BBQ, Buddies, & Beer: Stone Matt's Burning Rosids

C and I got a smoker a little while back and we decided that today was a good day to give it a try. So last night we cured the smoker and this morning we fired it up.We are smoking a small pork butt and if everything goes right we will have some pulled pork for dinner! (If not we will be going to Papa Murphy's to get a Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza)

Drinking a beer on a patio watching your smoker is the only right thing to do on a day like today, so that is where I find myself. My smoker is a few hours into cooking and I start my first beer. Don't worry! It is afternoon!

I got a suggestion from some friends at KC Beer Scouts. They recommended that I drink a 4 Hands Smoked Pigasus and I will be getting some in my next trip to the store. It sounds perfect for my next attempt at using the smoker. (Like KC Beer Scouts on Facebook)

However as I need to keep an eye on my smoker, I went to my beer fridge to see what I had on hand. I found Stone's Matt's Burning Rosids, An Imperial Cheerywood-Smoked Saison. So I decided it was time to pay my respects to Matt and drink the beer dedicated to him. I will talk more about Matt shortly.

I poured this beer and it was a nice orange transparent color with a good off white head on the beer. As it comes in a bomber it wouldn't fit in one glass and it is 10.5% so I would actually suggest splitting it with a friend (unless you are on a mission).When smelling the beer you get a nice earthy aroma where you can really get the cherries. For those of you wondering, according to Stone, Rosid is the plant family that cherry trees come from. When I sipped this beer,the Belgian characteristics that is common in a Saison are prevalent. I got the earthy wood and smoked flavors from the cherrywood-smoke and it finished off kind of tart. This is a very enjoyable beer and I will enjoy it again, hopefully soon.

There is a reason it is call Matt's Burning Rosids, other than it is a cherrywood smoked Saison, Matt Courtright was a brewer for Stone Brewing. Sadly and unfortunately Stone lost Matt in 2013 and decided to pay tribute to his life by brewing this beer. I wish I could have met Matt with the way that Stone describes him:

Matt was the type of guy who loved to laugh, and had the amazing ability to put others in stitches just by being himself. In a matter of seconds, he could reduce the hardest, burliest, most seemingly emotionless brewer into a doubled-over, wheezing hyena. He had many methods for doing so-quips, bear hugs, and jokes, both of the inside variety and just plain hilarious. But, honestly, all it typically took was that infectious grin of his. Matt was just in love with life, and everyone and everything that comprised his. He loved being a brewer. More specifically, he loved being part of Team Stone, and the men and women he not only worked with, but spent most of his free time enjoying off the clock. He loved his family. He loved sports, particularly his hometown teams. And he loved making a difference. Matt expended a great deal of effort in the name of numerous charities, but none so much as GoDesign, a charity committed to fulfilling the architectural needs of developing communities around the world. In support of that organization's efforts, Matt traveled to Africa to help construct a much-needed school for the children of an impoverished village in Ethiopia.

Please go read more about how Stone describes Matt and his passions.

I give the Matt's Burning Rosids by Stone a 7.5 out of 10.

Go! Give it a try!