Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

Pours a deep dark clear copper-red, with 2" of light tan foam. The suds recede quickly to a thin cap and ring. It starts out with nice lacing, but tapers off to just a minimal trace. Good smoky malty aroma. Full smoky flavor up front - with some nice seet caramel behind it. The caramel fades, however, to just smoke until the finish. There is a bit of spicy hops in the finish, and a sweet smoky finish. Medium bodied, gentle carbonation.

Dark but clear caramel color, nice frothy head with good retention. Smells like a combination of cocktail smokies, a chemical fire, and malty goodness. Nicely carbonated, and to my surprise, as much beer flavor as smoke flavor; much more of a hop finish and smoke flavor dissipates quickly.

[bottle from gareth young] dark brown colour. Aroma is of campfire smoke and caramel. Has a smooth palate. Bitter finish to a great beer.

[Bottle from oh6gdx, cheers!] Ruby brown with a thick, tan head. Big beechwood smoke nose, some caramel, slight roast. Full, smooth body with a gentle carbonation, dry, smokey finish.

Bottle. Wow wow wow, have been looking for this for a full year now. Crazy powerful nose, loads of malt and smoke, primarily of the smoked ham/fish variety more than the woody. Deep brown with a large, fluffy head. Very malty and smoky with a pleasant, pervasive fruity sweetness. Light grapes. Hops evident in the back of the mouth and throat at the end and into the dry aftertaste. Coating and lasting despite the lager body. Balanced and full-flavored, flavorful but relaxed, not extreme. No apparent alcohol, and the smoke retires after a while and leaves a luscious, lovely brew, well-made and free of novelty. A sumptuous, rich dessert, an absolutely delicious lip-smacker. A revelation, treuly worth the wait.

Bottle pours dark brown almost black with a short tan head taht stays pretty well and laces the side of the dimpled mug I served it in. Aromas of peat, campfire, a touch of caramel, and some burnt malts. Flavor is smoke, roasted malts, caramel, and some bread notes. Softly carbonated and fairly smooth in the mouth. Unique and quite tasty..

(50 cl bottle, thanks oh6gdx!) Clear brown color, tan head. Intense peaty and smoky scent, lots of tar. Smoky but also sweet and voffee taste. Coffee and burnt malt aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bitterness. For scotch lovers it’s a must, also for me. I love the smoke and tar, give me more!

Truly a unique beer. While residing in Deutschland I fell in love with this unique Rauch Bier. Many American breweries have tried, but none have the smokey and bitter flavor required for an effective smoke beer. Speaking with the brauer gave me a glimce into the tradition and technique into this complex urbock. This Beer is truly a German tradition that stands firm with its Bavarian rules of Brewing.