Raftman by Unibroue

Raftman is a Specialty ale with a base style of Belgian Pale Ale. What makes this beer unique is that it is brewed with smoked whiskey malt. What exactly that means as far as flavor goes, I have no idea. I have never experienced any non-distilled beverage brewed with Whiskey malt. If you recall from other Specialty ales we looked at, you will remember that the main focus of the judgment is based on the play and balance between the base style and what the special ingredient or brewing method is. This will be unique for me, because I am not familiar with what character whiskey malt brings to the table, but I will see what may prove different from other Belgian Pales I have had.

The aroma has that traditional Belgian yeast phenolic aroma. Spicy and inviting. There is some floral hops in the aroma as well as some sweet fruitiness. I wouldn’t say there is orange or pear, but it is a light and airy fruit. The malt profile is slightly toasty but more bready. Not much smokeiness carrying over from the smoked whiskey malt, you really have to search for it. But it becomes a bit easier when the beer warms. Overall, good phenolic character to the beer, but the lacks any special appeal. (7 Points)

The color is a semi-clear copper with a good deal of frothy and rocky head. The head disappeared fairly quickly. (3 points)

The flavor seems a bit thin to me. The malt profile is weak but has some biscuity character as well as some toast. Hop flavor and bitterness is low, but the hop flavor does come through nicely thanks to the weak malt profile. Again, the smokiness from the whiskey malt is extremely low. I had to really search for it, which sometimes leads me to wonder if it is really there or do I just want it to be there. There is an underlying fruitiness, and this time it is pear-like. The phenols are spicy and slightly peppery, and just at the level I enjoy (which is on the lower end of the scale). There is some low  initial sweetness, but the beer does finish dry which makes it easy to drink.  All in all the flavor is OK, but just seems to fall short of anything spectacular. (11 points)

The mouthfeel is a bit watery and too light for a Belgian Pale Ale style. There is no astringency or other odd feel to the beer here. ( 3 points)

Overall, the beer is just a bit too watery and does not showcase the smoked whiskey malt as much as I personally feel it should. There was nothing in the beer that brought my attention to anything different suggesting it was brewed with any smoked whiskey malt, or any other specialty ingredient for that matter. The phenol and ester profile fo the beer is good and at a good level. It’s just too thin and lacks any special character. (5 points)

I score this beer a 29, which is at the high-end of the “Good” scale. This would be a C+ in my opinion. It’s a drinkable beer with some good points, but just does not deliver what I feel it suggests.