Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

(Bottle) Dark red with white head. Smoked, wood, meat, fish, cheese you name it aroma with some sour hints. Smoke flavour with some peppery notes. Small to medium malty backbone. Clean mouthfeel. Lingering aftertaste. One dimentional and very good.

Like it’s brother the Urbock, this beer screams smoke from the top of its lungs. It’s incredible to smell, and while it might be a bit much for some people it head dead center for me. Truly, a rauchbier for rauchbier lovers. The bottle alone reminds you of some dark cool evening walking thru the German town of Bamberg, soaking in all the goodness that is there. The beer pours out a medium brown color, one finger thick off-white foamy head, which had some staying power. Held up to the light, you could see some garnet and a touch of brown. Aroma is smoke. Pure and simple. Campfire smoke, meat smoking over s grill, burning paper. Mouthfeel is creamy and smoooth. Flavor is more smoke, but its not overly done. Just right. Reminds me of a very well done smoked black forrest ham. Underneath it all are some sweet malts which really binds it all together and makes this beer really a treat to have. Outstanding beer.

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.

Re-rate: I appreciate the style a lot more now. A very strong smoky aroma with a very gentle smooth flavour. I'm glad i've given this one another shot. Original rate: (1.6) This is the first and last rauchbier i have ever tried. It's just not my kind of beer. Tastes like ashes.

Bottle from sam’s. Pours a glowing amber with thin white lace. Nose is smoke, bacon, malt, and pleasant. Flavor is well balanced between excessive smoke and layered malts. This was much more of an easy drinker than I expected, yet it was still utterly complex. A gem of smoked beers.

This beer definitly smells like meat and I drank it with some meat and they went well together. Drank brown color with a hint of amber coloring. Has very little head. This beer isnt thick but still satisfying to the taste. 8/3/8/8/16
BR>Rerate. Ahh the youthfull ratings. but this is a standard in my house and a lovely berr altogether. The reason i sit to rerate is I got to try this on tap at the Hop Devil Grill. Well, all the smokiness is exaggerated and the beer really does seem fresher. Its a very silky smokiness with some sweetness to it. A beautiful extremely dark brown color with just a bit of brown translucence. Whats there to say its just freaking a good ass smoke and even better on tap. 9/4/8/3/18

Bottle. Pours black that turns deep mahogany when held to the light. Moderate tan head leaves spotty lacing. The nose is smoked ham, light bacon and campfire. Taste is smoky charred wood, burnt sweet malt, smoked meat and light roasted coffee in the finish. Medium creamy mouth feel. Very good.

From a 1 pt. 9 oz. euro brown bottle with no freshness date. Poured a rudy hued dark brown with a foamy off-white/beige head that settled into a thin lacing, small amount of sticking. Aromas of a quality smoked ham, the kind of smell that makes you drool, an vanilla oak woodiness and a sweet caramelized maltiness in the background. The right amount of moderate carbonation and a crisp, chewy and smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Delicious smokey tasty, a nice meatiness, a caramelized sugary maltiness, a vanilla oak woodiness, the hops provide a soft bitterness in the middle, and a smokey malt with touches of caramel finish, smooth, good drinkability. This is my second rauchbier from this brewery and I have to say, so far, I’m pretty impressed.