Ology planning first-ever Smoke Fest with special brew and barbecue

Danny Aller
·3 min read

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ology's Smoke Fest event - and rum and beer release - that was planned for Saturday, April 29, had to be postponed due to the threat of inclement weather. Ology announced the new date for the event is Saturday, June 3.

Smoked beer. Smoked rum. Smoked meats. Smoke machines. Red-hot smoking live bands on stage playing music. And actual cigars you can smoke.

What do all of these have in common?

Ology Smoke Fest includes release of Bog Body lager.
Ology Smoke Fest includes release of Bog Body lager.

They are all things you'll be able to find at Ology Brewing's Inaugural "Smoke Fest" Saturday, June 3. It'll take place at their Power Mill location off Northeast Capital Circle - and it'll go all day from noon to midnight.

But before you find out all the cool things that are happening at Smoke Fest 2023, you first need to hear the equally cool story about how Ology came up with the idea.

"We had the idea to throw some of our Ology Distilling Barrel-Aged Golden Rum into a Peated Scotch barrel to finish its aging. We started thinking about a fun way to celebrate this unique product. It started building from there, how about a similarly branded smoked lager?" Ology co-owner Nick Walker said. "We also love smoked meats, so how about we do a whole hog? Cigars get smoked - how about we work with our friends at Jerry's Cigars? Multiple bands, large rent, yard games, food trucks … it just kept building."

Ology's Bog Body Rum.
Ology's Bog Body Rum.

And if any of the aforementioned items are "your thing," you'll wanna pay attention to this rundown of all that's happening at Smoke Fest, including:

  • "Bog Body" barrel-aged rum bottle release; rum was finished in a Peated Scotch barrel

  • Smoked Dunkel Lager release (available on draft AND in cans!)

  • Smoked whole hog (By RyRys BBQ)

  • Two BBQ food trucks (Right On 'Que and RyRys BBQ)

  • Locally owned Jerry's Cigars selling a custom blend made for Ology and SmokeFest (there will be a designated smoking area)

  • Yard games, including axe-throwing

  • Two live bands (The Forge Brothers, 3-6 p.m., and Finn & The Kingsnakes 7-10 p.m.)

But since this is a beer column - and we also love our locally brewed spirits - we really want to focus on these two releases they're doing and let Nick tell you more about each one. Take it away, NW!

"Bog Body Rum is a 116-proof Barrel-Aged Rum finished in a Peated Scotch Cask. Our Barrel-Aged Rum is aged in a new barrel that is heavy char (a la bourbon style)," Nick told us. "It picks up really nice caramel, toffee, vanilla, and baking spice notes from the barrel and smooths out the tropical funk our white rum gets through fermentation and the single-origin Guatemala molasses. At first, the Peated Scotch Cask punched through the rum, but as months went by, it has melded into a beautifully complex profile where the scotch cask just builds an awesome depth."

As for that Smoked Dunkel, which is the first time Ology has brewed up here like this? Well, this baby sounds SUPER delish, too!

"Bog Body Smoked Dunkel is a recipe I built at first to be a pretty traditional Munich Dunkel. Basically, a brownish lager with really nice warm flavors like toasted bread, caramels, and honey," Nick explained. "We added a low amount of cherry wood smoked malt for a touch of that smokey flavor. Then in true Ology fashion, this lager has been lagering (as a good lager should) for almost two months - so it is clean and crisp."

And there you have it! A lot going down at Ology Power Mill next Saturday, and you've got a large window of time to go and check it out. You better believe we'll be there early for some of that smoked whole hog, local BBQ and to make sure we get our hands on that beer and rum just in case they run out!

Cheers to Smoke Fest 2023 - and here's to hoping it becomes an annual event!

Danny Aller is the co-founder, along with Matthew Crumbaker, of the TLH Beer Society. Reach the Beer Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or email: tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.

If you go

What: Ology's "Smoke Fest"

When: noon-midnight, Saturday, June 3

Where: Power Mill location off Northeast Capital Circle, 2708 Power Mill Ct.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect changes in dates, due to rainy weather forecast for the original April 29 date.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ology planning first-ever Smoke Fest with brews, meats and music