Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

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

Bought this one because it looked very very german. Smells a little sweet and floral. Yellow body with thin, quickly dissipating white head. Smoky. Definitely can tell why it’s a smoked... Not many other strong flavors surface. Thin, goes down easy. An okay beer, but not something I’d get all the time.

Pours to a watery golden body with champagne bubbles and a decently thick frothy white head. The aroma is quite smokey. Odd that they don’t use smoked malts, it surely picks up a lot of the smoke aroma. Smoked andouille sausage, floral rose hops, very unique. I can’t detach my nose from the glass. The flavor is light floral hops, perhaps lavendar and tea leaves, corn-like sweet malt, light smoke. The palate is surprisingly not too thin. Very easy to drink.

Bright straw color with a moderate white bubbly head. Mild medicinal smoke aromas, with hints of floral hops and a touch of dry grain. Very light and soft of the tongue. Pale malt sweetness is taken away quickly by a light birch smoke flavor. Rather full bitterness in the finish and linger. Easy drinking smoked brew, perfect for that mid summers night grill out.

Pours a pale gold color with light carbonation, decent head and no lacing. The nose is sweet with some light residual smoke, peat, plum, clean pilsner malt. The flavor initially has a large amount of smoke, but the hop bitterness and malt sweetness quickly overcome that, then it slowly recedes back to reveal the remaining smoke. Clean and balanced, this accentuates the subtle smoke very nicely. The mouthfeel is nice, a bit tingly, but well rounded and easy to drink. The finish has a nice snappy hop bitterness on it. A good smoked beer and an even greater lager. I like things like this. It tastes like it even made the journey over quite well too.

Tryed this beer at Max’s, it is absolutly wonderful. very clean taste, the first sip really tasted smokey but that soon went away to reviel the flavor of hops and malt. The beer overall is well ballenced, no one flavor hits you too strong.

Dem Bayerischen Reinheitsgebot entsprechend gebrautes" Say it, over and over again. Don’t know what it means, though. Maybe "Mmm, mmm, good"? Crystal clear pale yellow appearance, under a generous dollop of snowy white froth, slowly dwindling down, and leaving lace. Nice, classic look for the style. Aroma is empty at first, with slight suggestions of pepper and grain. Dry, smoky malt. Well, this is Schlenkerla. Taste: smokey from the start, then crisp, clean malty flavor. Easy-going down the throat, light-bodied, meager, but appreciated fruity, malt character, and ever-present smoke. So easy to drink, and so refreshing. Classic lager, with the hit of smoke an extra treat. Yum, I’m liking it better as I go. A unique offering, a terrific treat.

I wasn’t really expecting this to be smokey, but it was. Apparently, it’s not something from the recipe, but lingering smoke in the brewery equipment. It’s still rather strong, but I suspect that’s because the beer is rather light. Good balance between lightly sweet malt and the husky smoke in the aroma and flavor. Just a touch of hop aroma and bitterness.

Bottle. Pours yellow fizz with a laughable white head, but you know what they say about judging by appearances. Some corn and malt in the nose--not very interesting. Great crisp clean super-drinkable body, though. As nice and refreshing a summer beer as you could ask for. Good thing it’s late June outside. Crisp, clean, dry finish--just a hint of smoke there at the end, not very prominent in the mid-palate unless you really swish it around. Easily the best pale lager I’ve ever had.