Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

[bottle from gareth young] dark brown colour. Aroma is of campfire smoke and caramel. Has a smooth palate. Bitter finish to a great beer.

[Bottle from oh6gdx, cheers!] Ruby brown with a thick, tan head. Big beechwood smoke nose, some caramel, slight roast. Full, smooth body with a gentle carbonation, dry, smokey finish.

Bottle. Wow wow wow, have been looking for this for a full year now. Crazy powerful nose, loads of malt and smoke, primarily of the smoked ham/fish variety more than the woody. Deep brown with a large, fluffy head. Very malty and smoky with a pleasant, pervasive fruity sweetness. Light grapes. Hops evident in the back of the mouth and throat at the end and into the dry aftertaste. Coating and lasting despite the lager body. Balanced and full-flavored, flavorful but relaxed, not extreme. No apparent alcohol, and the smoke retires after a while and leaves a luscious, lovely brew, well-made and free of novelty. A sumptuous, rich dessert, an absolutely delicious lip-smacker. A revelation, treuly worth the wait.

Bottle pours dark brown almost black with a short tan head taht stays pretty well and laces the side of the dimpled mug I served it in. Aromas of peat, campfire, a touch of caramel, and some burnt malts. Flavor is smoke, roasted malts, caramel, and some bread notes. Softly carbonated and fairly smooth in the mouth. Unique and quite tasty..

(50 cl bottle, thanks oh6gdx!) Clear brown color, tan head. Intense peaty and smoky scent, lots of tar. Smoky but also sweet and voffee taste. Coffee and burnt malt aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium bitterness. For scotch lovers it’s a must, also for me. I love the smoke and tar, give me more!

Truly a unique beer. While residing in Deutschland I fell in love with this unique Rauch Bier. Many American breweries have tried, but none have the smokey and bitter flavor required for an effective smoke beer. Speaking with the brauer gave me a glimce into the tradition and technique into this complex urbock. This Beer is truly a German tradition that stands firm with its Bavarian rules of Brewing.

(Bottle BB 04/07) Malty, mild tar/smoke and hoppy aroma. Red brown colour, clear and average size, light brown, slightly lasting head with fair lacing. Slightly bitter, slightly tar (less than Märzen), sweet flavour with a hint of smokiness. Softly carbonated, medium to full-bodied and smooth palate. 10/11/06

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.