Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

Bottled. Brown and low on carbonation with tan head. Aroma is dominated by smoked elements. Smoked pork and campfire. Light maltaroma. Flavor has baconaroma-like elements and caramel. A special beer! Rating: 6-3-6-3-12-3(051028)

Bottle. Pours a beautiful clear, copper body with a small, dense beige head leaving some lacings. The nose has a nice fruityness that I haven’t noticed earlier when rating it, and of course there’s a roasted, bonfire-burnt, ashy aroma with the touch of bacon always detected. There’s caramel too. It’s a bit thin in the mouth, but that of course makes it suited for a long night of drinking. Flavorwise it finishes with a flavor reminding of when removing ash from the oven and there’s a flavor reminding of broadleaved wood as well. The beer reveals a fruityness hard to sense the first times drinking it, as it’s far from as pushing as the smoked flavors. The caramel sweetness is also in the background. It finishes with a lasting sweetness, and of course lots of burnt down bonfire and something bacon-like. The fruityness is also present. Sure lovely.
This is a beer surely needing some time to get familiar with, but when familiar, it sure is quaffable and quenching. I remember the first time I had it, at the Schlenkerla tavern. Even though the ambience is wonderful, the beer didn’t suit my palate, I think I needed almost an hour finishing my glass. Time for sure changes the palate. By the way, is there some banana in the aroma? (080328)

Bottled: A rerate of this beer is long overdue. When I tried this the first time, my palate wasn't really ready for a beer like this. Has a dark ruby colour with a medium sized beige head. Aroma is full of smokenotes and roastyness. Quite pleasant. Flavour reminds me of a 10year old Laphroigh (which I tried with the beer - nice pairing). Earthy, smoky, roasty on a nice maltbase. Is maybe a little thin bodied. All in all a good one
Original rating (1,7): This isn't my kind of beer. Had to try it, but the smoky flavour and aftertaste was to much. I kind of liked the aroma and the appearance, but as soon as i tasted it ......! It will take some time before I taste a smoked beer again.

This beauty pours rich and dark with a frothy head and a heavy smoked aroma. To me, it was like drinking some of the German sausages that I ate as a kid. Great stuff, but very filling.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=1 RAYBOY01’s Fridge<font size=-1>

Another overdue rerate: I had this a few times this summer and know my original rating was way low. Clear burnt orange color with a tall lasting dry bone colored head. Smoked ham and cheese all over the aroma. Light sweetness up front, much akin to a glazed smoked ham. Enough malt in the front to ease the smoke in. Light dry finish with a mild linger of malt and coals. 3 June 2002: (9,3,5,3,13 - 3.3) The aroma was fantastic, but I believe I got a bad bottle. Way to many errant flavors. Will rerate when I get a better sample.

Very smoked eel aroma. Dark brown color, beige head, very nice lace. Light sweet, light bitter, very much smoked eel flavors as well, soft feeling. This beer is very much WOW. Although very smoked I might even like drinking it all evening.

Pours a clear deep auburn red, no lacing but a nice sized head. Aroma is deliciously smokey like a really nice sausage or salami, maybe even salmon. Flavor has the perfect amount of smoke in it with some nice complexities of crystal malt. I don't know about a 5 Oakes, but this beer is pretty damn good. If you really like smoked meat or jerky, you'll like this beer. If not, well, you make your own conclusions. I could drink this for hours on end, it is relaxing and smooth once you really get into this bottle.

Deep ruby red/brown colour. Aroma is just as you’d expect - smoky bacon, but more pronounced in the flavour than the aroma. There’s a slight medicinal undertone that I don’t remember noticing before. Some bitterness comes through at the finish. This is still pretty weird as beers go, but nowhere near as startling as when I first picked up a bottle from a supermarket shelf not knowing what I was buying. 500ml bottle. Best before 30 September 2004 (drunk on 29 September 2004).

Bottle. Poured a dark brown color with a large creamy cascading off-white head that was mostly lasting and good lacing. Heavy roasted malt smoke aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture. Heavy smoke and light bitter flavor with the same long finish. Great spicy food or cigar brew.