When Your Beer Smokes More Than a Teen Behind the Gym
Ah, the craft beer industry, where the names keep getting longer and the brewing processes more arcane, as if brewers are competing for who can confuse their patrons the fastest. Enter the scene: Foeder-Lagered Rügen, a Smoked Baltic Porter from Schilling Beer Co., a name that reads like the result of a drunken Scrabble game with a German dictionary.
First off, let's untangle what Foeder-Lagered means, for those of us who aren't beer monks meditating on oaken terms. It’s essentially aging beer in large wooden vats because, apparently, steel tanks were just too mainstream. This process imparts subtle woodsy notes, because what this Smoked Baltic Porter really needed was more flavors fighting for dominance.
Then, there's the "smoked" part. Nothing says "enjoyable beer" quite like the taste of liquid campfire. It's as if Schilling Beer Co. looked at traditional porters and thought, "This is fine, but what if it tasted like we brewed it inside a barbecue smoker?"
Diving into Foeder-Lagered Rügen is like narrating a saga around a bonfire, if that saga was about Vikings discovering coffee and deciding to brew it with liquid smoke. The first sip hits you with the subtlety of a log to the face, delivering smoky, roasted flavors that make you wonder if you're drinking a beer or inhaling a brisket.
But wait, there’s complexity here! Beneath the layers of smoke and existential confusion, there lies a hint of oak, a whisper of the foeder that cradled this brew to life. It’s a gentle reminder that yes, there was wood involved, in case the smoke signals weren’t clear.
What pairs well with a beer that's essentially a bonfire in a glass? If you’re looking to enhance the experience, why not go all in with smoked meats, smoked cheese, and perhaps a cigar to really round out the evening. Or, for the purists, just stand near an actual fire for the full sensory experience.
Foeder-Lagered Rügen stands as a testament to Schilling Beer Co.’s courage in the face of the unsmoked, a beacon for those who believe that if a beer isn’t redolent of a forest fire, it’s just not trying hard enough. It's for the bold, the brave, and the those who like their beers with a side of smoked everything.
So here’s to Foeder-Lagered Rügen, the Smoked Baltic Porter that dares to ask, “Can a beer be too smoky?” The answer, of course, is a resounding, throaty cough—because, really, isn’t the point of craft beer to push boundaries, even if those boundaries are made of wood and covered in soot? Cheers, you smoky pioneers, and may your beers always be as adventurous as your palates.
Cheers you, magnificent silly bastards!
