Upon taking a whiff my nose was hit by a blast of fuliginous fumes that carried the style's trademark bouquet of bacon. Most beers smell good. They have aromas that arouse our Dionysian sides and heighten our anticipation of liquid refreshment. For me, however, rauchbiers take these visceral reactions even further and induce salivation. It's is probably partly the bacon-like scent and partly some Pavlovian conditioning that happened in my past that I don't want to talk about. The upshot here is that I loved Tinder's aroma and I have not yet mentioned the sweet apricot-like scent and the faint grassy hop smell in there as well.
Upon taking a taste my tongue was hit by a wave of hearty smokiness – the promise of bacony goodness fulfilled. This was joined by some malt sweetness that kept the stone fruit theme going with a peachy flavor as well as a more subtle and more toffee-like one. The smoke was most prominent at first. As the bier warmed it and the malt sweetness came in roughly equal doses. And finally the sweetness overtook the smoke as the end the bottle came in sight. The bier never became cloying, however, as there was always a good dose of carbonation to be had.
Malty sweetness lingered on the finish but was joined by some grassy/peppery hop flavor that added dryness but little bitterness. Alas and alack, there was no Schaumhaftvermoegen on my glass.
Uinta notes that the inspiration for this bier came when the owner and the brewmaster were in Germany. This sounded quite familiar and then I recalled that this was also the genesis of Surly's NEIN, a rauch weizen. This being the case I must implore more brewers to visit Germany.
Tinder is a fine bier. It has a fairly light body yet is full of clean malt flavor. The smoke and sweet tastes are very well-balanced here although I must admit that I'd prefer a little less sweetness. If you're familiar with Schlenkerla's Märzen or Urbock then know that Tinder is not as smoky tasting as those biers. However, the smoke is not just used to accent other malt flavors as it is in something like Karben4's NightCall porter. I also really liked how the hops added a little peppery zest and some dryness at the finish to contrast with the big festival of malt. Tinder clocks in at 6.5% A.B.V. and is one of those Goldilocks beers – not too big yet not too light. It has enough malt flavor and booze in it to be hearty yet its light body and dry finish keep it from being cloying or filling. A bier for all seasons.
Junk food pairing: Try some Jay's Hot Stuff potato chips with Tinder. The big paprika taste will complement the rauch perfectly.
Epilogue: I see that there are still bottles of Tinder in Madison. Uinta's website no longer lists it so I assume that the bier has been retired. Not surprising if the large numbers of bottles at Woodman's East and Jenifer Street Market are any indication. Rauchbier fans should get it now and drink as soon as possible.
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