Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier or
Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer – Märzen comes to us from the Bamburg, Germany… a town known for smokebeer and a place specifically known for this brew. Their website actually has a bunch of great information on the beer, the brewery, and the history surrounding it, so I won’t duplicate or bore you with details.
As far as the taste goes, this beer was first tasted in the office as Si was thinking we should be considering this for the Hall of Fame. Not sure if we agreed on that, though, so I think it has been sitting idle. Today, however, my neighbor brought out a bottle that we just had to try… it confirmed that, for me, this isn’t hall of fame worthy. Good beer, but not hall of fame.
The smokiness is unmistakable. It truly smells like whatever strong smell of smoke you might have in your mind right now… campfire, fireplace, liquid smoke, etc. It is so strong that you almost grimmace going in for the first taste, but that is where this beer thankfully surprises us. The smoke flavor is there, but definitely much less so in the body than the nose. A couple of comments from the cul-de-sac tasting gallery include:
“Surprisingly not as smokey as it smells. Good cooking beer?” – Dave
“Bratworthy” – Katrina
“Not bad.” – Vinny
Overall, not a bad beer. We all definitely want to cook some meat in it since it has a good smokey smell and flavor already, we think it would really add a good taste to some bratwurst or stew.
Dug’s JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again
Si’s JBB6 Rating: For the Win
