Hobbit Beer: Smaug Stout Review

This winter, curl up and stay warm with a dragon – a dragon stout. Fish Tale Brewery produced a three-bottle set of Hobbit beer to tie in with movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. These are not cheap commercial lagers, but 9.5% ABV craft brews. The third in the series is an Imperial Stout called Smaug Stout in 22 oz bottles.

I sent the elves out to Seattle to get one of the first bottles of Smaug, and here’s my review…

Smaug Stout pours black as the dragon’s heart. This is an Imperial Stout, and it’s big and bold. It has a milk chocolate colored head that dissipates until you give it a swirl. Swirling brings out some of the malt and even a hint of the Habanero chili peppers used in this monster. It’s loaded with hops (65 IBU), tasting of malt, bitter chocolate and coffee. The finish leaves you with a bitter bite of hops and chili pepper. Let it warm up and give it a swirl if you really want to taste the flavors. As would be expected with an Imperial Stout, it packs a punch at 9.5% ABV. There’s no booziness at all. Nicely balanced.

If you’re not familiar with Fish Tale Brewing, they have several labels including Leavenworth Biers, Reel Ales, and Fish Tale Organic Ales. The bottle does not indicate that this beer is organic, so it probably is not. Fish Tale Brewing is one of the larger breweries in Washington State.

Here’s the text from the bottle:

The Dragon Smaug: After escaping capture by the dangerous Woodland Elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-Town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all – a creature more terrifying than any before, which will test not only the depth of their courage, but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself – the Dragon Smaug. 

Question: What movie tie-in beers would you like to see brewed? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Each has a cool bar code. Check out the bar code from the bottle of Gollum Precious Pils:

Hobbit Beer Bar Code

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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    Categories: Beer Review, United States, Washington

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