Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Pours an unfortunate macro yellow with a loose conglomeration of big bubbles and a razor thin suggestion of a head. The nose is unfortunately a big skunked. (Shame too, this just showed up in my beer store!) Beyond the skunk this is a mildly sweet light lager with just the slightest hint of smoke. Maybe a bit grapey. The mouthfeel is thin and refreshing, what a lager of most sorts, like Helles, should be. The flavor is a bit better than the skunk suggests. A better than average euro lager at it’s heart. Bigger malt sweetness, but very light. A bit of hop bitterness. Some small aspect of grape. But there it is, just a touch of smoke. Not the huge sticky bacon, but more like campfire smoke. Oh how I miss drinking by a good camp fire... anyhow, a bit grapey. A bit tannic. Long dry finish, with, unfortunately, a bit of skunk.

Pours a clear, golden color with a quickly disappearing white head. Strong grain aroma, slightly metallic, hint of the upcoming smoked flavor, not much else. Thin body, but smoked flavor makes up for that. A dry, smoked wood in a fireplace is the best way to describe it, but not as smoked as the other Schlenkerla offerings. Easy drinking, clean finish. Great, if you can find it.

Bière blonde dorée, assez pâle, très claire. Faible col qui disparaît après peu de temps, effervescence très discrète. Le parfum est essentiellement celui de la fumée, mais légère. Il n’y a presque pas d’odeur de bière. Le goût est aussi dominé par la fumée, sans trop être aggressive. La finale est moyennement amère. Assez équilibrée. Le palais est mince, avec peu de gaz. Ce serait une partenaire parfaite pour un plat de fruit de mer ou de poisson. Elle se boit très bien pour une bière à la fumée, mais je n’abuserais pas...

In short: A smoky basic lager. Simplicity = Drinkability.
How: Bottle 500ml, fresh (drank as soon as we got it through private importation)
The look: Clear blonde body with a little white head
In long: Typical Helles lager yeast (egg white to me), inexpressive cereals, a somewhat oily body and quite a bit of smoke. Undisturbed by the expressive maltiness of other Schlenkerla products I thought the smoke here was really pure smoke of dry wood/paper burning. As little as I have to say about the taste (it is a very simple beer) I found myself wanting a lot more than the lonely 500ml that I had, so that’s a good sign. Highly drinkable. A lot more smoked than I expected since I was told that this one doesn’t used smoked malts and the smoke only comes from the residues of other Schlenkerla beers. I mean, by itself this beer is as smoky as my college-days living-room. But relative to other Schlenkerlas this is like walking into my college-days living-room after spending 6 hours in Willie Nelson tour-bus.

Poured a golden color with a minimal white head. Nose of wheat and yeast. Tasted clean, with some bread and yeast flavors. Not really much in the end.

16.9oz/500ml bottle-pours a disappearing white head and yellow/pale yellow color. Aroma is musty/muted grain, secondary earthy hops. Taste is slightly smoky, musty/muted grain, secondary earthy/metallic hops. Light side of medium body. Mild carbonation. Thanks jwc215 for sharing.

German rating # 100. Bottled. A clear yellow beer with a medium sized white head that disappears quickly. The aroma has more than a touch of smoke, though less than other Schlenkerla’s beers, with also some malt sweetness. The flavour has smoked notes together and well balanced with malt and hops. Light to medium body, average to lively carbonation, long, dry and smokey finish. Softer, but certainly a Bamberger rauchbier. The more drinkable among this brewery’s offerings. Very nice.

If you aren’t into to smokes beers this is perfect to review. Much lighter than the other Rauchbiers. A must try if you haven’t had one. Slight smoke taste with a watery texture.