Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

Slightly less intense version of Schlenkerla’s Urbock, quite good and would work well both cold or at room temperature as opposed to the Urbock which I would never drink cold under any circumstances. Probably a bit better for beginners or those not used to smoked beer.

Bottle... This beer rocks!... The aroma was heavy with malt and hickory-like, bacon smoke. Slightly sweet and lightly floral underneath all other aromas. A beautiful, clear, sparkling dark ruby/copper hue. Frothy, medium-sized khaki head with decent lacing. This Märzen is fairly malty (not overly so), moderately bitter and lightly salty and acidic. It’s full-bodied with lively carbonation and an oily mouthfeel. The long, very dry finish includes a not-unpleasant tangy/bitter palate. A great beer for either sipping or drinking mass quantities.

Perhaps likening beer to gouda cheese doesn’t entice folks to try it, but this beer has that lovely gouda aroma but a firm, assertive taste. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a fun, tasty special beer.

This reminds me of when my buddy used to smoke beef brisket for 6 hours on a fine barrel style grill, this is a as Smoky as the Mountains in East Tennessee, American Country Ham has nothing on the smokiness of this brew, malty, and a little sweetness among the smoke.Grab the cheddar, beef brisket and this fine beer and come on down. Recommended

This is certainly a new beer drinking experience. Aroma is smoked ham, bacon. and salami. Appearance is dark brown bordering on black. Flavor is of dark malt and a variety of smoked meat. A cookout or a meat lover's pizza in a bottle. I can see people being weirded out by this experience but I think its an excellent beer even better than Stone's Smoked Porter.

Deep amber and copper coloured body with a dense tan head - very nice looking. Aroma of potent smoked peat, smoked salmon, roasted malt, toffee and more smoked wood - crazy. Medium-bodied; Nice malty flavour with some toffee and nuts thrown into the largely smoked flavour that really stands out near the end. Aftertaste shows some complexity with a bit of oak and vanilla along for the ride with the smoked flavours. Overall, a nice and very potent flavoured beer - really true to the style, and practically a definition of the style. I sampled this 500 mL bottle purchased from German Gourmet in Arlington, Virginia a few days ago, sampled on 01-May-2009 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Dark auburn color with curling tendrils of head. High carbonation is evident through sporadic firing of bubble salvos up through the liquid. Aroma is a complex smokiness underpinned by cocoa, ovaltine, hickory, and walnuts. Flavor is sweeter than one might expect (although not really given the marzen base), and starts sweet while finishing quite dry. Charred meat, campfire, and burning sugar types of smokiness are all present. Some hop presence, but this is scared off by the bitter, smoky astringency. Interdigitated malt structure (caramel, pecans and molasses) comes through the wall of flavors. Overcarbonation keeps this beer from being all it could be (problem remedied ad hoc by decanting beer and leaving in fridge for 30 minute or so).

Smoke laden Marzen beer. Poured via gravity at the pub. Very nice, beautiful color of deep amber to red, aroma is mainly smoke with a tad of hops and hints of bacon...