Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

500 mL bottle from Bieropholie, served at cellar temp in a tulip glass. DE19/07.

App.: Very deep mahogany, clear, rocky tan head. Aroma: Massive amounts of smoke – like smoked meat or cheese; a touch of caramel WAY behind that, maybe a little dark dried fruit behind that; as the smoke clears (haha), much more of the style’s deep rich malts appear. Palate: Medium body, soft but full effervescence. Flav.: Buckets of that meat smoke, some caramel and dried fruit in the distant background, maybe a touch of herbaceousness, off-dry with a little bitterness; after half the bottle, the smoke still dominates, but it is willing to share a bit more of my palate with the herbal maltiness.

It is what it is: a beer that demands the right foods to accompany it. A sensory overload on its own.

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a big foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma is totally dominated by smoked ham notes with some malt. Taste is also dominated by some smoked bacon notes with some nice malt backbone. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation. I am not sure if I am getting used to drinking smoke beer but I thought this went down better then the marzen that I had a year or two ago.

1/1/08: Bottle.
Enormous aroma of thoroughly smoked bacon. Garnet brown body. Full of flavor – smokehouse, bacon, malt and hops. Nicely executed, but I do not care for the style. I prefer my bacon in solid form, not liquid.

Delicious. I’ve had this beer several times and enjoy it immensely for its unique smokey flavor. This bock tastes as if the hops were barbecued or smoked before the beer was brewed. Flavors of smokiness and even mesquite are rich throughout. An incredible brew.

Out of a 5L Keg. Aroma all smoky goodness. Tapped a nice dark brown. Flavor is a nice smoke dark roast malt. Palate is filling and smooth. Overall, like liquid beef jerky, I really like it.

bottle - either the worst beer i’ve tried in a long time or just a style i’m not ready for; thick smoky aromas too strong for me and too close to actual meat, which i’m not in the mood for when drinking a beer; undrinkable after a few sips and down the drain it went

Bottle: Thick, deep brown pour with a frothy tan cap. I get a lot of salty pork and campfire from the nose, with lighter notes of caramel and apple esthers in the background. This certainly isn’t as smokey as the other Aecht beers I’ve tried, but the added balance is welcome. The body is sweet and smokey - complex from start to finish. Lots of vanilla, oak and toffee mix well with a healthy dose of smoldering firewood. Very good rauchbier.

Smells like a smoked ham. Clear brown color. I didn’t find a huge difference between this and the Maerzen Rauchbier, though I didn’t try them side by side. Metallic feel to it. Very challenging. Would be great with a cheese plate.