The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
We love craft beer! Each week we will taste a number of beers from around the country and give you our thoughts, not only will we talk about the flavor, but also the artwork and anything else that comes to mind.
We will also go on location and visit breweries and try a number of their offerings and give you our thoughts as well.
Come sit around the campfire and join in on the fun!
The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
Ep 103 - On Location - Craft Beer Journey: Smoke Brewing Company
When we walked into Smoke Brewing Company in Lee's Summit, Missouri, we were immediately struck by the explosion of St. Patrick's Day decorations covering every inch of the place. "There might be a tipping point when you go over the top," Jim observed, and this brewery was definitely testing those limits with its festive atmosphere.
Between the two of us, we sampled ten distinct beers across two carefully curated flights. The journey began with lighter offerings like their Herd of Turtles American Pilsner featuring New Zealand Wakatou hops and their Flyover Wheat with its harmonious blend of lemon peel, orange peel, and coriander. These approachable beers provided a solid foundation before we ventured into more complex territory. The contrast between their two hazy IPAs—Shelter in Haze and Galactic Vineland—highlighted the brewery's willingness to experiment within style guidelines. While the former attempted to balance notes of pineapple, melon, and berries, the latter embraced the full New England IPA experience, for better or worse. Their Celtic Cross Irish Red Ale felt right at home amid the St. Patrick's Day decor, offering classic malty depth that cleansed our palates.
As we progressed through our second flight, two clear standouts emerged. Their Oatmeal Stout, the darkest offering at 7.3% ABV, delivered remarkable complexity with subtle vanilla and caramel notes that belied its strength. "This is pretty good and it doesn't taste like 7.3%," we agreed, awarding it our highest score of the day. Their American Pale Ale followed closely behind with its balanced approach and pleasant pine character.
Throughout our visit, we also sampled their barbecue offerings—an intriguing combination with the Irish-themed atmosphere. The appetizers impressed, and the main dishes looked equally promising. Despite some beers missing the mark, the overall experience proved worthy of recommendation.
Whether you're a craft beer enthusiast passing through Missouri or a local looking for quality brews paired with barbecue, Smoke Brewing Company offers a unique experience that goes beyond just good beer. As we always say, we hope your campfires are warm and your beers are cold!
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Grab a beer and pull up a chair. Welcome to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast.
Speaker 2:Hey, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy, and, as always on this road trip here I am joined once again by Jim. Hi, mike, how you doing? Buddy Doing, all right. How about yourself? Another great day. It's a good day to be drinking beer, exactly? It's a little warmer out, the snow is melting. It might be springing around the corner Could be. We're keeping our fingers crossed, hopefully. Knock on some wood, hopefully. So today we are actually in Lee Summit, missouri, mm-hmm, and we are at Smoke Brewing Company. Yes, and when we walked in I'm not going to lie I was a little bit surprised. They decorate. They decorated for St Patrick's Day and it's like, incredibly decorated for St Patrick's Day. There might be a tipping point when you go over the top.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is right on that edge.
Speaker 2:We are stretching to the limit of. I don't think you can actually get anything more on the ceiling. I mean, every chair is green. I was going to say I don't necessarily think you can get. There's a lot of stuff hanging, that's impressive. No, I don't know. I tried to look up some stuff but I don't know if it's the brewery is connected to the restaurant which looks like an Irish pub restaurant. So I don't know that connection there, right, like an Irish pub restaurant. So I don't know that connection there, right. But that might be why they're going way over the top. It could be. It could be. And they say you can see that in the front they've got like the garage doors that they open up in the summer. So that's cool.
Speaker 2:I bet you it takes them a while to put all this stuff up. I was going to ask how long ago did they start to decorate for this? Or it always stays up year-round? No, I don't think so, because the other time I was here this stuff wasn't here before. But it's nice. I mean it's not. I don't know if I would do this much stuff, but it looks decent. Yeah, it looks good. Well, hey, speaking of looking good, we've got a couple of flights sitting in front of us, all right. Well, yeah, it's time to drink beer then I guess we've got to drink some beer. So now they have 12 different beers on tap and their flights are five per flight. Yes, so we just picked a couple of them that we didn't necessarily need.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:This should be good, it's a good variety.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yep, so I guess this one we start this way, yep. So the first one we have here is the Herd of Turtles. All right, I do have a little bit on it. Okay, I see it says it's an American Pilsner 4.4% Ah well, they're on the interwebs. It said 5%. Okay, 20 IBUs. And it says we brew this American Pilsner with a little bit of New Zealand flair from the use of Wakatou hops. It's easy for you to say, yeah, it's a nice, easy-drinking Pilsner with a touch of lime flavor imparted by the hops. Okay, all right, definitely clear. Yes, it looks like a Pilsner. It's definitely light. Yeah, what can smell? Yeah, I'd say it's something. It's not bad. It has more flavor than I was gonna figure it would. I mean.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean yeah, I was expecting it to be very watery, right, you know, and it's not. It's. It does have some some flavor to it, so, but I don't know what the new zealand piece is, right, how that? I'm sure that's part of it, and I don't taste a lot of lime with it. Right, I mean there's probably a little bit. Maybe that's what the flavor is.
Speaker 2:Yep, I mean, it definitely would be a lawnmower beer. Yes, you know, I mean, it's got decent enough flavor for that. If it was ice cold on a hot day and it's low ABV. Yeah, yeah, exactly, oh, no, I would drink. I could drink a can of that. Right, I was going to say I think that it was a good way to start off the flights here with that one, because it's pretty Pretty mellow, pretty mellow. What are you thinking? Since, boy score-wise, I'm going to go like a 2.6, a little better than average. Okay, you know. Yeah, I mean, it's not going to knock your socks off. No, it's not going to knock your socks off. No, no, and, like I said, it's all right, but I'm hoping some of the other ones have a little more flavor to them. So I'm going to say the same 2.6. Okay, see how that flies Yep, let's see. Hopefully we haven't painted ourselves in a corner on the first one, all right, all right.
Speaker 2:Well, the second beer that we have on this first flight is their flyover wheat. It's an american wheat. Well, this is four percent, all right. So they said it's a wheat beer slash american pale wheat. Okay, I don't know what that means. It's not an american pale ale, right? No, no, it'd be different. It's different, but it almost has a look of like a hazy ipa a little bit. Right, you know what I mean. Not quite as as hazy, but it's so. It says a riff on the beers that you grew up on, if you lived in the Midwest, brewed with lemon peel, orange peel and a dash of coriander. Uh-oh, soft on the palate. Uh-oh, don't get upset, there's flowers in there. Oh, that definitely has more flavor than the first one. I can smell something. Yeah, you definitely get the lemon. You can taste the coriander, but it's not, like you know, super strong, right, it's almost like the lemon and the orange counteract each other.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that definitely stands out, I think, is the lemon peel and the orange. Do for sure, oh for sure, yeah, the coriander, maybe the aroma, maybe a little bit, yeah, a little bit, yeah, a little bit. Nothing too crazy, but it's no, I mean, for I know one of our guests hates coriander.
Speaker 1:Right, coriander's not drowned out, it's more of the aroma.
Speaker 2:Really the wheat flavor which you'd expect? It really doesn't. It's not there. You don't notice that as much either. It's kind of impressive much either it's kind of impressive.
Speaker 2:That's I'm liking this one better than the first one. Yeah, I mean because I'm not a big wheat guy, but the wheat is not overpowering, the yeast is not. Now, would I drink a whole bunch of those? Probably not. I think the flavor of it you might get tired of right eventually, but you could definitely do a can of it. Yeah, I mean, this is not bad in any.
Speaker 2:So for a score, I guess, what? Uh, what are you thinking on that one? Gosh, I'm trying to not only take into account the wheat beer part that actually tastes decent. Right, the lemon and the orange peel, gosh, I think I'm going to go with 2.8. Okay, I know it's not like a super high score, but I guess maybe if I would have liked more wheat, like more wheat beer, maybe I'd get a little higher. But I guess for me not being a wheat guy, I'll just stick with that and see how it rolls.
Speaker 2:Yep, how are you thinking? I agree 100 with you. I'm going to 2.8 as well. Uh, I, like I said I do like the flavor of it. I I think if you had a couple, couple glasses of it, that lemon orange peel flavor might start to wear on you after a little bit. I think you're right, but the the wheat doesn't stand on the coriander. I really am not picking up a huge amount of coriander. Which is good, just the aroma, just the aroma. Yeah, so that's not what. It's not bad either, so I agree, that's good so far. Yeah, we're lucky we're not getting on wood, yeah. So yes, we uh this. This place also has barbecue, yes, and so we've been in the process of ordering that while we've been doing this, so it'll be, interesting to see how the food is.
Speaker 2:We've already sampled a little bit of the appetizer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really good stuff. Our fingers are crossed, definitely. What do you got next? We might as well try another one while we're waiting. All right, so now we have Shelter in Haze. A hazy IPA, 6.4% ABV All right. So what it says on the interwebs? This is a double dry, hopped Okay. Ipa, 6.4%, 30. 30 IBUs. A double dry, hopped, hazy IPA featuring mosaic and Eldorado hops for a soft fruit note of pineapple, melon and berries. Huh, huh, now that's. This is definitely hazy. But you know what's weird is, you know they talk about these like berries, but the color's not. It's yellowish in color. Yep, exactly.
Speaker 1:Boy. The aroma Smells like a hazy, juicy IPA.
Speaker 2:All right, ooh, wow. Personally, I think the aroma is a little better than the flavor. The flavor's got a little bit of a funk on the end. I'm trying to figure out what the flavor is, because it's got so many different things going on in there. Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:Yes it does, boy, the aroma is scary. The aroma is a stronger smell. That double dry hop aroma really comes through. Yep, but I guess for me you know not being an IPA guy it's not. The aroma is more scary than the taste. Right, but the taste is really hard to decipher what it is. The only bad part for me on the taste is that the very finish has kind of a little bit of a funk to it. I don't know how you want to describe it, and it's hard to get pineapple melon berries. Yeah, I think they've washed themselves out with the flavor.
Speaker 2:I was going to say I definitely kind of get. I thought it was almost more of a lemony Right, themselves out with the flavor. I was going to say I definitely kind of get. I thought it was almost more of a lemony, right, I mean, I think they could have stuck with one of those fruits and not, I mean, tried to mix them all together. Right, I agree, I don't know if it helps it more by mixing more fruit together. Yeah, I don't know. It's kind of one of those when you're like huh, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, and especially coming from me, that I don't like IPAs. Yeah, it's not. I mean, you're 100% right with the aroma is more scary than the flavor. Yeah, but that flavor is just I can't. I can't pick it apart, at least when it says the notes of pineapple, melon, berries. I don't. I can say, if anything, I get pineapple but not berries in any way.
Speaker 1:And melon, I, I think, is such a delicate flavor that it really wouldn't. It's probably not watermelon, right? It's probably.
Speaker 2:I'm sure it's like some kind of cantaloupe, right? You know, something like that was what I would guess. That's what. I'm not really picking that up. So so what are you thinking? I'm gonna go at 2.4. I don mind it, but I think there's too much trying to happen and it kind of drowned it out. Yes, yep, so you're 2.4. I was going to say the exact same number Okay, 2.4. But for me that's actually a high number, right? So, even though it is below the average, the overall rating for me for IPAs, the special is double dry hot.
Speaker 1:It's not bad Right. For me, for IPAs, the special is double dry hot. It's not bad Right, it's not bad.
Speaker 2:So this is a decent score. Yes, so, like I said, I don't mind it, but I just think I think after a glass I might get a little tired of that flavor. Yes, you know what I mean. So there's no doubt about that. Yep, all right, all right. Well, let's go on to our next one, since this is another hazy IPA. Yes, so it'll be interesting to compare the two. So this is their Galactic Vinland hazy IPA. It's 4.7% ABV and it just says it's a New England hazy. We really don't have any Right. And on the interwebs it says 6.1%. Yeah, so I don't know which one. It is Interesting. Well, it looks hazy. This one definitely has an orange juice kind of. Look to it. Yes, it's not as strong of an aroma as the last one. Yeah, the aroma is not as strong. You can tell this is a New England because the flavor is not quite as sharp as the last one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Because the first one was just a hazy, this one is a New England. So, because the first one was just a hazy, this one is a New England. So you can tell the difference in those two. I don't know which one is better. You know what I mean. Wow, that one for me is a little harder to chew down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it's too down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's got a little more of a. I'm not sure what you'd want to. This is the Galactic Vineyard, galactic Vineland, vineland, ooh, huh, well, yeah, is it bad? The? Aftertaste to me is worse on this one.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Yeah, this is a little. I almost got to chew this one down, boy Gore-wise. I think I'm going to go like a 2.2. I like the other one a little better. That one was more juicy. This one is definitely a little bit of a I don't know. It's like a drier kind of a. Yeah, and unfortunately they had nothing. Yeah, they didn't have anything else on there. Yeah, like my mouth right now is just tingling. Yeah, it's definitely different. I'm going to have to dip it down a little bit. I'm going to have to say 2.0. This one, there's something weird. Yeah, I can't put my finger on it.
Speaker 1:There is something. It was something different going on there.
Speaker 2:All right, Maybe we better get the next one. So now we're getting out of the IPAs and we are getting their Celtic Cross. Celtic Cross Irish Red Ale. Yes, which fits in with the motif you know. Hopefully this is one of those good Irish beers. Yeah, exactly 5.8%.
Speaker 1:ABV.
Speaker 2:And that matched a medium-bodied Irish Red with well-balanced malty and caramel notes and a slightly bitter hop finish. Okay, well, let's not. We don't want it as bitter as that. Right, right, exactly, there was something. This one it definitely has that reddish kind of amber color. Yep, oh, you can smell the like a malty you can smell. Oh, yeah, the aroma is there. That's not bad. That's better than the last one, for sure. Yeah, I mean, that's what I would expect for an irish red and it's. The nice thing is it's not a dry right red like some of them we've had. Uh, wow, this one's pretty good. That stays in your mouth. That, yeah, that canceled out all the idea flavor that was in there. Yes, it did. Wow, I agree with you there. Yeah, that's, I don't necessarily know if I get like a caramel flavor, but I definitely get. Get that malty Irish red classic type flavor that you expect. And the malty this is almost like the burned malts. Yeah, a little bit of like the toasted malts or whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's not bad, ooh goatee. Well, I guess you're not liking it as much as I am. So this may be our first bigger variation in score. Well, what do you think? It is better than the Galactic Vineland. So I'm going to go out on a limb. I'm going to go 2.1. Okay, I'm way out there. I'm going to go a 2.7. Oh, wow, I like that one one. I think it's pretty good. But here again, I think one pint glass would be good and I'd be like okay, I'm good with that, I'll switch to something else does the finish like linger on for you, yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, it's, it's definitely there.
Speaker 2:Oh, I mean, and for me it's not a good finished flavor. It's like you know that malty. Yeah, it's not bad, I don't mind it. So here we start on this end, this end, or this end, yeah, and then work our way back. So we are on flight number two. We survived the first flight, ooh barely. I was a little concerned. It started off good and then it like we kept slipping, slipping, slipping down. Now they do have a hard lemonade, but we did pass on that one to try some of their more quote unquote.
Speaker 2:Normal beers, I guess you could say so. The first one on this flight that we have is their Czech Pilsner. This is a 5.2% ABV and I don't see anything on that one. Yeah, so I'm sure it's going to be pretty standard. It looks like a Czech Pilsner and this is 5.2%. It's not bad, but I think we've had other Czech Pilsners that are a little bit better. I think there's something going on there. Yeah, I'd agree with you, it's a different flavor.
Speaker 1:Where's Toby when he needs there? Yeah, I'd agree with you.
Speaker 2:It's a different flavor. Where's Toby when he needs them? Yeah, yeah, wow, boy. I don't know Score-wise, I do think we've had other Czech pilsners that are better. Yeah, I mean, I didn't think anything could cancel off that flavor from the Irish Red, and it's already canceled that. Yeah, it's got bitterness to it that lingers. Yeah, it's just like ooh, wow Boy. I don't know. Gore-wise, I'm thinking like a boy, have I used it? I'm going to do a 2.3. 2.3? Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, I think it's like just that bitter taste to it. It's just kind of like oof. I think I'm going to go with 2.2, right with you there. Yep, oh, that was interesting. Wow, it's very, very different, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 2:Well, the second one on this flight we have is their Cold Low C. Yeah, india Pale Lager Lager. A lager, 6.3 percent. All right, let's hope. This one, what cleans my alec? I think that one's better. Yeah, that one's better than yeah, a lot better. Yeah, I was gonna say, oh, that's really that one's one of the better ones. Yeah, that's really. I was gonna say that is, I wasn't sure what to expect with it. So, but can you educate me when it says the india ale lager instead of india pale, instead of an ale, they lager it. So so they start off. You know they. It takes longer. Okay, the yeast they have to keep, and I think it's. Is it raising the temperature, lowering the temperature? I can't remember which way it is, but it takes longer to, or something. And that's where you get kind of that flavor, that smooth flavor. It's much, much better than an IPA, oh yeah, I would agree, than an IPA. Yep, wow, glad, I'm glad we found something. What are you thinking on that one? Well, I think I'm going to go with 2.7. Okay, I like that one a lot better than the other ones here. Yep, so I think, yep, just looking here, yep, dang it, I'm in a corner, I'm going to go a 2.6. Okay, but I do think it is definitely better. I'm impressed with it. Yeah, I mean they did a good job on that one, really good, yep.
Speaker 2:The next one I'm a little concerned about, just because now we did pass up on their Extra Special Bitter Yep, we did not pick that one, but we have their other one here. It's their Veta Pills, which is an Italian Pilsner. Italian Pilsner, yes, and I've had a couple Italian Pilsners before and typically they're not as good as what we're used to. So we'll see. I mean it looks like a Pilsner, very crisp and clean. My fingers are crossed. It's not much of an aroma. No, flavor-wise it's not as bad as like. I've had some in a can. I think you and I had one that time on the import beers and it wasn't very good. But this one is surprisingly better than that. I mean, flavor-wise, it's not over the top, right, it's pretty mellow flavor-wise, yep, yep, I agree, I can't pick out much for flavor.
Speaker 2:No, a little bit. There's less than like your checks and things like that. Wow Boy, I don't know. It does have a little bit of a weird thing to it, but I'm going to go. I'm just running down my scores. I'll go a 2 point. I'll do a 2.1. 2.1? Yeah, like.
Speaker 2:I said it's just kind of a little bit of a weird and it's not this beer particularly, but it's that style. Right, I was actually going to go like a 2.5. Oh, dang, I mean, I don't mind it, it's not offensive. Yep, and I think I could drink a whole can. Yeah, right, you know, I think the one thing I've learned over the few years is trying some of those. I don't think I'm a big Italian Pilsner fan. Right, yeah, there's, yeah, so we've got two left and I guess we can just keep going right in order.
Speaker 2:This is the only dark one that they had and this is their oatmeal stout. All right, and it's 7.3 percent, highest abv, highest abv and the only dark one that we've had. You're gonna get a little bit of aroma, not a huge amount, though. Oh, that's got flavor. Oh, wow, I was gonna say that's not bad. No, you know actually, wow, I do get a little bit of like a maybe a little bit of a vanilla type flavor. Yeah, and I couldn't find anything on that one. Yeah, yeah, I wish we could have, because it would have been interesting to see what they said. But boy, this one is. This is not. I could drink this. This is pretty good and it doesn't taste like 7.4%. Mmm, that's no, not at all Really decent Boy.
Speaker 2:I think, score-wise, this one is going to be in a 3 range for me. All right, what are you thinking? I'm going to go like a 3. I'll go 3.0. You blew the top off. I blew the top off. I do think this is pretty good. Yeah, you know, like I said, it's got that little bit of a kind of almost a caramelly vanilla-type flavor to it. And yeah, I mean this one it's good. I think I was right with you. 3.0. Yeah, okay, that's good. All right, so we're on number 10.
Speaker 2:Number 10, oh, and this is another pale ale it just says pale, ale so they do have a write-up on it.
Speaker 1:They do?
Speaker 2:they do have a little bit. So it says 5.6, 8 ABV, 36 IBUs, which is weird for a pale ale, right, mmm? Lower brewed with all the classic American pails in mind Light golden, amber in color, a touch of caramel, warrior cascade, and centennial hops Mounded out, huh, huh. So like a pale ale, it should be not as hoppy as like an IPA. Okay, so fingers are crossed. That's not bad.
Speaker 2:I don't mind that the aroma isn't strong. No, that's not bad. I don't mind that the aroma isn't strong. No, I was gonna say it's almost got a little bit of a the initial. It almost has a little bit of a piney taste to me, but it doesn't hang on. You know what I mean. It dissipates pretty quick. Yeah, it's not bad. I mean it's an American pale ale, so, yeah, so it should be a little bit lower, you know and such, but I don't mind it. Yeah, I mean the IBU part might actually line up right. Yeah, right, it's not bad what it does. That initial aftertaste is almost like a pine kind of a thing, but then it goes away.
Speaker 1:I don't mind that. That is not too bad. What are you thinking?
Speaker 2:I'm going to go a if I use, I'm going to go a. If I used to, I'm going to go a 2.9.
Speaker 1:Oh, way up there. I like that.
Speaker 2:I think those last two were the best two that we had. Wow, no, you really got me in off balance.
Speaker 2:Remember, there's no wrong opinion because it's your opinion, so use it. Gosh, I think I will go with you there. I'll say 2.9. Okay, yeah, I mean, and I think I will go with you there. I'll say 2.9. Okay, yeah, I mean. And I guess I'm basically like against a lot of the American pale ales. Right, right, yep, so definitely not a bad thing at all. No, and like I said, of all the beers that we had, I think the oatmeal stout was by far the best one, and I think this last one was probably second. Yep, right up there. Yep, the wheat at Flyover Wheat was actually my number three, I think it was your number three, but I think overall those were really good. Yeah, I mean, I think they're doing a pretty good job here with all their beers. Yeah, you know, and they did deliver our food, so we're going to try that, but it looks very good, yes, and like I said it's still a little confusing that it's a barbecue joint but yet it's decked out in St Patrick's Day stuff like crazy.
Speaker 2:But we're going to get to that and see how that is. But, yeah, overall, I recommend definitely, if you come to Lee's Summit, this is worth a stop For sure. Check it out I would too, because, like I said, it's a nice place. They got good looking food. I know the appetizer was good and, yeah, I think you'd be happy to to come in, get a bite to eat, grab a beer and and, uh, try it out. And, like I said, the fact that they have a dozen of their own beers on tap, it's pretty cool, right, and uh, yeah, I think I think it was a good trip that we made. No doubt this is well worth a stop, exactly. Well, hey, jim, thank you so much for coming along to. Yes, missouri, thanks for inviting me, definitely. And uh, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for listening and, like we always say, we hope the campfire is always warm and your beers are always cold, see you bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the northwoods beer guy podcast. If you have a question, a comment or a beer you'd like us to review, please feel free to send us a message at northwoodsbeerguy at gmailcom. You can also find us on Facebook, twitter and Instagram. If you're on untapped, look up Northwoods Beer Guy and send a friend request. Until next week, I hope all your campfires are warm and all your beer is cold.
