Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

Pours dark mahogany with a 2-3 finger foamy gray-tan head that has o.k. retention, but fades to a skim eventually and holds. Aroma is smoked fowl, campfire, housefire, some mildly sweet toasted grain, lots of earthy notes, burning moss, a little grilled pineapple, dried orange peel, and old birch bark. Flavor is smoked meat, toasted hardwoods, burnt softwoods, lots of toasted peat, dark caramel, a hint of aged vanilla, a nice sweet wholesome graininess, sugary figs, some sweetbread spices, more grilled fruit and some milk chocolate. Finish is chocolate, smoky vanilla, dark caramel, hints of lightly toasted marshmallows, hickory and other hardwood smokes and some sweet dates and figs. Palate is medium thickness with with a slightly syrupy/oily, but overall creamy feel and a nice light and smooth carbonation that doesn’t cut in too much. Great stuff, probably the best smokebeer I have had, other than possibly NG Smoke on The Porter.

500 ml bottle poured a clear dark reddish brown with a lingering ring of tan foam. Aromas of smoke, ham, earthiness and dark fruit. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of smoke, earthiness, cocoa and a hint of dark fruit with a smooth lingering smokey finish.

16oz bottle. Pours soil brown with a healthy sized head. Aroma is remarkably of smoked meat, favoring bacon and ham. Palate remains soft throughout, and the moderate carbonation keeps this beer relatively refreshing. Flavor has the same meaty qualities as the nose, with some lightened flavors (perhaps wheat?) through the mid-palate. Initial flavor just blasts you with bacon bits, honey-glazed ham, wood-grill smoke, and a touch of caramel. Finish is dry, and flavors conclude with some bitterness and dark chocolate. Interesting brew, but I just couldn’t get into this. I think the Marzen is more drinkable altogether, but I warn that this assessment is coming from someone without much experience with these beers.

Smoky aroma with notes of tar and salt. Taste is hellaciously smoky, very intensively so, drowns everything out. I really love this as well as the märzen, glad I can have this as a winter seasonal at least.

Poured from bottle. Smells like a good BBQ sauce. Dark ruby red, just a bit of a head. Smoked flavor dominates, wood and kinda tases like a pig roast, if you could imagine such a thing. Mellowed a bit as it warmed, but still that smoked signature persisted. Not my favorite style, but a great well made diversion to the normal brews.

Bottle from Sam’s, Durham. Mmmmm, bacon, baby! It’s been a while since I’ve had this one and it’s a delight. Dark and highly carbonated pour. Slammin’ powerful nose of wood and smoke. Rich, thick mouthfeel. Nicely chewy old ale notes in the flavor, with some sweet malts in there to balance. Some hints of roast and dark fruit add further complexity, and even though the smoke is dominant it’s far from one-dimensional. YUM.

0,5lt Bottle. Dark brown color with a light brown head. Malt and smoke in the aromas . Lots of smokey flavors which I absolutely love. Very complex and well made. I like it even more than the Maerzen.

It pours dark brown to black, but thin like a cola, not viscous like a heavier stout. The beer forms a small, light head that fades quickly (a bit to quickly), and I’m disappointed that mine doesn’t look like those in the Google image search. This beer smells for all the world like the bush a couple of days after it burns, there is no subtly in this beer, it is ALL about the smoke. Very strong smoky smells dominate but in behind it I can pick up some caramel/coffee from the malts. Surprisingly UN-smoky flavor, in the mouth the malts jump forward! Roasted malt flavors dominate, warm caramel and burnt coffee, mildly bitter with some late sweetness. A medium body beer with a mild carbonation and the higher alcohol content (6.5% - ish) provides a warming feel. Smoke tends to overpower as the drink progresses and the glass and content warms.