Eight Pacific Northwest Breweries Unite to Brew Smoky Rauch Märzen Collaboration

Eight Pacific Northwest breweries gathered at Single Hill Brewing in Yakima to brew Smoke Break Rauch Märzen, a collaboration that leans into one of the most polarizing styles in the German lager canon. The participating breweries, Cloudburst Brewing, Obelisk Beer, Varietal Beer, Ladd & Lass Brewing, Ravenna Brewing, Urban Family Brewing, Human People Beer, and Single Hill Brewing, released the beer this week after a joint brew day at Single Hill's Yakima facility.

The beer is a mid-strength Rauch Märzen built on beechwood-smoked barley and a touch of oak-smoked wheat. That grain bill follows rauchbier tradition closely: the style gets its character from malted barley dried over an open fire, with beechwood historically the smoke source of choice in Bamberg, Germany, where the style originated. The finished beer is malt-forward with notes of caramel and cocoa, backed by a firm but clean smoky finish that lingers without overwhelming.

Rauchbier occupies a complicated corner of beer culture. It is considered a cult classic by devotees and a genuine curiosity by newcomers, while many drinkers skip it entirely on the assumption it is not for them. That dynamic makes it a commercially risky pour for taprooms whose cash flow depends heavily on IPA and pilsner sales, which is precisely why assembling eight breweries behind a single batch made strategic sense. The collaboration distributes both the creative risk and, presumably, the advocacy work of putting an unfamiliar style in front of skeptical drinkers across multiple markets.

Smoke Break's name signals the collaborative intent without requiring explanation. A rauchbier with two distinct smoke contributions, beechwood on the barley and oak on the wheat, offers enough nuance to reward close attention while staying approachable enough to serve as many drinkers' first encounter with the style. Details including ABV, packaging formats, and specific taproom availability had not been confirmed as of publication.