Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

Brewed by Brauerei Heller
Style: Smoked
Bamberg, Bayern, Germany

Enjoyed this one at Redbones over lunch to celebrate closing on my first house. I’ve found most rauchbiers to be over-done... just a ton of smoke aroma and way out of balance. This one is the best I’ve tried. Smoky aromas balanced well with sweet maltiness. Mouthfeel was pleasant, not overly slick like many others in this style. Appearance seemed just the slightest bit watery on pour, but was a nice deep brown in the glass. Highly recommended.

like liquid jerky and I mean that as a compliment. Probably wouldn’t want to have more than 1L of this at any one time because the flavor is a bit strong, but I felt it a great sitting beer.

Way, way too smoky, bordering on bacon flavor and scent. Yes, it’s a smoked, but I’m not sure this works with this "uninspiring" Marzen recipe. Good mouthfeel though, not too thin, not overly creamy. It was a bark brown, but still clear enough to see easily through the glass. Very frothy head when poured into a Marzen glass. I figured I’d get a little less "smoky" even though it was listed as smoked, but I guess it didn’t help to also be grilling outside at the time, so it was a bit overwhelming. (Bottle Pour 5/11/2008)

Bottle @ peculiar pub. Dark brown with heavy smoked flavor, chewy bacon, and smoke is all over.

Seriously smoky, lots of bacon fat and tobacco aromas here. palate is pretty thin though, and the smokiness does cover up and lingering complexities in this one. This however is a great food pairing beer, wonderful as an accompaniment to grilled meats and barbecue, and also to cook with.

Liquid smoke in a bottle, I do like a good Rauchbier once in a while and there is no doubt that this is good. Pours a clear dark brown with a red tint. Thick, bubbly tan head coupled with stringy lacing. Smells like a wonderful campfire, lots of wood and smoke as well as a familiar pale lager aroma that thins out the heavy smoke. Body is lighter than anticipated. Malty and moderately bitter. Flavor is pretty straight forward with heaping doses of smoke, meat, and wood. A fun and interesting beer, I do enjoy this unique style. Their Urbock seems to be more to my liking though as it is thicker and heavier.

After trying their infamous Smoke-Beer, I was eager to try their marzen. The malts had the smokey flavor, but not overpowering. Very unique flavor and very tasty.

500mL bottle. Pours a very dark, reddish cola-brown color; light tan head with solid fine-bubbled lacing. Fantastic smoky aroma: beef jerky, smoked meats, charred wood, and some spiciness; just an intense, spicy and pleasurable smoke character in the nose. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: relaxed carbonation; charred firewood, smoked meats, smoked gouda, and spiciness dominate the mouthfeel: chewy, full, intricate smokiness; just awesome stuff; the malty core suggests a lightness that adds a lot to drinkability: some sugar and breadiness, but barely perceptible underneath all the smoked malt; I’ve been craving to try this beer again for a while. Lengthy finish: spicy, smoked meats, charred wood, and nicely dry; no unnecessary sweetness.