sweetness beneath. The smoke was notably milder than the German offerings (Aecht Schlenkerla), but that allowed more of the malt to show through. Didn’t like it as much as the more traditional versions of the style, but still a good showing and a decent intro for those who may not be familliar with the style.
3.7 A style that I am still trying to wrap my head around after trying a few traditional bamburg offerings. Had this one with some smoked sausages for authenticity and they went together like peanut butter and grape jelly. I found this to be a little easier on the palate than the other rauchbiers I’ve had.
2.9 A style I’m trying to familiarize myself with and really can’t drink a whole bottle quite yet. I do enjoy the first half and then after that it is too overwhelming for me. Dark orange almost brown pour, nice head. Aroma of smoke is dominant. Flavor is smokey with a bit of sweetness to round it out.
2.1 Brief write up; from Fall 2011 notes. Wasn’t at all impressed with this one; although I’m no fan of smoked beers (or smoked anything), the problem with this one is that it’s too one note with the smokiness; I wanted more of the maltiness to help soften the smoky, woody flavors. Almost like licking a charred log in terms of taste. Thumbs down.
3.1 Bottle BevMo: Aroma is faint with a minimal smell of smokiness while there is no trace of malts or hops. Appeared as a medium brown hue and created a little topping. The flavor was bland with only a taste of malts and smoke carrying this beer through. Boring and bland and nothing worth buying again.
3.0 Bronze color with almost no head. Aromas mainly of caramel malt with faint smoke,sweet on the palate with caramel flavors and a tinge of fruit,the smoke is subdued and relegated to a minor role.
3.5 Pours dark brown with a small fizzy white head. Aroma of molasses and smoky beef jerky. Flavor has a lot of porter character, but is just smoky and delicious. Medium body with a very smoky finish. I love rauchbeer.
1.7 This is the worst Sam Adams brew I’ve tried. Overly burnt. Tastes like ash and smoke.
3.4 Twelve ounce bottle from Samuel Adams sampler pack purchased at Western Hills Kroger. Medium to dark amber hue, sweet aroma with slight smokiness, medium tan head that slowly dissapated with good lacing, sweet malty flavor with ample but not overdone smokiness. Nice change of pace beer.
3.3 A dark amber color with an off-white head that leaves a bit of lacing. The flavor has some malt but the smoke is definitely the main part of the flavor, leaving a smoky, bitter aftertaste with a medium body.
4.1 Aroma, Smokey, malty, I really like the balance here, very much like their Scotch Ale, color, nice full bodied dark amber, taste The peak smoke flaovr came through nicely not overpowering balanced by the stong malt profile, esters of Vanillia and tannis, no hop at all, overall, good beer, very close to their Scotch Ale, just not as Malty, I would love to see this in a 6 pack!
3.1 Something different good for the fall. Smoky hazy tasty beer. A nice change will look for it again next fall.
3.1 Poured clear light brown color with an average frothy off-white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate smoke sweet malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium complex sweet smoke flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. My first beer in this style looking foward to my next.
3.1 Alright, maybe I show my ignorance and inexperience, but I can’t imagine how to get that much smoky Flavor in a bottle. I would love to try something like it to compare. No one I know and have talked to likes the smoky flavor, but I would have to say it grows on you. It reminds me of after a hayride or camping. Maybe those places would be good places to drink it. Try it, but be ready to try several at several different times before counting it out.
3.2 Bottle. Pours a reddish brown color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty smoky caramel aroma. Sweetish malty smoky flavor with hints of caramel. Has a fruity weak roasted malty smoky finish.
3.5 Very interesting. Ive had other smoked beers, and this is a good example. Very smokey finish with a sweet kick to start, comes together very nice.
3.1 12 oz. bottle shared at a monthly tasting. Poured to a sampler with a hazed, copper/brown color, modest, off white, bubbles & froth head foam, and dots & dashes of light lacing. The aroma was light smoke, earthiness, soft, toasted malt, and a hint of caramel. The flavor was similar, adding light hop bitterness and soft carbonation in a light to medium body. An okay, basic smoked brew.
3.9 12 oz bottle. Pours a dark red with a medium sized tan head. It has a strong smoke aroma with a roasted aroma and a hint of chocolate and coffee. It has a strong smoke flavor, a lot of malt and nice roasted quality which seems reminiscent of coffee. I love this beer and would really like to drink it again.
3.2 Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is medium brown. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, caramel, nuts), with notes of smoke/ash and dirt. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter, slightly unclean. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Having just returned from Bamberg, I figured this would be an amusing beer at best, but it’s actually not as bad as expected. It’s not especially clean or deep, but it should have been much worse.
3.4 Bottle. Poured a clear dark orange color with an off white head. Smelled of hay, cereal grain, and light smoke. Light to medium bodied with spicy malt and subdued smoke flavors.
3.1 Bottle pours a hazy orange with a minimal white head. Aroma is mostly caramel and toffee malts. Some smoke but not a ton. Taste is a lot more smoke than the aroma leads on. There is plenty of smoke flavor as well as some caramel and toffee malts that help sweeten up this brew, It has a very mild bitter finish. It is rather smooth with light carbonation. Medium body. It’s an okay beer, not particularly my favorite style though.