Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

Strong smoky campfire aromas is the first thing that hits ya. The flavors are of smoky beef jerky. Nice once in a while type beer for something different.

As smoked beers go, this is one of the best. Deep brown pour with a lighter brown head that dissipates into a constant ring. Great lacing. Aroma is exactly the same as the smell of a charcoal barbeque grill when you first open it to light it. Bacon, malt, and oak are mixed nicely in the flavor. Not as overpowering as the Marzen version. I only wish this one was easier to find.

Bottle. Dark, deep brown black in color. Sudsy but somewhat static when settled. Smokey, fire-worn, wooden, nutty. Sample I have is over-chilled, masking the flavoring. Thinner in body than expected not much to offer after the initial taste.

Aroma: Burnt, bacony smoke is very pungent, although pleasing. Assertive, but not overdone. Reminiscent of smoked sausage. Appearance: Dark amber color with ruby highlghts. Decent head upon pouring. Nice and clear. Flavor: Persistent smokiness but again not overdone. Sweet, clean malt profile. Lovely, and hugely drinkable. Palate: Moderate carbonation, smooth mouthfeel. No fusels, no astringency, very nice. Overall: Probably my favorite Aecht Schlenkerla product. Well done and good example of a quality rauchbeer.

This had a small head,which quickly dissipated.Aroma was of wet cigars at first whiff.Second whiff was A bit more easy,though not much.My second impression was of seaweed.I find Ungstrup’s description quite well put.The third smell was of smoke.The beer color was red-amber.The aroma wasn’t attractive,but the color was.The taste was much better than the smell.Quite complex.The taste was of smoky ,somewhat sweet roasted(burnt) almonds.I keep getting the taste feeling of being at the beach smelling the surf,but in taste.maybe charcoaled wood.Finishes dry,and with a feeling that you want another sip.Very unique tasting beer.Kind of a ying/yang of beer.It’s good and bad.,so I guess it’s overall good.They balance each other.You have to try this.

Bottle.Pours a clear brown with a two finger tan head that lasts and leaves good lacing. Aroma of the most delicious barbecue I have ever smelled. Taste is of barbecue and oak with a good clean bitterness. This beer is almost like a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and collard greens put together. Heavenly!!!

From a 500mL Bottle. Pours a ruddy, transparent cedar bark color with a tall layer of creamy, tan head. Well sustaining head that revives itself beautifully with layers of shimmering, oily tinted bubbles. Intense smoked aroma, obviously, but the light hardwood - alderwood, beechwood, maple, whatever it is - character keeps it from getting overly soyish or teriyaki like in the meaty dimensions. The smoked characters remind me much more of a delicate smoked salmon or some lightly salted hickory bacon. Some nutty notes combine with a light saltiness to make me crave some smoked cashews to snack on while enjoying this brew. Light to medium bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel that contributes some lightness and overall drinkability for the brew. Incredibly silky soft texture. The smoke characters are intense, but there are some dry chocolate and nutty characters that linger through the flavors and palate as well. Digging a little deeper reveals some almost tobacco-like malt character. All the while, the smoke character plays on, never yielding its assertiveness. Delicious. I love how the smoke can be such a powerful, delicious dimension to the beer throughout the entire sensory experience, but still allow the other subtlties to come and go as they please in their entertaining sideshows.

[bottle] Reddish brown in color, huge aroma of wood smoke and malt. Flavors are on the sweet side, with a firm dose of smoke throughout. An outstanding match with smoked meats and BBQ. Very nice, overall.