SMOKED HONEY ~ ROYAL CITY BREWING

Royal City is a new brewery to me, and I have been impressed with much of what they have to offer. This is a smoked ale; I see it as the love child of an English Brown and a German Rauchbier. Sampled from a bottle the beer poured a hazy deep mahogany with glimmers of garnet when held up to the light, with a bubbly tan head. The aroma contained light wood smoke, malts, honey and a little caramel. The taste begins with a little honey sweetness and ends with smoke, a little bitterness and a drying effect. Malts and a hint of nuttiness are found throughout. The smokiness (Beech wood was used) is not as potent as some rauchbiers I have tried, but the smoke builds as you sip and the honey coats your mouth. The beer is not as heavy as it looks like it may be, it is light bodied, and the tastes are not aggressive. An interesting offering from this brewery, worth a try.

5.5 % from Guelph, Ontario 25 IBU