Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying The Perfect Crime Smoking Gun brewed by Scheldebrouwerij located in Meer, Belgium.

Let it be known that this is not the Stone collaboration beer, but something different altogether.

I couldn’t find any information on the website, scheldebrouwerij.nl, about this beer, but I did find a commercial description on ratebeer.com.  

It should be indisputable evidence when a smoking gun is right in front of You. Maybe You can even smell the burning, toasty nose, see the easily recognizable head and taste the gun powdery finish. This is not the case.

Alright.  Let’s give it a try.

This beer came in an 11.2 oz. bottle and with an ABV of 10.0%.

It poured a very dark brown/black color with no highlights showing through.  The crown was light tan and sized very well.  It was semi-creamy, smooth and soft.  The retention time was satisfying as it stuck around for a nice while.  The lacing was more than solid.  It clung to the glass quite well as the head died down.

The nose started with a bit of chocolate and some roasted coffee bean.  The smoke seemed to be a secondary factor with the first few sniffs.  It wasn’t over the top, however it was noticed a bit more as it warmed and my nostrils adjusted.  Deeper still was a light hint of country ham and maybe even a bit of licorice.

The taste seemed to be a little more forthcoming with the smoke and the country ham aspects.  I also discovered a bit of char as well.  The chocolate and roasted coffee bean were still there and in a lot of ways seemed to be more harmonious with the other characteristics than they were in the bouquet.  A minor amount of alcohol was tasted near the end of the drink.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Dry, chewy and smooth with very light “chalky” texture.  The carbonation was of medium to low strength and a tiny bit of warmth was felt from the alcohol.  For the most part a sturdy dose of flavor was left behind after each sip too.

Overall, I found this to be a very nice beer.  It’s not nearly as intense as some of the other smoked beers out there, although I do believe that it might be a touch easier to drink and more harmonized than most.  I think it’s a beer with plenty of character, yet it wouldn’t be so overwhelming to someone looking to experiment with the style.  With that being said, give The Perfect Crime Smoking Gun a try and see how you like it.  I know I wouldn’t have a bit of trouble drinking it again sometime.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5
Grade:  B+