Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

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

4/16/05 500ml. San Francisco.Amber brown with minimal off white head. Ususal prominent smokey aroma. Smoother than the marzen with the bigger malt profile. Very Good.

500mL Bottle. Wow. That is some dense smoke in the nose. That goes beyond the light pig fats and campfires to complete smoky delight arising from porcinis, lake trout belly fat, burning pine sap, and charred aspen logs. Develops into a real spicy, floral smoke character that can be as perfumed as many musky incenses and resins. A complete delight. Pours in a clear deep red-tinted brown, with a good rim of off-white. Flavor retains this smoke density, balanced it exquisitely with rich sugars and alcohol. The malt nestles a smoke of burning walnut shells, juniper bush, and weed fires with caramels, smoked meats and candied dark fruits. Delicious! Yet dry and palatable. A crisp cut of hops and hickory sweat give balance with a back end kick of bitterness. Alcohols helps bring all these flavors up and alive. In the end, the smoke wasn’t as expressive or deep as I wanted it to be, but it’s all rich, delicious and balanced. A fantastic smoked beer.

Wow, smells of smoked salmon, strong, strong smoke. Awesome! The taste isnt as smokey as the smell, which is very rich and malty, with a slight sweetness. My favorite out of the three smoke brews from these guys, but they all seem to have the same great aroma. Best smoked brew ever.

My first tasting of a Rauchbier. From the onset of the aroma, I knew that this would be something quite different but not unexpectingly. Just from the name, I knew that I’d be in for some smokey-goodness. What I expected and what I got where just about on par with each other. A lot of smoked flavor, like bacon or something from Hillshire Farms. I was scrambling to find some ribs or smoked gouda to go with the beer, but alas! none were to be found. Still, I managed to enjoy this and went back for seconds. The beer itself had a decent, full feel to it. Some sweetness was imparted by the malts with a note of hops in the end. But the smokiness lingered on and on.

Even better than the Märzen, which was already excellent. Lovely deep color, smells a bit like rye-bread. Tastes like bottled smoke with a hint of liquorice. Nice bitter in the finish. Not quite as warming as I expected. Re-rated from tap @ Mallaskukko; Dark like tar, minimal brown head. Very smoky aroma, roasted maltiness. Tastes like liquid tar and smoke, tons of liquorice. Semi-oily feel. A little ashy in finish. Warms you up more than the bottled version, still without the burn of alcohol.

Ah, I love rauchbier’s and this is the perfect example of what one should be. Huge smoked malt aroma that just leaps out of the glass. All malt and smokey goodness that wraps itself around your palate. This just screams German and is exactly what you should expect from Bamberg. I would LOVE to try some of the smaller breweries in Bamberg to see what they deliver. If you love a huge peaty single malt, this is the beer for you!

Bottle.Pours a clear brown with a two finger tan head that lasts and leaves good lacing. Aroma of the most delicious barbecue I have ever smelled. Taste is of barbecue and oak with a good clean bitterness. This beer is almost like a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and collard greens put together. Heavenly!!!

Bottle. Plum red brown with beige head. smoked bacon, akalamati olives, drinking a fireplace with bacon spilled in it. crispy bacon ash. could taste like garbage if you’re lacking the right taste buds and experience, but a wonderful experience for those able to recieve the gift.