Schlafly Smoked Stout
Schlafly Smoked Stout is an American Double/Imperial Stout brewed with beechwood smoked malt, 9.5% ABV, bottle provided for review. This beer is a part of the new Cellar Series from Schlafly.
A fairly typical dark pour and tan head, this looks like a Stout folks! The aroma has surprisingly mild smokiness at first, but it does increase as the beer gets closer to room temperature. Not that this is a bad smelling beer, quite the opposite. Sweet candy chocolate and dark fruit make for a sticky sweet nose that is very inviting. The dark fruit comes on strong in the taste which is almost lending a little bit of Belgian Quad flavor minus the yeast character. Some mild vanilla comes out in the taste here and there. The smoke is subtle again to start, it is almost more of the mild smokiness/roastiness you get in many Imperial Stouts without the smoked malt. The finish is dry with a bit of cocoa powder kind of feel that lingers on into the aftertaste.
If you aren’t into smoked beers in general you might not automatically pass on this one. The smokiness is mild, but still there and it works rather well with the beer itself.
