Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel
Schlenkerla (Heller-Bräu Trum)

From bottle, body pours an opaque brown with a finger of white head. Light lacing.

Aroma is a light smoke with a light malt. Taste follows nose as the smoke carries the bulk of the flavor. There are notes of fruit and cherry in the smoke mid-swallow there is a smoky bitterness that trails off at finish.

Mouthfeel is medium and nicely soft.

Brauerei Heller-Trum "Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel"
16.9 fl. oz. brown glass bottle
$5.09 @ State Line Liquors, Elkton, MD

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's poured a mostly clear, just slightly hazy, red to reddish-brown body beneath a finger's width of off-white foam. The aroma is clearly smoky, and although I can't tell you what cherrywood smells like, it doesn't smell like Beechwood. It's not as bright in my opinion. There's a little bit of malt and fruitiness to it as well but the smoke makes up the bulk of it. On to the taste, it's malty but not overly so. It's obviously not as malty as their Urbock, but probably on par with their Märzen. It's caramelish, sweetish, and a bit toasty. The smokiness reminds me more of a piece of smoked cheddar than bacon or ham, and there's some fruitiness to it but I don't know if that's coming from the smoke. Ah, looking at the label it states that "cherry wood has a fruity, sweet aroma...", and that "the finest aroma hops add berry notes...". Interesting. There's some bitterness to it, and I'm guessing that the smokiness also helps to dry it in the finish. It's quite pleasant and easy to drink, and not as smoky as some of their other beers. I should also point out that the beers from Schlenkerla are some of the smokiest in the Bamberg region. Only Spezial and Fässla come close. In the mouth it's medium bodied, and gently crisp and then smooth with a fine-bubbled carbonation. I'd like to say that I could drink this all day but we all know that's not true, the smokiness would build on your palate and you'd eventually need to refresh, but the sentiment is there. On a personal level, this is definitely one of my favorite beers from Schlenkerla.
Review #9,521

Clear amber pour, steady tan head. Nose is sweet smoke.

Taste is sweet smoke (yes the cherry wood makes a difference), caramel, light cherry, medium kilned malt, spicy wood. Mouthfeel is creamy, smoky, malt. Finish sees the smoke take a step back (but it is still in charge), with a woody burnt vanilla flavor coming through. Never had anything quite like it.

 

another smoke forward stunner from these folks, each of these is a gold standard of sorts, and this one is too, a cherrywood smoked red lager, as fine as it gets, a treat to drink, and something quite original, hearty and rustic but also exceedingly well refined, an artform, lucky to have partaken! pretty deep chestnut to mahogany color on this, high creamy off white head with good retention and lace, an inviting visual warmth about it, lovely tone. the aroma is uniquely grainy, rich without being too sweet to me, toffee and maple notes, all encompassing smoke character, the wood and the fire along with how it impacts the malt, subtle soy-like umami here, deeply earthy, red apple and raisin fruitiness, cherry, leather, and good pipe tobacco, autumnal maybe, nutty, exotic, immediately kind of wakes up my senses, powerful nose. the flavor is awesome, lots of smoke on this but it has a lot of personality within it, sweet and fruity, beautiful with the grain complexity already here, palate coating and long in flavor, molasses, bran muffin, almond and hazelnut, dried apple rings, light late bitterness, warm and kind of smoldering character to it, some old world lager yeast apparent to me, adds a lot, medium body, smooth, substantial but still drinkable, just enough carbonation, unrushed, mature, woody, just a touch sweet, fig and leather and some iodine type minerality in the smoke, seriously earthy but very cozy too, i loved this. long aftertaste but it keeps evolving on the palate really nicely. just splendid beer, so unique and special, historical and fun, cant wait to drink this one again, love everything these guys do.

 

This was really good. Draft at Moan n Dove Amherst MA.

 

 

a: nice mixture of ruby red and purple. 1/2 finger rocky tan head

s: sweet malts and faint hint of fruity wood smoke. campfire and caramel. a touch of meaty bacon and some more malt sweetness

t: sweet malts, cherry, campfire smoke. grass, grains, and some earthy sweet hops. the smoke in here is a subtle kiss

m: medium mouthfeel with medium-light carbonation

o: a touch sweet, but very smooth. smoke isn't too heavy, which isn't what you'd expect from the brewery but it's nice

1 PINT 0.9 FL. OZ. bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours copper colored with burnt orange highlights. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves some nice lacing.

Wonderful smoke aroma. It smells like a BBQ joint. I get a little bit of that cherry wood.

Lots of smoked flavor upfront. As it subsides, the base beer comes through. Clean and refreshing.

Medium to thinner bodied with a smooth mouthfeel

I enjoyed this beer.

 

Picked up a 16 oz can from the Appalachian Vintner in Asheville on 8-2-25 for $5.50. No canning date; consumed 10-18-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured deep amber with a nice off white head with the original pour.

Nose is very nice as the cherry fruit dominates and the smoke for a change in ever so subtle on the back end.

Taste is caramel malts, cherries, and a hint of fruity smoke. Back end is well balanced with a trace of smoky bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with each sip very smooth.

Overall, this is a nice change of pace from Schlenkerla.

Two finger, thick foamy head on a reddish brown body. Aroma is salted meat and faint cereal malt. The sweet brine really dominates. Flavors are caramel and dark fruit upfront, but not so long for sweetness to come out; hops in the body, cherry, a few floral and woody notes, and finishing with brine and smoke. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Each sip gets better and better. There’s almost not sweetness, but it’s not super bitter either, more like dry, but not for lack of flavor. It seems to pull out the flavors of the hops and malt without imparting any underlying sweetness. Really delicious and unique.

 

 

 

Poured a copper brown body with off-white one-finger head that slowly died. There’s a smokey aroma that is meaty but definitely has a hint of cherry and woodiness. Fuller bodied, a little thick but not sticky, less dry and meaty than others, but don’t be mistaken it’s still dry and meaty, but a smidge of sweetness like cherry and blackberry is in beer and has a touch of sweetness on finish.

 

Medium light sweet smokiness with a bit of smoky cured meat. Not as in-your-face as the Marzen. Besides that there’s dark fruit (mostly plum and blackberry), pepper, and brown sugar sweetness. None of that sour raisin flavor you often get in red ales. Just a delicious, well-balanced smoky beer. I slightly prefer it to the Marzen.