Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Brewed by Brauerei Heller
Style: Smoked
Bamberg, Bayern, Germany

Pours a deep ruby/mahogany with a nice tan head that leaves great lacing and has nice retention, wonderful looking beer... Aroma of smoked meat, leather, mild hops, a touch of sweetness... Huge smokey flavor of fresh campfire, wonderful, though no description could justify how good a smokey, fresh fire tasting beer could actually be... There is a touch of bacon and a hint of sweetness, amazingly complex with the right amount of subtlies to offset the smoke, awesome beer... Medium bodied, amazingly drinkable...

Aroma is super pungent. First sniff is of bacon, and enough to fend off the squeamish beer drinker. However the smell is so unique that it prompted a 9 rating for aroma. The color was nothing special, yet enough of a deep reddish brown to be appetizing. First sip. Flavor of campfire filled my mouth. Sweetness upfront is very limited, yet the mid palate, comes up strong, with a creamy texture and a bitter finish. Not an every day beer. I’ve been dying to try it though, so cruising BevMo today I decided to grab it.

Pours a clear red-brown with a thin off white cover. Smoke just wafts away from the glass. Aroma of bacon, campfire wood, smoke. Taste is a more pronounced ash campfire wood smoke, some burnt bacon underneath. Just amazin.

Brown bottle, 500 ml, best before 04 08, savoured on March 16 2009; eye: chestnut, clear, no effervescence, slight lacing; nose: smoke, smoked bacon, camp fire, burnt; mouth: smoke, smoked bacon, camp fire, burnt, finale in smoke with presence of maple syrup, medium body, average carbonation, lightly sweet, slightly bitter, medium-full body, creamy, average carbonation; overall: quite likable FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 500 ml, meilleure avant 04 08, savourée le 16 mars 2009; œil : marron, claire, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse beige, très légère dentelle; nez : fumée, bacon fumé, feu de camp, brûlé; bouche : fumée, bacon fumé, feu de camp, brûlé, finale en fumée avec présence de sirop d’érable, corps moyen, carbonatation moyenne, légèrement sucrée, très légèrement amère, corps moyen-corsé, crémeuse, carbonatation moyenne; en résumé : bien aimé

Bottle. Clear dark reddish body with a long lasting off-white head. Aroma of smoked malt with a hints of sweet bread and some rubber. Sweet smoked malt with notes of tobacco and bonfire in the flavour. The smoke is not overwhelming but very smooth. Lovely beer.

The bottle looks good, the beer in the glass also. Deep black, creamy foam. Starts very, very spicy, notes of bread, very malty. A little bit over the top, I think, tastes too much like bacon.

Bottle. Pours a deep brown reddish-brown with a small off-white head that lingers. Smoky aroma, with meat, malt, and wood. Taste is quite smoky wood and meat, with hints of sweeter caramel and malt. Lingering smokiness. Very tasty.

The appearance is dark brown, the aroma.... holy cats, it’s like smoked meat! (This is my first rauchbier, pardon my surprise). The flavor also is definitely dominated by the flavor of smoke. There’s a little sense of malt as well. To my surprise, this is actually a smooth beer as well. All else I have to say is that trying this beer was an interesting experience. Try it if you are adventurous or if you really like smoked foods.