Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

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

50cl bottle. Clear pale yellow pour with a white head. Lots of carbonation bubbles rise to the top. Sweet malt nose lightly smacked with meaty smoke. Fairly light flavored, sweet malt, grassy notes, and more medium smokiness. The smoke flavors are well balanced against the malt and grassy hop, none of the flavors overpower. Fairly clean, crisp finish, just a small coating of smoke in the mouth. Rauchbier training wheels? Good stuff!

Bottle from beastiefan2k. Pours sparkling light yellow with spare white head, spare lacing. Aroma is average malt (bread), light hops (vegetables), average yeast (dough) with notes of smoke, ash and wood. Short duration, light sweetness and acidity, moderate bitterness; light smoked vegetable and wood flavor. Light bodied, watery texture, soft carbonation and a metallic finish.

A nice brew, hints of smoke throughout, some grass, slight dough, very drinkable and enjoyable. Thanks to MoritzF for the bottle.

The 16.9 oz bottle poured a crystal clear, light amber colored beverage with a modest white fizzy head that was mostly diminishing and left almost no lacing on the glass. The aroma was nicely balanced. It had a subtle wet smoked peat aroma that was accompanied by honey, fresh grass and caramel. The body was medium-light with an average carbonation and a watery texture. The flavor starts off lightly sweet but quickly takes on an interesting bitterness that lasts through the medium-long finish. To this smoked beer’s credit, the smokiness isn’t overpowering but somewhat subtle.

500ml bottle pours golden with a short white head that fades back to a ring and leaves a little lace. Aromas of some campfire smoke over some yeasty bread. Flavor is good bready flavor and dough with a bit of bavarian hop flavor at the finish. There is a smoke flavor throughout but it is definitely not the prevalent flavor in the beer. Palate is light bodied without much carbonation. Smooth and easy to drink start to finish.

500ml bottle, Stateline Liquors. Pours a mostly clear pale yellow body with a slight yeast haze. Small very fizzy head with minimal retention, bright white in color. Aroma is that beautiful campfire and smoked meat scent of an authentic Schlenkerla Smoke beer. Below lays some bready malt and light hay. The smoke is still in the forefront of the flavor, but a little lighter than the Marzen and Urbbock beers. Kind of an unusual style to be smoked, the more I drank, the more the Helles flavor became apparent. Lots of hay and doughy malt and a little hoppy bitterness on the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a moderate level of fizzy carbonation. Nice full round texture. Pretty darn good, but not my favorite from them. You really can’t beat these guys for Smoke beers, at least those that are available here in USA that is.

Bottle, a clear giolden colour with some carbonation rising to the large frothy white head. A sweetish hoppy aroma, with some yeast on the nice and a touch of that smokiness towards the end. A smoky touch again to the flavour, but with a dry lager palate and a bitter grassiness in the finish. A different lager.

Large bright white head of fine bubbles. Lots of carbonation. Smokey and grassy aroma. Kind of weak and the smoke is not all that strong which is nice. Medium gold in color. Wheat flavor and texture. Smoke is even lighter in the flavor. Kind of shows up in the aftertaste. Pretty dry and a hint of hoppy bitterness. An ok smoked brew but the other offers from Aecht Schlenker are much better.