Gänstaller-Bräu Affumicator

Brewed by Gänstaller-Bräu (Drei Kronen)
Style: Smoked
Hallerndorf-Schnaid, Germany

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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On tap at Ølbarten. Strong bacon aroma and flavour, the porkiness is too overpowering here. Oak, floor polish.

I prefer this one over the schlenkerla. Smells like a smokehouse. Various malty flavors under the smokiness, which I think is primarily what makes this better than the aecht for me, as that one is just full-on smoke, and after a few sips of schenkerla all I can imagine is bacon grease. Full body; this completely dominated my palate for the rest of the night, everything after this tasted flat.

7th August 2009
GBBF. Cask. Slight haze on this dark amber beer. Thick tan head. Soft palate. Creamy sweet malt with smooth smoky fish. Smooth and soft. Biscuit sweet malt. A little bubblegum sweetness. Very creamy smooth sumptuous beer. Very nice indeed.

Draught at Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa. Lovely amber-brow with a big head. Enormous smoky nose, bacon, salmon, bonito flakes. Huge—with not much else coming through, but great. Smoked bacon flavor, with caramel and a bit of chocolate, sweet bready malts and some nice hop bitterness. Huge flavor all around but well balanced still. Big, full, smooth mouth. Amazing. The alcohol is so well hidden.

05/04/2011 Ma che siete venuti a fà (tap). Ambrata, lievemente torbida, con leggera schiuma bianca sporca. Intensissimo aroma di scamorza e bacon affumicato, lievissime note maltate, appena percettibili. In bocca è appena dolciastra con forti note affumicate nel finale. Corpo medio, gradazione alcolica importante, carbonazione abbondante. Evocativa, ma non è proprio un esempio di beverinità.

oh fuck. fatty meaty smoked ham nose instantly a 10, instantly one of the best smoked beers, best beers, best things i’ve smelled in my life. chewy, hearty, meaty ffuuuuuuuuu smokey sweet malt up front, tangy peppery late, 30 minute lingering finish. decadent, rich, toasty malt perfect balance of sweetness, toast, smoke and bitterness. fruit pith and rind, light herbal notes, some black pepper, caramel / toffee richness throughout. this is a malt showcase. hearty, salty honey glazed ham skin cracklins, incredibly chewy and smooth and full. this is what i want Schlenkerla to be to me again, but it’s not. I had oak barrel Urbock the night before and found it the poorest batch I’ve ever had, which made me uneasy at the time, because either my tastes have changed or the brew had. regardless, this was a magical moment and I don’t think any Schlenkerla has matched, if you can believe that. I couldn’t either. and I’m doing Bavaria for kellerbier and pilsner and not in the mood for rauchbier or anything high gravity on this day, but Andreas insists I try his rauchdoppelbock and brings me a glass from the back and my mind fucking melted.

Draught in Strassgiech. Head is lasting. Body is medium to dark brown. Aroma is moderately to heavily malty (roasted grain, toasted nuts, caramel, cookie), with notes of hickory smoked bacon, xmas tree, fireplace, tar, fruitcake, dried mango, orange zest, plum, and manure. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety/syrupy texture, lively/soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. The aroma is just completely off the hook. You thought Schlenkerla was complex, well...this is on entirely different level. Mind you, this is definitely a slow sipper and quite sweet, but it’s not at all a fatiguing sugar-and-alcohol bomb. Just as light pale lagers are very difficult to make well, so too are big beers like this, yet Andreas does both expertly. A truly amazing beer.

UPDATED: FEB 28, 2012 On tap at GBBH 2010 - a friend and brewer at grebbestad brewery recomended this on. I am normally not a fan of smoked beers. But this is the first I really liked. Dark amber colour with a light beige head. smoked bacon nose :-) Off course lots of smoke in the flavour but not that dominant. A lot of other flavours comes through also. Strangly enough the first I think of is smoked ham :-)

UPDATED: APR 27, 2012
2012-04-27, draught at Ølbaren, Copenhagen, 9.6% ABV, 7-5-8-4-15=39
First pour of the keg; hazy red-amber color, with a generous, nice creamy head. The aroma is not fully appealing, because not only it has the (appreciated) smoke, but also a strange rancid sourness. Strong body, sweet malt and caramel flavor, that would make a good Doppelbock; on top of that, there is the expected strong smoke flavor, sweetness, light malt sourness; it has a respectable bitterness level, and some alcohol warmth. Maybe just too sweet for this combination of smoke and rancidity.
Good, but excessive, unelegant.

2011-12-09, cask at Ølbaren, Copenhagen, 10% ABV, 8-5-8-4-17=42
Hazy mahogany color, with huge compact head. The aroma is quite cheesy, almost English, a bit smokey. The body is structured, the mouthfeel is smooth; it has a fat flavor of malt and caramel, quite sweet; the smoke is present but not as strong as the Schlenkerla, or at least it’s hidden by other factors; the alcohol can be perceived; also traces of yeast; the bitterness is quite strong, with some dark caramel too in the final.
Very good, but side to side with the Schlenkerla Urbock, this one is rough; big but less elegant. It gets more appreciation with the second glass, and slow drinking.

2010-06-04, RBESG 2010, draught at Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fà, Rome, 9.8% ABV, 7-5-8-4-14=38
Hazy red-amber color; generous head. Very nice dry smoke aroma. Strong body, caramel flavor, with a good share of residual sugars; smoke, strong and sweet; I find that the bitterness is just too high and the alcohol perception too. Good beer, but somehow too much.

Nice, this was brewed for the bar I had it at: Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa. On draft. Hazy golden copper with a large white head. Huge smoky ham aroma. A bit of sweet malt hides behind the ham sandwich. The flavor has a sweet malt base and great smoky flavor with ham, speck, prosciutto, all those tasty smoked deli meats. Medium body and a smooth texture. Great stuff. A smoked beer I would revisit if I wasn’t a shameless ticker.