Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

Pours deep reddish brown. Smells sweet and really smoky. Tastes like smoked meats, campfire, sausage, sweet malty goodness and a strong bitter finish. Hell yes.

On tap at Pig’s Ear 09. Smells of bacon, very dark ruby beer. Sweet fruit and smokiness. Highly drinkable, but some extra bitterness would have lifted it a bit further.

(br-btl cr-lbl, rd-txt)

lct-mhny, §head, §co2, med-bod.

bbq pit aroma.

§smokey malty T1, §bitter T2, mineraly smokey T3, maltier Tf.
smoke flavor is meaty but not lingering, simple but ^character.

Truth be told, I have never had a beer like this, and after this tasting, probably never will again. The smokiness is so far over the top, the aroma is of bacon/ham/burnt wood/smoke/and just general meatiness. It’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy. Despite that, once you get past the aroma, this Urbock is generally drinkable. However, every sip I took smacked me in the nose with it’s rancid smokiness. Pours reddish brown (mostly brown) with a bit of carbonation, and could almost be tolerable with a smoked ham or turkey. ALMOST. Probably could have gone a lot lower on the ratings, but like I said, if you can get past the smell, the taste isn’t all that bad.

a smoldered and burnt sienna. Smells like a house burnt down. Enough smoke, guys. Under the aroma is a sticky sweet, malty, cola, oatmeal raisin cookie of a beer. delish. med-full body for a rauch. too bad they couldn’t get some of that cookie to hit you in the nose.

Great beer, if of course completely DOMINATED by the smoke. With some thought and consideration, other qualities become apparent. Poured with very little head and a tiny bit of lace. Color is an almost opaque dark, aged cherry wood. Aroma is as stated above Smokey and then some malt and that’s about it. Flavor’s the same with a little malt and dark ripe fruit sweetness. Finish is pretty much smoke. And then there’s the smokiness. Don’t notice the alcohol much. Pretty good beer within the narrow class. Not a session beer unless you’re a smoke fanatic.

Basically this beer reminds me of alcoholic version of a grilled pork chop. It has a nice full smoked flavor from the dark roasted malts. The hops are well balanced. There is a slight sweetness to the beer. Full of flavor. A great with meat and potatos.

Bottle. Reddish brown colour with an off-white head. Aroma: tar, smoked meat and malt. Flavor: tar, smoked meat, caramel, malt, salt, mint. Smooth carbonation.