A Smoldering Trend: Smoked Beer | SevenFifty Daily

Dovetail’s Bill Wesselink (left) and Hagen Dost. Photo courtesy of Dovetail.

Smoke might be beer’s final, and most divisive, flavor frontier. Customers delight in sour ales, go wild for Norwegian yeast strains, and embrace beers without bubbles. Smoke is either loved or loathed, with no happy middle ground.

But as breweries embrace a more nuanced approach to smoked beer, they’re finding fresh audiences and retail opportunities at bars, restaurants, and tasting rooms. Sometimes all it takes is a single taste to rewire misperceptions, for an old brew to taste thrillingly new.

I dive into the trend for SevenFifty Daily. Curious? Words await!