Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Pours a slightly cloudy dark brown/red color with a downy fluff of a head. Aroma is, well, smoky! Beef jerky, sausage, bacon, and a little caramel and bread hiding behind that wonderful greasy meaty smoke goodness. Taste has a surprisingly strong caramel and roast presence, living up to its "urbock" monicker. Smoke is an equal player in the flavor, unlike the aroma. Midsip, the taste is coffe and bread. Finishes very woody, with a mild hop bitterness. However, there’s an effervescent smoke to the whole experience. Even when it’s not being tasted, you know its there. A great beer that always makes me wish the style was more prominent on store shelves in brewers repetoires.

Bottle: Dark mahogany brown with a firm 1/2 inch foam top. Big time classical Bamberg smoke aroma. Sharp cinder-flavored brew with a caramel malt undertow. Excellent, if you like the bigtime Bamberger smokes.

Bottle. Poured out a dark reddish purple hued color, it almost looked like Chianti against light. Rich creamy lacing head that was light tan in color. It really clung to the glass. Aroma is strongly smokey hints of camp fire, naked wood, and carmelized sugars. Flavor is less assertive than the nose. Balanced with a smokiness that is subdued when cold and opens up as the beer warms to give it a nice robust smoked character. Finishes slightly dry with a nice full foamy feel. -------- Unfiltedred Version sampled 10/01/2009 at the Bavarian Lodge. Richer and more peaty than its unfiltered brother this beer appears a murky dark reddish brown with a thin soapy light tan head that leaves splotchy web-like lacing. Flavor is potently full, peaty smokey with some bitter roast malt in the finish. Aroma is smoky bacon and peat. Delicious. 7 4 8 4 - No change to overall rating.

Deepest, darkest mahogany, with a very long-lasting two-finger tan head. Spicy-sweet-smoky nose that strongly suggests sausage. Faint roastedness behind that. Rich in the mouth, and quite dry but not really bitter, with more of the sausage notes but also the roastedness coming to the fore as well. Finish is chewy with slight bitterness. A big, distinctive brew that nevertheless seems well balanced. Not too sweet and not too bitter, but still full in body and flavor. A beer that really delivers loads of flavor without slamming you on the head with big sweet malt or bitter hops.

Dark mahogany with a dense head. Not much carbonation. Excellent balance between bready bock-maltiness and beechwood smoke. Caramel, bread, and dark sugar are there, along with well integrated & very assertive smoke. Moccha coffee and chocolate pop up, as well as some slighty salty woodiness. Harmonious. A long and evolving finish, starting out with rounded bock flavors, then the smoke and wood takes over, leaving it drying out nicely in the end. An underrated gem.

Aroma of tar and smoke. Dark red with a small white head. Taste bitter with smoke and juniper. Long finish.

Bottle. Aroma: Beechwood smoke, tar, bacon, herbal hops, and a rich malty sweetness. Intense at first, but inviting. Appearance: Dark reddish-brown with small red highlights. Yellowish tinged off-white head was full and creamy with good retention. Nice lacing. Flavor: Smokey, but not as much as I was expecting. Rich maltiness with caramel, toasted nuts, and coffee. Some light woodiness (from the smoked malt?), and again a bit of herbal hop right before the finish. Palate: Medium-full bodied. Moderate carbonation. Overall: I try not to eat when I’m rating beers, but some beers are just made for food. This is one of them. I matched it with some take out Chinese and it was a great match. A great, smooth beer that brings some serious smoke.

Huge amount of smoke and tar. I’ve had this from bottle and tap and both were excellent. Perfect for cold winter and christmas table, altho you cannot drink (or eat?) more than one at a time. Fills the whole room with pleasant aroma.