Session Beer Spotlight #5: High & Mighty Fumata Bianca

There are a few words that will pretty much compel Tom and I to grab a beer to try: for me, that word is "rye" and for Tom, those words are "Franconian lager" and "smoked".  And at 4.5%, this High & Mighty homage to a Franconian lager with smoked white rye is a session beer draw for us both.

For as smokey the taste is, I can't discern any smoke on the nose. It pours a pale straw yellow and has a light bodied mouthfeel. The fact that it is so full of smoke flavor and is so light is remarkable. Almost like smoke dissipating on the tongue. It's like nothing I've ever tasted before, which is exciting.

I love that a brewer can do such creative things without having to go big on the ABV. This is such a crazy, playful, light bodied, flavorful beer that I've never had the likes of which before and that just makes me so happy to try. Is this something that I would drink several of while hanging out at the bar? Probably not, because I don't have the love of the smoked beer that others (including my husband) have. But if I did, it would be a great beer to enjoy. I actually appreciate the light body of the beer's effect on the smoke levels.

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about with exciting session craft beer! MORE PLEASE.

Tonight, I also tried High & Mighty's Pas de Diieux at the Avenue Pub. It's a nice little saison. Again, it pours very light and is super easy drinking. Although it's not the most complex saison I've ever had, it kind of makes me think of why saisons were originally brewed- to quench the thirst of the farm hand working hard all day without needing to take a nap from too many higher-ABV brews.

High & Mighty, I salute you!