Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

500ml bottle. Kippered beef. Beef stew. Salted bacon. Morning wet campfire wood, tobacco, wet leather and a touch of caramel sweetness. Pours dark brown with amber highlights. The flavor is not as smoked as the nose would lead me to believe. Salted fish, a hint of bacon, and toasted caramel. Medium bodied with a decent dry finish.

bottle - like the urbock, just too much smoke for me and really quite undrinkable; up there as one of my worst beer purchasing decisions

500ml Bottle- Brown in colour with red tinges. Roasted, smoky aroma. Malty and smoky taste with a hint of maple syrip sweetness and a nice roasted bitterness. Nice but a bit watery and the aftertaste lingers a bit too long for my liking so loses some marks in that respect.

Poured from a 25oz bottle and served in a Bell’s dimpled mug. This beer poured a dark brown with some mahogany highlights around the edges of the glass. A large, rocky head of tan foam lasted throughout the glass, leaving behind a nice amount of lace. The aroma of the beer was a bit shocking at first. It was made up of smoked ham, tobacco, and more smoke. Awsome!!! The flavor of the beer consisted of smoked malt, ham, and pipe tobacco. Not overwhelmingly smokey, but it added a nice depth and element of flavor to the beer. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied and lightly carbonated. The smoke was heavy in the aroma of this beer but not intrusive on the flavor. Pretty good.

If you like smoked beer, this is a great smoked beer. Has a small head, strong, smoky aroma. The smokiness is strong but not overpowering, and not sour like some rauchbiers. Smoke is nicely balanced with the malt. Color is a nice deep brown. Palate is nice and full but a touch oily. This is Shlenkerla’s best beer. Heavier than the Weizen, and lighter than the Urbock.

pours brown with thin tan head,wonderfull smoked bacon/ham nose.I have never smelled a beer like this.It makes my mouth water just smelling it.Tastes like it smells smoaky/salty,nice dry bitter finish,slight smokey notes,very interesting..very good!!!

Bottle. Pours a rather dark amber with a small head. The nose is a blast of bacon and BBQ. Tons of straight up smoke with caramel as an afterthought. The flavor is awesome: loads of cigar smoke, heavy handed bacon, a bit of biscuits, a faint nutty finish. Mm, tasty ashy notes here too. This is full bodied, well rounded, amply smoky, and a satisfying beverage. I’d love to pair this with some ribs.
[August 26, 2008]
Bottle in a side by side with Schlenkerla Urbock. The pour is a cloudy dark red with a tall off white head. Ah, there’s the familiar smoky, meaty aroma. Of course, both of these bad boy are among the smokiest of beers I’ve ever encountered. This one seems to lead more towards a sharper nose, like bacon with plenty of genuine smoke hitting my nostrils. It’s like standing over a campfire, allowing the clouds to waft directly into my olfactory glands. The mouthfeel is reasonable and fairly carbonated, just a hair lighter than the urbock. Again, sharp, defined, and delightful smoky qualities tantalize my palate. Lots of bacon, campfire, and cigars are noted. There is no real indication that this beer was intended to be a marzen. This is 100% about the smoke. I search high and low for more smoked brews but Schlenkerla continues to prove its dominance in the style. Nothing else even touches the intensity here.

Flaske. Flot mørkebrun rødlig øl. Duft af røg som også trænger godt igennem i smagen. Maltbasen kan godt smages med en smule karamel. Flot øl.