Georg Rittmayer Rauchbier
Brauerei Gasthof Rittmayer

Pours an orange/amber color with a smoky aroma and a small head. Taste is like sitting around a campfire and eating the smoke, (in a good way). The flavor grew on me as I sipped it. BB 7-2026

Poured from a can into a pilsner glass.


Look: Amber in color with a thick, offwhite or beige head. OK head retention and great lacing.

Smell: Campfire. Ash. Burnt. Bbq. Some malt character peeks through, but the smokiness is very strong.

Taste: Much more balanced than the nose. The smoke adds a nice accent rather than dominate the flavor. Semi-sweet malt with some smoke overtones. Moderate bitterness from the hops does a great job rounding this beer out. Caramel. It isn't unlike a marzen. A bit more smoke on tne finish.

Feel: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

Overall: A very well made beer.

Cracked from the can and poured into a clean glass, this one immediately announces itself with enthusiasm. A lively release leads to a sturdy cap of pale tan foam that hangs around longer than expected, tracing faint patterns as it settles. Beneath it sits a polished amber body with chestnut and ruby flashes, bright and inviting rather than murky.

The aroma leans unmistakably toward smoke, but not in an aggressive, ashtray sort of way. Think hardwood embers cooling at the edge of a fire pit, layered over toasted grain, soft caramel, and a gentle botanical lift that keeps things from feeling heavy. There’s a subtle sweetness underneath, more bread crust than sugar.

On the palate, the smoke shows restraint. It threads through the beer rather than dominating it, allowing malt flavors to carry the weight. Toasted bread, light caramel, and a faint honeyed note roll in first, followed by earthy, slightly floral hop tones. As it moves toward the finish, a mild woodsy dryness appears, giving the sip a clean exit and inviting the next one.

The body sits comfortably in the middle, neither thin nor chewy, with a brisk carbonation that keeps everything moving. The texture stays smooth despite a hint of drying character at the end.

Overall, this is a thoughtfully balanced rauchbier. It delivers the signature smoked profile while leaving room for malt depth and subtle hop character to speak. Approachable for the style, expressive without shouting, and quietly satisfying from first pour to final sip.

Review: 2518
Name: Georg Rittmayer Rauchbier
Brewery: Brauerei Gasthof Rittmayer
Location: Hallerndorf, Germany
Style: Rauchbier
ABV: 5%
Canned: Unknown Best Before July 2026
Date: 23 November 2025
Finally, a Rauchbier, this is exciting. I fell in love with smoked beer at Live Oak in January a few years back. I am using a Belcher glass and serving the beer at 46 degrees. Prying the can open, it begins to spew. What the crap is going on? The fourth beer from this pack has done this. The pour created a frothy, foamy, light tan two-fingered head with above-average retention. The somewhat slow dissipation left some lacing on the glass. The color is medium amber with mahogany-red hues, charting at SRM 14, and is clear—a beautiful beer with a lovely appearance.
Nosing the beer, I detect notes of smoke, Maillard, lightly toasted malts, caramel, floral bouquet, grassy notes, and grainy sweetness.
The flavors are floral, grassy, floral esters, smoky fire, light resin, light herbal, lightly toasted malts, bready, wood, caramel, and a malty sweetness.
The mouthfeel is slightly astringent, finishing smooth. The body is medium and medium carbonation.
Final Thought: A stellar example of Rauchbier, it is not overly smoky, allowing the other flavors of the beer to shine through. A delightful floral/herbal hop is well-balanced with the rest of the beer. I am glad they had this beer in there. I enjoyed it.

Nice amber pour, thin khaki head. Nose offers campfire smoke.

Taste brings medium smoked meat, caramelized malt, sweet floral. Light mouthfeel, leaning medium. Finish sees some light woody bitterness, and if course the campfire.

Part of the Costco Biergarten Collection - 16.9 ounce can - BEST BEFORE 07/2026.

Appearance: Pours a relatively clear, tawny amber body with a wispy, white head. Meager lacing.

Smell: Exhibits a gentle smokiness but it still has a sound bacony quality with some toasty maltiness underneath.

Taste: Toasty malts with a brush of sweetness quickly turns towards the restrained smokiness. Very faint herbal hop quality. Progressively slides into a dryness on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Decent. While altogether placid and meek when set against a Schlenkerla brew, it is just nice to come across a (well, any, really) rauchhbier from time to time.

 

Handsome clear orangey brown brew with abundant foam in the Widmer Weizen glass. Bold aroma of campfire smoke. Light and sudsy on the tongue. Light malty taste with the distinct smokey flavor. HInt of apples, roasted grain, and a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. Flavor and aroma both quite pervasive but actually pleasant. Might be better mixed with a plain Lager, though. From the 500 ml can purchased at Costco in the German variety pack. Stamped "Best Before 07/2026."

 

Part of the variety 24-pack 16.9oz cans Costco $59.99
7 months before best by month
Smells smoky like smoked meat
Clear dark reddish color
High carbonation. Exploded when I opened it.
Medium mouthfeel
Taste of smoked meat
Overall I enjoyed this beer. Would like to get more of it.

 

 

 

Really nice attractive dark amber appearance.
Medium light carbonation with about a medium body
Aroma is definitely smoke, light smoked meat, malt, dark honey and bread
Taste is smokey, malt,smoked bacin,bacon, earthy honey and bread
Overall its a very good,tasty version of this type of beer

Pours a lighter amber, fairly transparent. Tawny foam dissipates quickly leaving only a ring of foam and little lacing. Smell is intensely smoky, very pleasant, with a little malt. Flavor begins malty sweet, grassy hops come on in the middle before smoke takes over the tail of the flavor. Smoke flavor becomes more prominent as the beer warms. Feel is crisp with ample carbonation. Overall, the flavor is nice, but lighter. It doesn't live up to the promise of the smell.

Brauerei Rittmayer Hallerndorf GMBH& CO. KG "Georg Rittmayer Rauchbier"
500 ml can coded "BEST BEFORE: 07/2025". Sampled on 12 November 2024
$59.99 / 24 can case - Costco's Biergarten Collection, Costco, Christiana, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: A clear reddish-brown body is capped by an inch of slightly yellowed foam. The aroma is sweetish, floral, and smoky. The taste follows with a dark-bread and medium-dark caramelish malt, floral hops, and Beechwood smoke. A moderate to median bitterness balances it and it finishes dry with the smokiness steadily fading. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp. Quite often with rauchbier the smokiness is either too strong or too limited but that's not the case here at all. Keep in mind that that's my impression as someone who likes smoked beers and has traveled to find them. Rauchbier isn't for everyone but stylistically this is right on.
Review #9,076

 

500ml can from Costco's 2024 Holiday Biergarten Collection. The can has a July 2025 Best By date stamped on the bottom.

Appearance. Clear, very dark reddish-brown body with an excellent beige head.

I enjoyed this considerably more than many of the smoked beers I've had.
I'm not a fan of this style so I added about 1/4 point to my Taste rating given it's relative flavor rating. The smooth, well carbonated body helped.