Holy Smoke - Church-Key Brewing
So this is another one of those reveiws of a beer I already know and love. Church-Key Brewing is on the way to Erika's family cottage, and also not far from her cousin's cottage, which we visit often. Just outside the town of Campbellford, Chuch-Key occupies an old church building, and they brew a great line of beers. A few offerings to help the uninitiated ease into the waters of craft brewing, and a variety of really cool innovative brews. A west coast IPA that bites back, a seasonally available cranberry maple wheat beer, a mead, a flander's sour that tastes like blue cheese, and a scotch ale; Holy Smoke. I would have to check, but I think Holy Smoke is one of their oldest brews. Similar in approach to Innis and Gunn, this is malty Scotch ale that gets to hang out in whiskey barrels for a while, and soaks up some of that goodness (Always fact-check with your local brewer before going on word-of-mouth! Thanks to Jon for stopping by and correcting me) Holy Smoke is made with smoked malts in the grain-bill, giving it a distinctive smokey character. It is a rare day I find myself near Campbellford, and don't find myself with a growler of Holy Smoke, unless I opt for the West Coast IPA.......
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From a lovely growler filled by an Angel, the beer pours a dark chestnut brown, mostly opaque. A good bit of foamy head settles pretty quicly to a ring that leaves no lace. Aroma is immediately sweet malts, almost like candied fruit, and hints of wood and vanilla. Taste is rich and complex; there is definitley sweet sugary malts, roasty and even a little burnt. There is also a whiskey note, with a nice charred wood background. Somewhere in there the vanilla pokes its head out for a moment, then disappears again to let the sweet malty finish linger on and on. Long after the sweetness is gone, a nice touch of oak is still present. Most people used to lagers would probably find this beer too sweet and complicated; it's quite a mouthful, and it takes some slow sipping to really appreciate. Definitely not a session ale, but lovely to sit back around a fire and sip. Keeps you warm, even after a 1am dip in the lake, to see the stars "the way the fish see the stars"......... A classic, and a hard beer not to gush about and let my romanticism and fond memories cloud. So from a non-romantic, clear point of view, let me re-iterate: This beer is awesome!
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I have never been a big fan of this one but that is just the way my tastebuds work. I know a lot of people that absolutely love this beer.
They made a rosemary beer a while back that was really cool!
I have never been a big fan of this one but that is just the way my tastebuds work. I know a lot of people that absolutely love this beer.
They made a rosemary beer a while back that was really cool!
Haha, I knew you wouldn't be down with it. Too malty, not hoppy enough, right? I nearly brought you back a dinner bottle of the blue cheese beer (Lactese Falcon)..... The good news is, their Black IPA should be bottled by next weekend, which I think will be up your alley. I'm going to score a couple of bottles. Also, their West Coast IPA is a pretty good representation, I think you'd be down, if you find it on tap.
Haha, I knew you wouldn't be down with it. Too malty, not hoppy enough, right? I nearly brought you back a dinner bottle of the blue cheese beer (Lactese Falcon)..... The good news is, their Black IPA should be bottled by next weekend, which I think will be up your alley. I'm going to score a couple of bottles. Also, their West Coast IPA is a pretty good representation, I think you'd be down, if you find it on tap.
Hey I enjoy your blog but noticed , you mentioned this being oak barrel aged like Innis & Gunn. Just so you know there is no barrel aging with this beer, no oak. Just smoked malts.
Hey I enjoy your blog but noticed , you mentioned this being oak barrel aged like Innis & Gunn. Just so you know there is no barrel aging with this beer, no oak. Just smoked malts.
Jon,
Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for clarifying. When I first drank Holy Smoke, I was told that it was made with smoked malts, but then about 3-4 years ago, a couple of people told me that you guys had moved to ageing in oak barrels. Weird, I guess I'm prone to tasting what I expect...... And here I thought I was totally objective!
Thanks for clarifying, and for an awesome brew!
Chris
Jon,
Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for clarifying. When I first drank Holy Smoke, I was told that it was made with smoked malts, but then about 3-4 years ago, a couple of people told me that you guys had moved to ageing in oak barrels. Weird, I guess I'm prone to tasting what I expect...... And here I thought I was totally objective!
Thanks for clarifying, and for an awesome brew!
Chris
LCBO is carrying Holy Smoke now! http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/inventory/searchResults.do?language=EN&itemNumber=315655 is their inventory...
It sure is! In a heck of a good looking bottle too!