Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

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

Very nice beer. Lighter then the other smoked beers I have had, it still had that mice BBQ flavor.

Pale yellow in colour. Coriander grass and smoked aromas; bitterish taste with pepper and smoke aromas; bitter finish with pepper and bacon. A very interesting beer - a smoked helles. It has a good combination of smoked malt and spicy hop flavours. Very full-flavoured for its strength. It doesn’t contain any smoked malt in the grist, but picks up its smoky character from the filter. So it really should be classified as a Helles not a smoked beer. Though the beer is unique and really falls into a style of its own.

Wow, I didn’t expect this one to be smoked, just an ordinary helles. Actually it comes across more like a pilsner, with its distinct hop bitterness. Begins with a bright golden, crystal clear color with a creamy 2 fingered head. Aroma has a touch of charred wood. Flavor is more smoke, with some rounded clean bready malts, which melds evenly into a full hoppy finish, with a resiny almost grapefruity character. This is really outstanding and characterful for a low gravity lager.

Smellls very smoky. Taste is like a piece of smoked ham. Really nice. I think I like the smoked lagers best, maybe even more than the smoked porters.

Clear medium gold. Medium head of crunchy white foam. Lots of carbonation bubbles after the pour, slows to a few steady streams as it sits and the cap fades. Ghostly thin lacing in inky stringed patterms. Aroma is smokey with a clean, crisp, pale malt profile. Very distinct and peculiar with a tang of smoked meat and grain. Nice. Taste is broad and lasting with a savory little spiceyness of grasses and beechwood. Topping taste in the middle of the smokey stuff that stays nicely weaved within a pale malt sweetness and mild, easy going tang. Perfect floating finish of leftover smokeyness and a feathery spiced hoppy dryness. Feel is bold, rounded, smooth, and solidly placed in a medium body. Nice little centering sweetness and one fantastic finish of spice and impressionable length.. One very solid, straight up goodalicious, Helles Lager!

Pristine clarity and a bright yellow-gold color underneath a sudsy, white foamy head riding upwards of an inch thick. Formidable aroma is spelled out by slightly smoked applewood, lemon lightness, buttery sourdough with some charcoal fumes, and toasted & crisp maize and corresponding husks. Flavor confirms that this is a helles at its best. Toasty applewood and balsawood licked by flame. Light pilsner base with a pillowy, curt lemon charm. Baked corn in the husk paired with hearty and buttery sourdough. Medium-bodied, crisp and the posterchild of palate stopping power. Slight and mild noble hop bite and a perfect symbiotic relationship from all contributors in this one beautiful bottle. Small smoky trailings with crisp wood characteristics join with a fruit lemon and pils musk lightness in its final glory. Absolutely incredible.

On tap at the Reading BF 06. One of the beers of the festival for me. Served to me by Olaf even though they were 3 deep at the bar. What a guy! Attractive pale gold colour with thick white head. Light smokey aroma. Lovely smokey bacon in mouth. Creamy texture. Gorgeous

Pours a crystal clear gold with a wispy thin ivory head. Some faint fine lacing. Smell is smoky. Smoked peat. Some lightly grassy malt. Taste is smoky, of course and a rich grassy malt. Noble hop finish with a faint fruitiness. Mouth is crisp, if a bit thinnish. This is just so heavenly good. One of the better beers I’ve had all year. Yummy!