Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen

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

From the bottle.

I’ve had this one sitting in my cellar for six months or so; I was inspired by Oakes’ latest column ( http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-621.htm ) to pull it out and give it a taste.

Pours an elegant clear caramel brown without much head. Smoked malt of course dominates the aroma, with a bit of dry-cleaner’s shop in there as well. The flavor is not as powerfully smoky as the aroma, at least on the front side of each sip. This gives the caramel malts a chance come through, rich and slightly sweet, before the smoke intermingles with mild bitter hops to provide the finish.

I’m relative newcomer to smoked beers; in some ways the smoked malts remind me of a strongly dry-hopped IPA in the mouth-drying finish. I can’t say that I’m to the point where I prefer the smoke to the hops, but this is interesting and enjoyable as well.

Clear dark pop color(huh?). Small head that goes away quickly...smokey meat is the aroma and is pretty nice, but a bit sour. Very nice smoke taste, and the beer remains refreshing. I’m drinking this while bbq’ing...perfect. Hops come through at the end, but aren’t overly bitter. Just a nice balance.

Pours mahogany with a patchy and edgy off-white head. Aroma is smoked meat, roasted nutty malt (grain, meal) yeast (earth) and bacon.

Bottle. Poured a dark brown, ruby against the light with a thick light brown head. This is the best smelling beer I’ve encountered in its own very unique way. Rich, almost like slow roasted barbeque, an amazingly rich smoky scent. Tastes like it smells, a smoky flavor that makes me feel like I’m drinking beef brisket. A carmelized sweetness hides in the smoke. Very interesting and enjoyable, with a smooth rich finish to top it off.

Appearance: Pours a chestnut brown body with a thin, thinning, bubbly white head. Smell: Bacon, though definitely top-quality bacon. You know me, I’m definitely down with the bacon. Taste: Sweetish, rich dark caramel maltiness prior to the smoked meat flavor hitting hard and fast. There’s some dark fruits present, but, again, you gotta look long and hard past those smoked malts. Thin vein of roastiness and even woody character throughout. Never much in the way of hops or substantial bitterness though. Oh, the ham. Oh, the sweet barbecue flavors. Finishes ultimately smoke with a mouthful of cub scout campfire ashes. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-low carbonation. Drinkability: An enjoyable beer, a smoke-minded treat even, but not one I could down on a daily basis. Such a smokey, bacon-laden flavor and aroma that it might be even more recommended to friends of the Jewish persuasion. Paired well with some chicken pan fried noodles. The driver refused to partake in the beer once he smelled it.

Pouts a clear red black with a healthy white medium density head. This is not what I expected of a Marzen, though I’ve never had a real rauchbier! The nose is straight up bacon. Mostly smoke, with a few light fruity notes sneaking out. Perhaps hops? The palate is creamy and mouthfilling though not too thick. The flavor is an amazing deadringer for bacon. As a vegetarian willing to make exceptions for things like bacon and pastrami, I think I might be able to cross bacon off of the list entirely thanks to the flavors in this beer. There’s even the salty twang from bacon in this beer. There’s some slight burnt charcoal flavors that really fill this beer out the balance a significant rich sweetness up front. Even a touch of spicy floral hops comes through. An absolute ton of complexity. I really enjoyed this beer and will certainly buy more!

Bottle. Pours to a rich dark brown, with a small white head. Mild carbonation. Aroma is very smokey, but is heightened with smokey meat scents like bacon and ham, as well as ash. Compared to the Urbock, the Marzen is cleaner to the palate, not as thick, and not as smokey, but still retains wonderful character and body. Smokey and roasted malt flavor is detectable, but the dominent smoke and bacon, and wood-smoke flavors make for a well rounded and enjoyable Rauchbier. I feel the Urbock has a slight edge, but this is a wonderful example for the style. I do not drink Rauchbier often, but Schlenkerla makes a great product and I am pleased that it is widely available.

bottle: pours a rootbeer brown with a creamy just off white head. aroma is totally smoke, almost grill like smoke. behind all the smoke is a soft hint at sweeter malts. also believe i am getting a wood aroma. the flavour is quite light compare to the heavy smoke aroma. it has a definte smoke flavour but seems to blend well with the other sweeter malts in the beer. the palate plays well on the tounge and the beer is preety smooth to go down. the finish dries out alittle. very good.