Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

Score is for overall impression over many bottles and out of the oakwood keg at the Brauhaus in Bamberg, where it was likely the best smoked beer I’ve ever had. Notes below are old and need revision.

The nose is almost entirely smoked salmon and smoked cheddar, very forthright and direct with the creamy, almost milky smoke scent. Smooth liquid and creamy texture, lightly biting with the smoked grains and salmon flavors, finishing with a touch of sweetness and a wallop of liquid smoke.

Bottle. Brown/dark amber colour with an off-white head. Horrible smoky aroma. Flavour is smoke & sausage, *ack*. This is definitely not my kind of beer...

Certainly note an every day beer but it was one of the most interesting beers I tried on a recent trip to Germany. A very smoky honey-pork full bodied flavour with a dark orange-brown (almost red) appearance, and a mid light brown head. Very different. Enjoyed it in Bamberg.

Bottled. Poured a clear reddish-brown with a well-maintained cap of beige head... thick, thorough lacing. The aroma was remniscent of a smoldering campfire and well-smoked sausage... deeper down were caramel, mild alcohol, and fresh autumn leaves... nice stuff.

The flavor was a tad sharper and less refined.. brown sugar, caramel, and intensely-smoked malts... salty with some very well-smoked lunchmeat.. sharp around the edges (I was struggling with the source, and I think BeerBelcher hit it with seawater). Medium-bodied... left salty bacon on a long finish. Solid drink.

This was the smokiest rauchbier I’ve ever had, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing! It is very substantial, and has a flavor remiscent of eating fresh bacon inside a smokehouse, but not enough beer character for me. Not very drinkable, but very interesting. It boured a sparkling red color with a medium amount of head. It had a salty, smokey, meaty smell. It was downright bacon-like in flavor, but I wish had more beer character. I felt the beer-flavor in this beer was totally overwhelmed by this bacon flavor. It had a salty mouthfeel, like a mouthful of seawater. Not very drinkable.

500ml bottle, poured a clear ruby with a full off-white head, lots of smoke fragrances, reminded me of the aroma of charcoal in a fireplace, bar-b-que smoke, burnt wood aroma, hint of pork fat, the smoke permeated everything, some sweet from malt, there are whiffs of an oily smoke in the brew, dry on the palate, some hop bite in the mouth, some smoke taste with a charcoal smoke on the tongue but I wanted more smoke on my taste buds, some dark malt flavor, I was kind of hoping for more smoke taste to match the aromas this beer was giving off, even the bottle cap had a smoke wood aroma, this is a different beer.

Bottle at Aufsturz, march 07. Deep, shinny copper color with golden hues and a tight beige head. Aroma is of bacon, barbacue, but not over the top. Tastes of smoked ham, a bit astringent and some toasted malts at the end. Solid, balanced and catchy smoked character. MF is medium, although the smoke factor affects drinkability from my point of view. Interesting and evidently well crafted, but not something I would drink everyday.

Extremely dark and syrupy reddish coffee color. This smells just like Gouda cheese; pungently, distinctly Gouda (funky and cheesy combo’d with a sausage/salami smell). Very malty flavor; the Gouda is far less noticeable in the flavor than aroma. This would probably be a real treat if you like Gouda.