Financial Masochism Smoked Amber Lager with Maple

Review Date 5/22/2024  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Rauchbier   Brewery: Fifth Hammer   Country: USA   State: New York   $ Per OZ: $.28 (B)   ABV: 5.9%

Welcome, friends, to my first ever beer (hence first ever review of a beer) from the Fifth Hammer brewing company of Long Island City, New York. I was shopping for beers one day at Half Time and noticed their Financial Masochism Smoked Amber Lager with Maple, and you just know that if a beer is smoked, I am going to buy it. Maple does not hurt your chances either.

Fifth Hammer seems to be highly regarded amongst beer geeks, but they are not the most active at maintaining their online profile. Their website does not really provide much information about them. You can buy tour tickets there, but there are no scheduled dates since March 1^st. Their Facebook page has not had a post since February 20^th, Hopefully, they are just selling so much beer they have no time for such things.

Financial Masochism Smoked Amber Lager with Maple has a alcohol content of 5.9% by volume and I paid $6.99 for my pint can from Half Time. A 4-pack runs you $18 at the brewery. That’s all the pricing that I have. The label on my can was marked canned on 11/15/23 and I drank it on March 4^th of 2024.

Financial Masochism Smoked Amber Lager with Maple pours to a deep amber color with a thick foamy head and a nose of caramel and light smoke. Taking a sip, the beer offers up more of the caramel malt the nose hinted at, though it still seems a bit lighter than I would like. The maple pokes through and adds a hint of richness and sweetness, and the whole affair is permeated with a subtle but noticeable hickory like smokiness. Green olives make an appearance, and the finish is gently grassy herbal bitter.

I would have liked morse smoke here but hey, I always want more smoke. This was a tasty and delicious brew, my friends, and one that impressed me enough that I soon bought more beer from Fifth Hammer. More on that to follow.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??