Alcohol Content: 7.9%
Official Description from Brewer:
"I’m from the Chinese era Qing. Big batch of bad-ass brew, I will make you sing. Women on the left, men on my right. Ain’t got no corn, ain’t got no rice. I’m just malty nice. ‘Cause I’m TNT. Sometimes you’re not in the mood for what everyone else is having."
Wilk's Take:
This limited release from Left Hand Brewing drew my attention on the shelf with the words, "With Lapsang Souchong Tea." According to Adagio.com, Lapsang Souchong is a black tea from China with a "famously smoky aroma and flavor." Well, my curiosity got the better of me and I was roped into buying a Weizen, which is actually a beer I tend to dislike.
The pour flowed like you would expect an ice tea to pour. As the liquid entered the glass, you are teased with a Guinness sensation as the head of the beer looks as if it is about to cascade down the glass. This is short lived as the head continues to grow and grow until you get nearly three inches of foam at the top of the glass. Not to worry, it dissipates in due time and you can ready yourself for consumption.
I held the beer under my nose for quite sometime, drawing the aroma over and over and trying to determine how to describe the scent. At first, I was reminded of every other wheat beer I've ever encountered. The wheat is almost sweet to the senses and as you explore further you can detect a hint of floral undertones, but surprisingly, the smokiness is not in the smell.
As the first sip entered my mouth all I could think of was smoked brisket. The smoke was so powerful and overwhelming that I thought I just finished a cigarette. Any indication that this was a wheat beer soon disappeared and all that your left with is the sensation of having spent a couple hours around a bonfire. I'm going to digress here and give credit to the bonfire reference to Michelle. She mentioned it and it made perfect sense.
Since this is my first foray into critiquing much of anything I will admit that I cheated a little bit with TNT. I visited Beer Advocate and decided to see what others were saying about the beer before I tasted it. On the advice of one of the posters I let the beer warm to room temperature. I was promised a different tasting brew if I were patient enough. This poster was right on the money and did not disappoint. The smoke lifted, in a manner of speaking, and the wheat beer actually was hidden underneath. However, the brewer makes specific mention on the bottle to keep the brew refrigerated, so it isn't Left Hand's intention to let that smokiness lift.
Suggestion: I would not venture down the black tea path with TNT. The sweetness you would almost expect to find in a wheat beer is totally removed here and all you are left with are charred embers somehow captured in liquid form. After the YETI yesterday and its roasted malt, TNT's promise of roasted malt is far short.
Value: The 22oz bomber went for about $9. The markup is mostly there because it is a limited release beer. As you can imagine, I do not see the value for the finished product. There may be a good reason Left Hand decides to release this beer on a limited basis but I can't really think of one.
Michelle Factor: No grimace this time, but definitely a look of interest. The smokiness was evident right away and Michelle could taste the tea before I could. Granted, the smokiness really is the taste of the tea based on the tea description so I suppose I tasted it right away as well. It's her favorite beer by far, but considering she said she wouldn't run out and buy it or ever really get a taste for it, that's not saying much.
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