Reviewed by Ron DeGregorio
As the winter season approaches, the shelves are being inundated with an entire avalanche of winter-ales and Christmas beers. I, like so many others, love the Christmas season. Music, family, food, and of course, wonderful beer, are just a few of the things that makes the season bright. It won’t be long now til’ my fridge is stocked to the brim with all of my favorite breweries’ takes on the Christmas style, but before I clear my bank account, I still have a few gems I brought back from my Northern Michigan travels.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite stops in Traverse City was a tiny little brewery named Brewery Ferment. While they make a number of different styles, my personal favorites of theirs is their sour selection. You can read my review of their Traverse City Sour Cherry Ale here. Today, I try their Smoky Bear; a Cherry wood smoked honey ale. I am currently on a quest to try as many “off-centered” ales as possible (beers that differ from the main IPA, DIPA, Stout, Porter selection) and seeing as I love smoked beers, this one seemed to be right up my alley!
It should be noted that the Smoky Bear is not exactly a beer. It is what is called a Braggot, which is half beer, half mead (honey-wine), so one should expect a fair amount of honey flavor and sweetness.
Here is what Brewery Ferment has to say about The Smoky Bear: “An unusual creation using local honey from Sleeping Bear Farms. Smoky flavors are present from cherry wood smoked barley. Not for the timid with its bold flavors.”
Sounds interesting! Here are my thoughts on the Smoky Bear.
Appearance: The smoky bear is a dark red/orange color. It has a very dark cherry wood/mahogany hue to it. A very nice white then head. A very nice looking beer. Well crafted in that regard.
Aroma: Wow. Right off the bat, this beer has an intense cherry aroma. It is not extremely overpowering, yet it is the first thing your brain will recognize, which I believe to be a good thing, as I love cherries. You can definitely detect the honey presence as there is a certain sweetness to the aroma. Interestingly enough, there is a very light smoke smell to it but not the campfire aroma that I was subconsciously expecting. Really what comes through is the cherry, and it smells delicious.
Taste: I think we are going to have to move to video reviews, so that you can visually see my initial reaction, because, wow; that is good! The cherry tartness floods your mouth instantly, but then is sweetened by a honey taste. The taste is very unique, unlike anything I have tried before, which in the current state of craft beer, is getting more difficult to achieve. The most unique part of the taste occurs in the back of the mouth. As you swallow the ale, there is that AWESOME smoke taste. It tastes like a backyard BBQ or a camp fire as you swallow, but not in an overwhelming way.
As the beer warms up, the smoke flavors start to dominate and start to mask the really well developed flavors of the cherries and honey, which is unfortunate, but at no point in the drinking experience does this beer disappoint. It is very tasty!
Conclusion: Overall, I’d like to give The Smoky Bear a 92, or a B+. It has everything going for it in terms of appearance, aroma and initial taste. One thing I love about the craft beer movement is the willingness to break molds, step outside of boxes and truly experiment in different ways of self-expression, and I believe this beer is an example of that spirit. It is definitely different than anything I’ve tried before, and I really enjoyed the experience of drinking it. The only drawback is as it warms, the smoke flavor almost dominates, which may be off-putting to some people.
Brewery Ferment is one neat place. Small enough to become a regular, but really pushing out some new and interesting beers. If you are a fan of sour-tasting beers, or maybe want to experiment in some new and different flavors, make your way up to Traverse City and make them one of your destinations. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
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