Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

Pours medium amber with a soft white head. Smoke carries this whole beer, the base has a soft caramel note, but plays out a bit watery under the smoke. I do really enjoy these beers, they pull of a woody dry smoke that is meaty and natural, almost cigar like at times. Overall enjoyable, but the kind of beer you have to plan for, might not pair well with everything.

Bottle. Moderate molasses smell for the malt, light resin and leather for the hops and yeast, strong smell of smoke, toffee, pot roast and a German deli. Head is small, creamy white, with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is clear dark brown. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes moderately acidic and lightly bitter. Palate is medium, watery but almost creamy, and has a lively carbonation. The smoke puts this beer over the top, although i didin’t get a whole lot of Urbock out of it.

Bottle. Poured a deep brown color with some deep red highlights and a moderate off-white head that faded to a bubbly layer and left some spotty lacing. Aroma of bacon, smoked malt, charred wood, and some light brown sugar. Smooth, light entry with some lightly sweet brown sugar undertones that lead into a meaty, smoky middle with some dry burnt wood and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Low carbonation. Smooth on the palate, but a bit thin.

Sample @ Coles Octoberfest 2008, Buffalo NY. Pours a ruby brown color. Aromas of sausages, jerky, smoked meats, smoke. burning wood. Taste is heavily smoky, malts, smoked meats. My favorite of the 3 I had that day

Amazing Pure roasty smokey spiced ham nose. Flavor is smoked ham. This certainly gives the marzen a run for its money! I’ll have to do a side-by-side to figure out which one I prefer. It’s a shame that they are both so pricey...

16.9 oz bottle. Clear orange brown with a beige head. Nose is smoked bratwurst, rubber and light lagery lemon. Oily medium light with a tingle. Taste is sweet smoke, malt and apple. Dry pithy finish. This absolutely screams for a nice sausage platter. Beautiful use of smoke.

16oz bottle at the SATRG. Pours a reddish brown with a foamy small beige head. Nose is a crazy amount of bacon and smoke. Some subtle citrus. The taste is crazy its like eating a bacon cracker. Smoky and meaty with a subtle hop bite at the end. This is very well constructed and the alcohol is well hidden.

Wonderful, complex smoke nose. The smoke is vibrant, gentle, and a touch hammy. There is also a bit of malt hiding in the background. The flavor is a wonderful mix of smouldering hardwood, malty sweetness, oak, and light caramel. Pretty tasty. I wanting a good rauchbier tonight and this did nicely.