Beavertown - Smog Rocket

It is baffling that after all this time and especially considering the sheer volume of Beavertown I sell that this is only the SECOND Beavertown review I've ever done. I can only imagine that it was a subconscious decision made purely on the basis that nothing would ever beat Black Betty in my eyes. However, in the interests of broadening my horizons, I've decided I need to step out of that odd little comfort zone and try one of their other WILDLY popular beers. In my time at the shop I have sampled Gamma Ray and 8 Ball, both of which are definitely and defiantly Beavertown styled, but what to make of Smog Rocket? A smoked porter is not a style that lends itself well to refreshing drinkability and massive but balanced hop characteristics, qualities that are abundant in Black Betty, Gamma Ray and 8 Ball.

The pour is slightly more fizzy than I expect a porter to be, maybe this is still in keeping with the B-Town style! There's a pencil thin, off white, head that sits unsteadily on top of a light porter. I say it's light, it's still black, but when you hold it up to the light you can see some come through, throwing around colours like hazy red around the bottom of the glass. The nose is quite deliciously smoky, the same way I'd imagine one would smoke a bar of chocolate, and it's got an underlying fruitiness which borders on the smell of Turkish Delight.

It sure is smoky but in an understated, lingering, way that underpins a malty sweetness, all of which is accentuated by a smooth, silky body that has enough carbonation to make you want to chug it like a dying man in the desert who found a bucket of ice cold Mountain Dew. In amongst all of that there's also a fruity core and a subtly bitter finish.

I already love Beavertown and what they do. I love the beers they make and I like how they roll. I've been to the brewery and there was a guy wearing suspenders... Seemingly without irony!

They don't need me blowing smoke up their respective anal passages because they know they're good, their sales figures should show them as much, and they sure as shi...Shootin' don't need some review to tell them how good their beer is.

End of review!

Food suggestion: All I want, all I can think about, is a bag of dry roasted. That's it. Dry roasted peanuts and about a gallon of Smog Rocket = Happy Drew.

Drink this if you like: The idea of smoked beer. If you're building yourself up to drinking beer like the Aecht Schlenkerla Doppel Bock then this is a great way to get yourself ready!