Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

This was a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant find. I was highly let down by their Weizen and it took some faith in trying this. Boy was I impressed. It has all the elements of a fine smoked beer, great aroma, fantastic flavor, a deep ruby appearance. Unfortunately however most smoked beers (even the very good ones) can be very overpowering, creating a love-hate relationship with most drinkers. This however goes where no smoked beer (that I have tried) has gone before. It provides such exceptional drinkability and balance, it’s mind boggling to to think how this is possible with so much flavor in the mix. This then isn’t just a smoked beer for the fans of the style but a beer for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. A fantastic pairing with BBQ.

500 mL bottle from LCBO.

App.: fairly deep brown-copper, light tan head. Aroma: intense smoke, like a campfire. Deep smoked ham and pineapple, maybe a bit of sweet malts behind that (hard to tell). Palate: med. body and fairly low carbonation. Flav.: ham, bacon, smoked meats, a touch metallic, a hint of roasted malts and a bit of bitterness in the finish.

OK, so I wouldn’t drink much, but the smoke kinda fades and this becomes a better beer than I remember.

Tasted 18/02/2007. 500ml bottle, from the brewery, sent from the UK (in a sock). Thanks to the TheGrandmaster. Pours a deep chestnut brown, reddish hued, with a disappearing off-white head. Strong ashy notes on the nose - Brendon calls it "a glass of smoky bacon bits" and Fritha calls it "billy tea" (campfire tea, not the dearly departed NZ comedian). Whatever you call it, and both of them are quite apt, I like it. Also has a rich background of Munich malt. In the mouth it is creamy, with med-low carbonation and a med-full weight. This allows a lovely, clean, toasty Munich richness to dominate. Lowly hopped, and the ash notes aren’t noted on the tongue. It’s pretty fresh but I can imagine it even fresher. World Class. Bamberg slips ahead of Portland in my beer holiday fantasy. I can’t believe I’ve already been there and missed all of the beer (but I do have a photo of the Rathaus in the middle of the river).

Bottle: Pours a deep brown with an amber hue in the light and a great dense tan head that lasts throughout. The aroma of this stuff is like being out in the woods with an open fire, burning freshly chopped wood, smoked ham. It captures an open fire character with such accuracy. Amazing malt depth is evident in the smoky layers of meaty & chewy flavors. The Smokiness of this is a bit less pronounced than the Ur Bock, but it’s presence is perfect. Robust wood character smothers the malt the entire way through. Smoky beef jerky , hickory rub, and tons of beechwood smoke. Perfectly balanced and creamy. An unbelievably great beer!

Bottle. Dark brown colored, dense tan head. Dominating aroma of smoked meat, scents of wood and dark smoked malt. Smokey flavors too of course. Strong malt base; roasty and burnt, with som pleasant sweetness coming trough. Mild bitter aftertaste. Tasty and exotic.

I was right into this, a truly smokey taste. I found it becoming slightly too sharp on the palate towards the end.

in bottle. medium amber with orange highlights. smoked salmon scent. tastes like applewood smoke.

Bottle. Pours a clear mahogany with a lacy off-white head. Plenty of smoke in the aroma, like bacon. Medium body and active carbonation. A lot of smoke up front, then some caramel. The aftertaste is a not-so-pleasant reminder of smoking, which I gave up years ago.