Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Brewed by Brauerei Heller
Style: Smoked
Bamberg, Germany

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Like so many of the finer things in life, the first bottle of this stuff is awful. The smoke is overwhelming and unpleasant, and the result is a concoction worthy of the ole’ sink sacrifice. But give it just one more shot, and you will discover a beer of astonishing complexity, with varying layers of smoke at different stages of the tasting process. The underlying bock is of the highest quality. Indescribably delicious with pork chops or smoked ham. The best beer out of Germany, and a top five brew for me.

This smoky beauty devastated me on the first sip. Even pouring it was a real treat - gorgeous color, just the right amount of head. As others have noted, it’s a real food-accompanying sort of beer - it just cries out for robust meats and fish. This Urbock deserves to be a legend.

OHMYGOD. The aroma is smoked cheddar and hickory-smoked bacon; the flavor a mix of sweet (maple, chocolate) and smoky, slightly bitter malt and wheat. With this complexity and sweetness, you’d think it would be a ’special occasion’ beer suitable only with certain foods or in front of a roaring fire -- you’d be wrong. My current favorite beer (and brewery!), justifiably occupying a spot in our collective ’top 10.’ The finish is perfect, with just a hint of lingering smokiness -- this must be what smokers of fine cigars experience!

UPDATED: APR 28, 2012
2012-04-24, draught at Fermentoren, Copenhagen, 6.9% ABV, 10-5-10-5-20=50
Dark brown color, with red shades; creamy head. The aroma, surprisingly, is very peaty, almost like an Islay whiskey. The carbonation is soft, allowing to the caramel and malt to fully develop in the mouth, then tangle with the smoke and residual sugars; in the flavor the smoke has nice accents of wood, fireplace and ham. Saying that the balance is perfect would be in understatement.
Could easily be the best beer in the world.

2011-12-09, draught at Ølbaren, Copenhagen, 10-5-8-4-18=45
Dark mahogany color, with fiery red beams and beige creamy head. Fat smokey aroma, like the best smoked ham, infinite, balanced. Good body structure, with caramel and toasted malts flavor, chocolate, apparent subtle sweetness, good smoke; a bit metallic, and drier in the end, with weaker body than usual. Great, but missing the greatest vibe that used to go with it.

2011-02-25, bottle, bb 2011-07, 9-5-9-4-18=45
Dark brown color; generous creamy head.
Fat smokey aroma, sausages, fresh wood, some firewood too; creamy, powerful, harmonious.
Bold mouthfeel, strong flavor of caramel, malt, and smoke of course; firewood; there is a nice residual sweetness that I would like to see in every Rauchbier, both as a complement to the dark malts, and as complement to the body.
The bitterness is fairly strong; in the final there is a nice touch of roasted malts.
Perfectly balanced, and powerful.

2010-11-26, draught at Ølbaren, Copenhagen, 10-5-8-4-17=44
Dark brown color, with red shades. Infinite smokeyness; pervasive aroma; definitively Schwarzwald sausages; very late, some cold burnt wood. Good body strength, lean structure, with good caramel flavor (but not lasting enough); lovely smokeyness; the final is good, with some cereals, smoked, but somehow ordinary, not too long.

2009-11-27, draught at Ølbaren, Copenhagen, 10-5-9-4-19=47
Deep mahogany color with red hue; creamy head. The smoke aroma is a world apart, with memories of smoked salami first, of burning wood later. Medium bodied, it carries a rich chocolate and gently roasted malts flavor, caramel, with a strong smoke presence and a sugar veil that fits perfectly in the picture; lovely mouthfeel, smooth, fulfilling. The bitterness is not strong, there is some dark caramel instead; if anything, the roasted malt in the final is just a millimeter beyond my liking.
This beer is as close to perfection as I may ask tonight.

2006-02-08, bottle, 8-5-8-5-17=43
Mahogany color, clean, with a creamy cap. Strong smokey aroma, sweet, malty. Smooth, full bodied, sweet, malty, smoked; the final has a pretty strong and very good bitterness, aromatic hops, plus caramel and some sweetness. Lovely.

I know that small brewery, it´s from Bamberg, I´ve been there. I was surprised that youcan get this beer in the US.

While sitting here looking at my empty bottle, I now realize precisely how good beer can be. I mean I’ve had some great brews, but this one is not only possibly perfect, it’s different and that goes a long, long way. I’m not sure how to put into words how good this brew really is, so I will simply say it’s probably one of the best brews I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy. I will leave the detailed book review to other reviewers, but I will say this...the rich smokey aroma, the deep smokey taste, a nice hoppy finish...the only way they could improve on this beer would be if they included a super model with every purchase and she served it out of her bellybutton. Simply outstanding. ’Nuff said."

Had this at the brewery in Bamberg, after enjoying bottles of it in Omaha. I was surprised that there was no difference when I had it on site. Didn’t wait to try any other beer in town, since if I died after having this one, I would be happy. The smoked flavor is really lifelike, like eating smoked ham...smooth and smokey. Bitter? No! Why anybody else brews smoked beer, I don’t know. Nothing else is of this caliber. This is, as I’ve seen written, "the high altar of smoked beer."

Bottle. I love smokebeers. This one is the best. I ordered it from Germany.Smoked like hell. Just great.

Pours a dull chestnut color with an inch or so of khaki head. Oh, the aroma. Holy smokes! Pun intended, of course. Very smokey and sweet aroma tickles the nostrils in a way that makes say "Oh, that’s nice." Woody, campfire smoke mixed with caramel and brown sugar wafts so gracefully from my mug I can practically see it. If campfires smelled so good I’d find myself sleeping on dirt in a tent thrice a week. The flavor is much more subtle than the nose. Slightly dry, nutty, and smokey with no more than a wisp of noble hops to say Auf Wiedersehen! as the sip embarks on a perilous journey down your throat. The palate is robust yet quaffable, rating a perfect 10 on the Goldilocks scale of alcohol content vs. drinkability. Without resigning myself to hyperbole, I must unequivocally state that this is the most perfect beer ever crafted by humans or outer space aliens.

50cl bottle @ Les Vignerons (Rome). I thought the Märzen was the best beer of all time, before trying the Urbock. Same aroma, with more alcohol.