Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

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

Bottle. Aroma is smokey, slightly funky, with a hint of grain. Flavor is kind of nasty. I have never had this style before, so I have no idea what to compare it to. I think it tastes like medicine.

Pours bright gold into an English pint. Fluffy white micro head with good retention slowly recedes to skim surface. Smoky malt aromas. Crisp smoke with a lasting slight bitter smoke finish. Very light on the smoke and very refreshing.

A mild smokiness emerges from the pint bottle, but nothing like the smoked Marzen. Unlike most Helles, the nose has a fair amount of hops. It pours like classic Helles, clear and light gold. The flavor is light, bready barley malt, light smoke, and firm hops, which do not quite blend together. Still, this is an interesting Helles, well worth trying even if not one’s first choice.

Bottle... Barely hazed, light yellow lager with a small, creamy, white head. Decent retention. Subtle, smoked bacon aroma with a hint of menthol. Generously hopped for a helles; pulls up just shy of being heavily bitter. Flavors of lightly kilned barley with sweet, smoky undertones. Medium-bodied and mildly creamy with super fizzy carbonation. Bitter, smoky, dry finish. My new favorite helles! Thanks, boboski, for the bottle!

On tap at Town hall brewery. Pours a rich honey yellow color with lots of carbonation and a half inch of foamy white head. Mild hops and malt on the nose. Mild hop bitterness with a balancing malt flavor. Dry mid palate with a surprisingly refreshing finish. I didn’t know this was supposed to be smoked when I ordered it, though I should have figured it given that it was from this brewery. Not a lot of smoked character compared to their other beers but an excellent beer nonetheless.

bottle-pours sharp clear yellow with a foamy soapy whiteh ead. nose is mostly smokey beachwood-pretty cool. REally doesnt have that bacon./meat nose that the others have from this brewery. the flavors here show the twangy german yeast very nicely along with lite smoke, spicy hops, and lots of grassy notes. very well intergrated smoke for such a lite beer. really unique for this style. body is fluffy and soft. carbonation is not as high as i thought it would be. Definately worth a try by everybody!

Draft. Golden pale w/medium head. Grass, malts, etc. Not as smoky as I expected. Ok but I prefer the Spezial helles.

Very pale clear golden with a medium frothy white head. Has a pleasant mix of grain, grassiness and light smoke in the nose. Notes of sweet pils malt, lemon/citrusy noble hops, hay, grass and smoky malt in the finish. Light, yet full of flavor. Medium bodied with lively carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel. Good stuff.