Neither as consistent nor as complex as Aecht’s better rauchbiers, retaining acute wood chip-burnt cedar-smoked confluence and eerie mushroom-olfacotry nose. At weakening finish, deeper roasted hop inertia would’ve sufficed in place of mere hop-fizzed tease.

Lacking robustness of better German rauchbiers, this Hudson River knockoff gets soapy when promisingly stylistic Band-Aid waft, beechwood char, and cured meat barrage prove fleeting. Instead, bland lemony orange sourness overwhelms dwindled salami, sausage, and glazed ham illusions.

Less assertive than Aecht’s similarly styled German smoked lagers, formidable dry-bodied rauchbier retains sooty wood-kindled peculiarity Rogue Smoke A Rauch fans will enjoy. Hop-charred beechwood and burnt cedar gist receive peat-y rye malting, leveling off honey glazed ham, cured meat, and leathery beef jerky nuances.