Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

Bottle, brought back from the brewery this summer. Beautiful deep smoky aroma, dark clear appearance and great smoked meat taste. Surpisingly light feel and texture but a lingering sticky aftertaste. It’s not as good as draught, but I can’t move to Bamberg just yet!

500 ml bottle direct from Germany. Wow, blazing ham smoke aroma! This is what Beechwood aging is really supposed to mean - just kidding this is smoked with beech not fermented in it. Huge smokiness may be off-putting to some but this is a true to style Rauch Marzen. Pours a firey deep amber/brown-orange color that floats a rocky head. Sweet maltiness upfront ending with dark toastiness from Munich malts yieldiing a satisfying dryness to wrap it up. A great drinking beer probably best enjoyed in moderation as it will wipe out the flavor of any lesser beer you might want to be quaffing :-)

Has the same smokiness as the urbock that you either love or hate, but the rest of the beer is a little tamer. easier to swallow down, the actual marzen backing is very good. nice and crisp, moderate bitter finish. The real problem is that since it was more balanced and lighter than the urbock i was able to finish it off pretty quickly and then I got pretty upset when I didn’t have any more.

Bottled 500ml. Amazing Beer. Brown color with a generous beige head, smoked aroma (remember a xmas turkey) and the same thing to the flavor but too more stronger. Mouthfeel is dry and bitter finish.

Português : Cerveja maravilhosa!! Cor marrom com uma generosa espuma bege, aroma defumado (me lembrou o peru de natal) o mesmo para o sabor, porém mias forte. Retrogosto seco com um final amargo.

Deep dark smokey malt aroma, like smokey scotch. Reddish brown with a decent beige head that turns into a thin layer quickly. Strong taste of smoked pig, nice carbonation, dry smokey aftertaste.

When I was growing up, there was a point where we had an outside smoker at home. It was great. We would smoke a small turkey during thanksgiving, and year-round we would smoke fresh caught fish. I also grew up deep sea fishing and certain fish were simply divine when smoked versus cooked. Add to that my love of smoked salmon, cheese, and a variety of other things, to know there was a smoked beer style; I simple had to find me one to try.
The Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen is one of the most classic examples of a rauchbier, aka, a smoked beer. With great anticipation and love, I pour her dark soil brown body into my glass. Slightly opaque yet clear enough for light to shine through and show off her beautifully rich smoky brown curves. A soft head fades into a thin ring around my glass as I lift her up for a whiff of the nose. Rich, woodsy, sweet and smoky, like I had just stepped outside to check on our smoker and the delectable contents within. As I swirl and quaff my Schlenkerla Rauchbier, fine trails of Brussels lace trickle down the side. For such delicate smoke intensity in the palate, the body is refreshingly light and does not weight the beer down at all. Later on I detect a hint of caramel malts in with the still woodsy aroma and palate reminiscent of cedar. A bit of a bite in the back reminds me that there are still hops present in this beer as they also add a slightly resinous oily texture to the overall body. I finish my Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen with a flourish of smoky campfire and woodsy aromas and flavor.
I couldn’t be more pleased or impressed with this stellar example of a Rauchbier. Granted it is the first I have had the privilege to try, but it will most certainly not be the last. Anyone who is a fan of anything smoked will love this beer.

My first foray into smoked beer and with pure luck. Extremely flavoursome, distinctive smell of a strong peaty whiskey lwith a flavour like a cross between smoking tobacco and pipe tobacco but without being bitter. Excellent beer, one i will be recommending.

Pours a reddish brown with thick white head. Not very frothy. The aroma is of smoke and tar. Some hops coming through. The taste is wonderful and strong. A start of smokiness finished off by a slight coffee-malt flavor. The body is medium-full. What a terrific beer!