Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier (Lentbeer)
Schlenkerla (Heller-Bräu Trum GmbH)

Pours a murky copper color with a medium top of beige head that dissolves slowly.
Aroma is of smoked malt, smoked ham, firewood with some notes of leather dark bread and caramel.
The flavour is malty with some slight sweet notes. I sense dark bread with some toffee notes allong with the smoked notes of smoked ham. The finish has some slight bitterness in it as well as some salty feel.
Mouthfeel is suprisingly smooth with a medium carbonation and a medium body.
All in all a very good take on this rauchbier, a little less smoky than the other rauchbiers from this brewery

500ml bottle. Poured out a murky, dark amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of smoked malt, caramel, toffee and wood. Great smoke taste with bready malt, toffee and caramel.

 

116oz can into a pint glass. No freshness dating.

Nice smoky aroma, stronger in the taste with a side of bacon. Smooth finish.

Lightly clouded bronze appearance with a creamy, dense, off white head and very nice lacing. The smoky aroma, with hints of leather, was relatively mild in comparison to the Urbock. Full bodied mouthfeel with an earthy, peaty flavor. Modest to average carbonation. Decently hopped but not as intense as some of the other Schlenkerla’s. Like comparing an IPA to a IIPA. Good one to have if it’s your first smoked beer. Everything falls into place from appearance to finish.

I had this on draft 3/21/23 @ the Hopleaf.

Mostly opaque brown/orange appearance.

Nice off-white head; frothy lace.

Candied bacon, campfire smoke & faint berry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Candied bacon, campfire smoke & faint berry flavors.

Big, bold but with a nice sweetness to balance the smoke. I'd have another!

 

 

 

Pours a deep rich mahogany. I get some creme brûlée/burnt marshmallow on the nose. There is definitely a burnt sugar quality that carries through, an underpinning of smoked malt. This is less hammy than your usual Schlenkerla profile. In fact, I'm not sure it has much smoked meat character at all. This feels like the smoked beer for the non-meat eater if there ever was one.

 

delicious beer, really is, so so cool as well, very little else like it, obviously smokey flavours are dominating here, smoked meats, cigar smoke, burned toast, there’s a saltiness to it, but also a vanilla sweetness, some brown bread malt, herbal, low to medium bitterness on the finish, medium to full bodied with medium carbonation, thick enough, it’s such a fun beer in such a fun style

Canned: 04/20/22

L: The beer pours a medium to deep amber color with good clarity. The pour results in two fingers of khaki head with good retention. As the beer goes down it leaves a mass of ringed and webbed lacing on the glass.

S: The initial impression is smoked meats, but after the beer has had a chance to sit in the glass this fades almost completely. Further investigation reveals smoked beechwood and malt with a roasted grain character coming through the smokiness, caramel malt, a touch of honey bread crust, and a very light earthy herbal character.

T: I get smoked malts and a touch of beechwood (fairly restrained compared to the nose), caramel sweetness, a nice bready malt character, notes of dark fruits, a bit of brown sugar, and an earthy herbal presence on the backend and finish presenting notes of black tea and fresh cut hay. On the finish there is a nice light bitterness and a minimal hint of noble hop spice complemented by notes of burnt beechwood and dark earth. As the beer warms it sweetens up and the dark fruits come out more in the form of fig and raisin notes.

F: Medium to medium-full body with medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth on the front end but quickly turns a bit sticky coating the palate as it goes down. The finish has a delightful light dryness that keeps me coming back for another drink.

O: This is a world class Rauchbier. Definitely malt forward, but the hops come in on the backend and finish keeping the sweetness in check and lending a nice earthy bitterness that keeps this one from being too cloy. As it warms it edges up to cloyness but never steps over the line. For some reason I only get smoked meats on the initial pour of the first can but after a minute or two it's completely gone. The mouthfeel is amazing and keeps me coming back to the glass...highly drinkable and highly recommended!

On a final note I have to give props to B. United and OEC for their partnership with Brauerei Heller-Trum. Their tank container canning project gives us here in the states a chance to drink fresh German beer which is a nice turn after my personal journey of trying to decipher German production codes (with lots of assists from the BA german production code thread).

16 oz can
Glass: 0.5L Mug
Temp at Pour: mid-40s F


Look:
Dark burnished copper that is slightly opaque and hazy. Initial 3-finger beige head that dissipates to a .25" consistent cover. Excellent lacing along the sides of the mug.

Smell:
Smokey and sweet (in a good way) with hints of salt. Some campfire. No discernable hops. Reminds me of sweet Lebanon-style deer bologna. (Lebanon as in Lebanon, PA)

Taste:
Follows the nose with more campfire. Bready malts and some toasted salted caramel. Some brown sugar notes. A light earthy hop bite presents itself. Smoke and earthy hops linger for some time as the malts slowly fade. Dries out at the end, making you want another sip. Nice.

Feel:
Slick and mouth-coating. Medium body that shades to the fuller side.

Overall:
A fantastic Rauchbier. Nicely balanced between the smoke, sweet/caramelly malts, and light hops. Very easy to drink for a Rauchbier. This one definitely lives up to its #1 ranking. This is one that I will try to keep on hand when possible.

 

Pours a clear dark caramel color. A large frothy head retains well and displays plenty of lacing.
The nose is delightfully smoky with notes of hickory, bbq meats and sweet honey. Aromas of bready toasted malt, biscuit and a touch of nutty roasted malts.
Sweet and bready with notes of toast, biscuit and bold yet restrained smoked malts. Notes of honey, caramel, grass, tea leaves and a touch of chocolate and lightly roasted malts. A gentle kiss of bitterness adds some balance along with the smoke malts.
Medium bodied and smooth, almost chewy. The finish is smooth and semi dry. Carbonation is moderate.
Wonderful Rauchbier. I wouldn’t expect anything less from this fantastic brewery.

No canning date, but I was told if was canned “about a week ago”

This is one of my coolest (of many) finds at OEC today in Connecticut. I made the trip out there for just a few of their beers, but ended up walking out with much more than expected from them and other international breweries. I’ve wanted to try this one for a long time now, the highest rated Rauchbier. Pretty cool that OEC cans this themselves. Let’s dive into it

Pours a clear reddish brown with 3 fingers of soapy tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

This one is exceptionally smoky in the aroma, and there’s an odd but very strong overtone of olive. I’m picking up on aromas of black and green olive, beechwood smoke, brown bread, ham, floral hops, and caramel

That olive vibe is still quite present in taste, just not as forward. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting beechwood smoke, toast, charred oak, bready malt, light pepper, and toffee. The swallow brings notes of black olive, smoked malt, red apple, toffee, herbal hops, and toast

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a crisp but slightly thin beer. Finishes mostly dry with a decent sweetness

Well this definitely isn’t my favorite Rauchbier, but it’s still pretty damn good. This olive flavor might be because it’s so young so I wonder if that will fade with time

 

$4.50 USD at Beermongers, Portland, OR. 16 fl oz pull-tab can.

5.9% ABV. Brewed with non-smoked pale malt and Schlenkerla Smoked Malt." Unfiltered.

Served cold into a stemless wine glass.

APPEARANCE: Darker colored than I thought it would be...a murky dark amber/amber-brown. Head is healthy and robust, lasting ~10 minutes. I don't know that it's obvious it's unfiltered; I don't see any yeast/lees within.

AROMA: Beechwood smoked malt, smokey malt aromatics, faint caramelized sugars, basic malt sweetness.

Promises a smoke-emphatic beer that isn't ashy, bitter, or ashtray-redolent like some harsher smoked beers.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, even refreshing...this isn't a harsh ashtray rauchbier by any stretch. Mellow Beechwood smoked malt mingles with pale malt sweetness and vitaminy yeast to good effect.

Well attenuated and well balanced, though I suppose I expected more depth of flavour and complexity from the smoked malt as is found in other Schlenkerla beers. Still, it's a far more complex lager than most 5.9% lagers brewed with this few ingredients, and it's easily one of the better rauchbiere out there - not that there are many.

Perfectly carbonated. Free of any off-flavour or faults.

OVERALL:

B / GOOD

 

Very smooth, light smoky balanced taste. My favorite so far.

 

 

16 oz can poured into a mug

A- A clear dark amber with a small tan head.

S- Smoky, caramel malts, floral, some sweet bread.

T- Smoky, some campfire, sweet bread, caramel malts, floral, touch earthy.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty and easy drink smoked beer, great balance.

Poured from a can - not quite clear copper/mahogany with thick light khaki head leaving significant lacing. Nose is mild smokey malt with a hint of sweetness. Taste follows with more sweet mild smoke. Finishes with a mild hop bite. Delicious with some smoked chicken and red rice.

From a can into a small stemmed tulip.

I didn't think I would like a rauchbier and there are definitely some I do not like, but this is a wonderful beer that I try to keep in the "beerfridge" for when the time is right.

A - Pours clear, amber, good carbonation, minimal lacing with a 2-finger off white head. 4.25

S - Smoky, campfire, bready, yeasty, no discernable hops. 4.5

T - Smoke, malt backbone with a faint sweetness, an umami edge, herbal/smoky bitterness in the finish. 4.5

MF - Medium body with a dry clean almost sharp finish. Lasting smoke on the palate but not coating. 4.5

Poured some into a glass, had the rest from a 16oz can. My first smoked beer.

Clear dark amber color that forms a rather quick and large head. Recedes and leaves a bit of light skim.

Smell is actually a more mild smoke than I expected but absolutely there. Also get hints of sweet bread.

Comes in sweet (not in a bad way) and smoky with notes of caramel and malt. I get a little bit of salted caramel and smoke in the finish.

Was quite happy with trying something new. Really good.

Beer for fasting? Then I can stay hungry!

 

 

From a 16oz can:

Appearance: Clear amber-brown, good head.

Smell: Wood smoke, mild sweetness.

Taste: Caramel sweetness, sweet campfire smoke. Not too heavy.

Overall: Super excited to see this beer in MN and in cans! Nice smoky flavor, seems to be a little more sweet overall than the other Schlenkerla beers. Still very tasty and hopefully their other beers keep coming in cans to MN!

 

From 16oz can with no freshness date.

Poured into my pilsener glass this beer is a clear golden brown with an oatmeal colored foamy cap. Head eventually falls to a ring and a skim leaving some soapy lace on the glass.

Scent is light smoke, brown bread, and a kiss of leafy hops.

Taste is sweet and hearty with bread, caramel and soft wood smoke in the background. There is a refreshing green leafy and grassy hop note in the finish. Nuts and fruit emerge as the beer warms. Almonds. Figs and other dark fruit. Hints of vanilla. The brown bread noted in the scent also begin to come through in the flavor. Brown sugar. Hint of treacle. Roasted and lightly charred notes. Complex, hearty, satisfying.

Mouth is on the fuller side of medium and very creamy.

I'm a big fan of rauchbiers and this is a fantastic one and probably a good choice for those wishing to acquaint themselves with the style as the smoke character here is relatively subtle and won't overwhelm.

Look: Very dark amber with a billowing beige head that forms quickly and pillows up well, leaving great lacing as it recedes
Aroma: Woody smoke, rich breadiness, campfire cookout, and charcoaled wood
Taste: Freshly smoked meat, wood-smoke-kissed bread, and rich maltiness is evident as it peeks through the smoky haze from time to time. Some nice dark malt flavor leads to a finish with…wait for it…more smoke
Mouthfeel: Full but a lighter feel than the look or style would lead me to believe, medium-high carbonation, and a clean, smoky finish
Overall: This is a damn good Rauchbier. This style has to be the most fascinatingly odd yet awesome of them all as every time I have one, I can’t tell if I’m drinking beer or eating good barbeque and it messes with my head, in a good way. These folks set the standard and glad to have tried one that I had never seen from them. If you like smoked beer – give this a go

Clear brownish red with abundant foam in the New Belgium snifter. Delightful creamy and sudsy mouthfeel. Pleasant perfumey smoke scent with an endless nose of smoke, like where they're curing hams. Quite tangy with a bitter finish. Quite malty with a good dose of sweetness, which works well with the you know what.

Tastes of apples, caramel, roasted malt and a surprising bitterness. This is powerfully flavored and not all of it due to the smoke. It gets kind of strong for more than a short glass, but it's a beer experience not to be missed. From the 16 oz can brewed in Bamberg and canned in Oxford, Conn.

500 ml can purchased from Capital Market in Salem OR
$5.25
Pours a beautiful dark clear amber with a lovely thick and creamy light beige head.
Aroma fruity and smokey..not as smokey as the marzen but its right there. Its like a a great sweet/smoke bbq sauce aroma.
Taste is very balanced between the sweetish malts, the light smoke and there is a mice touch of grassy hop in the end. Beautiful.
Mouth feel is just right on ..its actually medium light with medium carbonation..finishes with some bitterness.
A great beer..very balanced especially if your a rauchbier lover.