Surly Smoke Lager
A smoked Baltic Porter. Aged in oak barrels for several months.
3.8
523 reviews
Minneapolis, United States
Community reviews
APPEARANCE- black beauty. Light head, little lacing.
NOSE- great balance of smoke scent. You smell something, but are not sure what it is, then when you recognize it’s smoke, its very light and then there’s no question that it?s smoke.
FLAVOR- starts out lightly smoky, and builds as you continue to sip it, or as it warms up perhaps.
NOTES- definitely best smoke beer I?ve tried.
On tap at CBC15. Dark brown with tan head. Aroma is lightly smoked, coffee, roasted malt, dried fruit adn caramel. Taste is bitter, smoked, ash, tar, chocolate, with a bitter finish.
I’m not a fan of smoke beer but this was pretty good. Bottle, Pours dark brown with tan head. Nose is smoke right up front with some coffee and caramel. Taste is mildly smokey. This would be a good introductory smoke beer.
May 2, 2015. On tap at CBC2015, red session.
Black with a small creamy tan head. Aroma is smoked wood, roasted malts, dark bread, licorice, chocolate, some toffee and coffee notes.
Taste is medium sweet, soft bitter and a soft woody smokiness. Finish is sweet malty and smokey with toffee, dark bread, hints of dark fruits, licorice, light bitter roastiness with hints of toasted wood,
Medium bodied, soft carbonation.
Pours black with a very minimal khaki head. There is a heavy smoky aroma that is complimented with coffee, licorice, chocolate, and hints of alcohol. The taste is focused more on chocolate, with some undertones of and alcohol, smoke, and earthy malts. Aftertaste is light, though it lasts a bit, and is a woody smoke. This one is medium in body, has a texture that feels a bit flat, and has softer carbonation. For a style I usually enjoy, I have to say I’m disappointed. I expected more.
Waxed bomber poured a dark brown hue w/ large tan head. Big smoky aromas. Initial flavor is light sweet w/ a light bitter finish. Tastes are smoked bacon and toast. Full bodied.
Hey look! I haven’t rated "Smoke" yet!
Pours a very deep crimson, without bright lights the sucka looks black. It’s got a tan head that is tight, medium sized and well retained. The lacing is nice. Grate lookin’ bier mydudes!
The aroma is rich and smoky evoking smoked meats for sure, some sorta sweet glazed ham or something. It’s got some nice vanilla and woodiness to it too. Generally speaking it’s real sweet smelling but I think given the sort of woody on smoky nose, that sweetness is a positive thing here.
The flavor is really truly a delicious practice in balance. It’s smoky for sure, it’s quite rich, ashy, and chocolaty. The roasty bitterness and light fruity character are the deviations that are best employed for balance here. As the beer warms both the vanilla like sweetness and wood come more and more forward, but so does some of the roasty bitterness.
So often with smoked beers caution is thrown to the wind in the pursuit of smoked malt goodness... I love beers like that, but I also love this beer for transcending that.
bomber thanks to the Piggly Wiggly shirt wearing AndyReynolds. toast, floral, smoke, soy sauce, coffee, brown, red, tan foam, medium sweetness, full body, sticky, average carbonation,
750ml bottle of 2015 release. Pours a black color with a bit of head. Lots of smokey flavor that overpowers at first. Needs some time to breathe. Nice balance of smoke and hops.
On tap at Surly. Wow, this is great. Really nice and smoky, yet smooth and palatable. Tastes like a delicious complex brew underneath too - just great.
Brown bottle, 750 ml, savoured on September 17 2015; eye: liquorice, opaque, ring of brown head, no lacing; nose: smoke, malt, meaty, caramel; mouth: smoke, malt, meaty, caramel, smoky finale with good malty presence, medium-full body, average carbonation, rather sweet, slick texture; overall: fine
FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 750 ml, échange avec Adam Conway, savourée le 17 septembre 2015; œil : réglisse, opaque, anneau de mousse brune, pas de dentelle; nez : fumé, malt, viandeux, caramel; bouche : fumé, malt, viandeux, caramel, finale fumée avec bonne présence maltée, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation moyen, plutôt sucrée, texture coulante; en résumé : bien
Tap; pours dark brown with a beige head; aroma is malt, dark fruits, smoke, and hints of wood; taste is chocolate, dark fruits, malt, and some smoke, wood, and caramel; finish is dry and smoky with a hint of roasted malt; very good smoked beer
Really nice deep smokiness in the aroma along with some smoked meatiness and heavily caramelized maltiness; Opaque, dark brown color with a thin beige head; sweet, toasted maltiness, tons of smoke and deep smoky maltiness, toasted raisin, licorice, black mission figs, higher alcohol is evident; medium body, smooth and tingly; quite good, deep and flavorful without being too smoky, quite enjoyable.
Pours a dark dark brown with a beige rim that leaves good lacing. Nose is of smoke, umami and roasted malt. Taste is of dark fruits, smoke and a little alcohol. Body is medium, carbonation moderate and I found it to be a little light for a baltic porter (personal preference). Overall a really nice smoked baltic porter, short of world class but not by much!
How: Bottle (750 ml). Shared at Mont-Carmel tasting. Bottle from John, thanks! At least 2 years old.
>>> Complex and super tasty Smoked Baltic Porter that is really well preserved for a 2 + years beer.
- Slightly hazy brown with a medium easy to revive beige head and some lacing.
- Nice mix of meaty smoke, roasted malts and dark fruits.
- The taste also have a nice caramel/molasses sweetness.
- Main flaw of the beer is that the body is a bit thin, especially for a 9.5 % abv beer. It might only be because of age though.
- It held up really well flavor-wise for a 2+ years Smoked. Absolutely no oxidation signs.
Flavors: Meaty smoke, roasted malts, dark fruits, molasses/caramel.
pours unclear dark brown with a very nice reviving light beige cap, nice lacing. dark roasted spiciness, tasty burnt grass, red fruitiness, lots of raisins and other dried sweetened dark fruitiness, buttered pecans, some sweetness - molasses; tasty wood, spices, clean. light carbonation, medium body - oily, semi-sweet and spicy finish. layers of smoke in a complex raisin-y baltic porter. very good stuff!
Bottle shared. Black pour with creamy white head. Aroma is nice and smoky, roasty, really nice balanced smokiness. Taste is nice and smoky, nice roasty flavor, somewhat rich, light molasses. Palate is med full bodied with good carbonation. Really nice.
Very good smoke beer, but missing the extreme smoke flavor of a Rauchbier from Bamberg. Smoke aroma that pours almost black with a nice tan head. sweet smoky flavor. sweet finish.
750 ml bottle into snifter, 2015 vintage bottling. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, light licorice, raisin, plum, fig, light char, light herbal, and roast/smokey earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, smoke, and oak barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, caramel, brown sugar, toasted oak, light licorice, raisin, plum, fig, light char, light herbal, and roast/smokey earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, wood smoke, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt, smoke, and oak barrel flavors; with a great roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Very clean on lager flavors with zero estery yeast notes present. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome smoked Baltic porter style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt, smoke, and oak barrel flavors; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tap@CBC 2015, Red Session - pours black with a beige head. Aroma and taste is roasted malty, slight burnt dark malty notes, with chocolate, coffee, caramel, smoke, wooden nuances, nice.
Big wax sealed bottle of the 2015 vintage gifted to me by some awesome peeps. I have been trying to get my hands on this one for years and years. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I’m glad I got to drink down this bad boy. The pour is very dark with little ruby highlights and a long lasting khaki head. I wish there were more smoke in the aroma. The most prominent word on the label is "smoke" in all caps, so my expectations are for a heartily smoky beer. There are pleasant hints of dark fruits, chocolate, wood and far away cigars. The palate is robust, but not that huge considering the abv. Malty flavors dominate with timid fruity suggestions coming through. I don’t get a ton of oak, but it’s there. The chocolatey malt profile melds nicely with smoky undertones. Personal tastes in beer are obviously widely subjective and varied. I enjoyed this beer a lot and it’s clearly well crafted. That being said, if I were in charge at Surly I wouldn’t even put smoke on the label. I still like it though.
Draft. Dark brown/black with a small tan head. Aroma of smoked meats, vanilla, dark fruits, and chocolate. Medium body, chocolate, strong malt presence, dark fruits, and nice smoke undertones. A very nicely done smoked beer.
Bottle at RBWG ’15 Grand Tasting @ Coppertail, thanks to whomever shared this one, 21/02/15.
Black with a moderate off white covering.
Nose is smoked malt, biscuit, toffee, light charr.
Taste comprises light cocoa, smoke a little more intense than on the nose, smoked meat, spice, nutty.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Solid smoked number.
Tap @ CBC 2015. Dark brown with a tan head. Aroma heavy malty (roasted, smoke, dark fruits, caramel, coffee, chocolate, licorice with woody and vanilla notes). Flavor medium sweet and bitter. Medium to full body.
Tap at CBC 2015, Copenhagen. Originally rated 20150502. Colour is black with brownish small head. Aromas and flavours: Smoke, some coffee and roasted malts.
@red cbc 2015
ham, medium smoke, wood, wonderful smoke taset, very balanced
Draught sample at CBC 2015. Dark brown colour with a dense, tanned head. Roasted aroma with smoke, fruits, caramel, coffee and herbal hops. Taste is lightly bitter. Medium to full body with a creamy texture. Finishes dry and roasted with smoky impressions. Lovely Smoker.
From tap at Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2015, Red session. Dark brown color with light beige head. Roasted malty aroma, caramel, light chocolate, smoked. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma with coffee addition. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
From a bottle into a glass. The pour is a dark ruby red with no head. The body is thin body with a raisins,bacon,slight salty taste. It’s good.
Bottle. Dark dark brown with lasting tan head. Smokey woody leafy bready chocolate boozy vanilla aroma. Very sweet chocolate vanilla woody plummy booze with woody ashy smokey boozy finish. Full body rich creamy. Way too sweet for my tastes. I love smoked beers but I do not like Baltic porters (in general). Bad combo for me. Still, a good beer, but I was hoping for a new fave.