These days camping out for me is a faux fire “blazing” with me parked in my Lazy-boy with some chips and dip and an adult beverage while the big screen takes the place of the big sky. But back in the day we would go cross-border to A-Bay and enroll in K-State for a weekend.* Our curriculum consisted of pitching a tent and partaking in an on-ice pint or three for some friendly fireside chats and cheers. Smoky campfires from green saplings that surrendered to some slightly bent maple bending benders.** The marshmallows weren’t the only thing that got roasted. Ahh yes, the great outdoors.
This Merchant Ale House campfire lager is a beer fridge indoor pour, as I watch some on ice antics. Another big bottle dark lager from the ale merchants. Not a black dark pour, but a dark dark amber that clearly lets the fire flame red shine through. No time or inclination towards a head of any type. An aroma of a dark lager, a full roast toast. The taste is smoky sweet with roasted malt and a smooth smoky finish, tasty The trick with these smokers is to keep that smoke subtle. Like when you are at the campfire and the wind is blowing that smoke the other way, but there’s still enough smoke to keep the skeeters at bay. Oh oh, the wind is starting to blow my way getting a little smokier, that log on the lager must be a bit greener.
Overall the smoky was kept in check, just right at the start and a bit more as it warmed. End result, subtly smoky slightly sweet suds and one happy camper.
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