Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Brewed by Brauerei Heller
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Bamberg, Bayern, Germany

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.

Bottle at home. Yellow with a white ehad, quickly gone. Aroma light malty (smoked) and hoppy. Flavor light sweet, moderate sour, long. Light body. A specialty, ok.

Yellow with a small white head. Malty aroma with a hint of smoke. Sweet and malty, with more smoke in the flavour.

Crystal clear, light golden body with minimal visible carbonation. Wispy film with small, bubbly patches. The aroma shows wet hay, light corn syrup, and traces of honey as the malt base. A sweet breadiness and faint traces of smoke are soon to follow. Minimal, grassy hops are detectable on the nose. I dare say I even picked up trace scents of smoked pork. The flavor is sweet up front, with corn malts and honey showing strong. Grassy hops and a sharp, dry smokiness add balance. Medium to light bodied with a crisp, dry, smoky finish. Easy to drink and quite sessionable. A very intriguing brew, and one that has enlightened me to the diversity of the "smoked" genre.