Aecht Schlenkerla Erle
Schlenkerla (Heller-Bräu Trum)

a: silky, murky muddy dark brown and black with a 2 finger tan head

s: super smokey...campfire and bacon. big roasted malts, cola, and some soy sauce. not super complex but very nice aroma

t: meaty and bacon. charred wood, campfire smoke and big sweet malt. light cola and more of that smoke

m: medium mouthfeel with medium carbonation

o: fantastic beer. nothing too complex, but this is crafted extremely well. perfect harmonization with smoke and malt

Poured from a 1 pt 0.9 oz undated bottle into two tall Pilsner glasses.

Look: Semi-opaque very dark brown with large light tan head holding pretty good retention. Nice lacing.

Nose: Smoke very dominant, but not overwhelming — appropriate to style — malt underneath.

Taste: Attack is malt forward, then follows the nose perfectly. Rich malt continues through the middle of the flavor, and then the smoke continues into the slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium, adequate carbonation.

Overall: In case you can’t tell by the numbers I gave it, I really like this beer. Of the several outstanding Schlenkerla Rauchbiers, I think this’ll be my favorite — very full-flavored and pretty well balanced.

Aroma is strong smoke/BBQ and a hint of sweet fruit. The flavor is strong smoke/BBQ/wood, mild fruit sweetness and a roasted malt/slightly acidic finish.

 

500ml bottle.

Pours dark brown with mahogany edges and a half-inch head of tan.
Big smoke in the nose with shades of dark chocolate and smoldering wood.
Medium bodied with a soft mouthfeel. Bakers chocolate on the palate with charred malt.
Finishes dry and smokey.

Bottled in dark brown glass Aroma is gristly malt a hint of lime
Flavour is that aroma and purchased from Beermoth bottle shop in their new Café Beermoth in Manchester City centre
Pours a jet black body with splashes of off white head
Aroma smokey dokey
Flavour is hotdog water and chocolate starfish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i cannot even express how good this is, what a wonderfully unique beer, a smoked schwarzbier done with alder wood smoked malt, like nothing else out there, the originality and quality are everything thats still right about beer, and this fully deserves its acclaim. very appealing heritage looking packaging, insanely fair pricing on this, and all of their beer really, for how good and labor intensive it must be. i was surprised this wasnt a bit darker, i mean its very dark brown, even black in the center, but it does have lighter reddish edges and not much apparent heft to it, shiny amber in places, made to look lighter still by its two full inches of airy khaki colored head, what a lovely looking brew. the nose is wild, the smoke is so distinctive compared to beech or oak smoked malt, its sweet, floral, and still robust but not in the least acrid or bitter or overpowering, its wonderful, and the roasted grain from the dark lager base beer is gorgeous with it, espresso grinds, wet soil, some umami, almost mushroom-like its so earthy, but its also got the old world lager yeast, elite water, and some middle malts providing sweetness and balance, its so cohesive and good, lightly spicy almost for a second. the flavor is just like the nose, the smoke envelops the palate and is deeply woody and interesting without dominating, charcoal and black fig and ancient weed resin, subtle cherry wood, maple, and iodine, unique mineral character to this, killer lagering, patient and mature to me, refined by time, and frothy and light feeling, warms up super well, easier drinking than i could have imagined for its color and for being a smoked beer, but man is this special stuff, among my favorites from these guys, and absolutely not to be missed, perfect for the fall season, cant wait to drink another one. among my favorite beers of the year so far...

500 ml bottle.

Pours a dark cola brown with a large, sudsy off-white head. Decent retention but lacing for days.

Smells like beef jerky dipped in cocoa. Slightly grainy, a touch of hops. Might be the foggiest idea of dark fruit and brown bread. Lovely.

Taste has a more subtle "smokeyness", with some leather, ham and chocolate, as well as a bit of raisin bread and toasted cereal grains. Faintly hoppy on the finish. This is ridiculously good.

Body is medium with soft carbonation. Very clean. Has a lingering metallic character.

Overall this is definitely one of the best schwarzbier's I've had, and certainly the best rauchbier. The smokey character mingles perfectly with the sweet, chocolate notes.

16oz can poured into a tall chalice.

A: Deep mahogany brown with what appears to be good clarity. Tight bubbled beige head retains well. Thin and sticky webby lacing.

S: Big whiffs of campfire and jerky. Plenty smokey and sooty, but with some softer roasted malt nuance peeking through. Bakers chocolate and black cocoa powder. Underpinnings of spicy herbal hops. A little bit of plum and red berries, perhaps.

T: More or less follows the nose. Lots of smoke and campfire up front. Jerky and leather. Great malt flavors of brown bread, brown cocoa powder, and some bakers chocolate. Big dose of herbal/spicy and oily hops isn't shy to bring along some bitterness. Maybe a faint hint of prunes and currants. Finishes with a little brown molasses, cocoa, and lingering spicy hops.

M: Medium-full body with a firm malt texture that is silky, chewy, and has a bit of heft. Some unexpectedly bracing hop astringency. Carbonic bite of seltzery carbonation with a stiff scrubbing action.

O: Not the easygoing malt-forward and somewhat vanilla sort of schwarzbier that we are used to coming across Stateside. I love that it brings the usual smokiness that we expect of a Bamberg beer, and the bracing hop bitterness challenges the (often just plain wrong or arbitrary) style guidelines that our own judging bodies put forward. I quite like it. It's a more challenging and interesting beer, and tastes surprisingly fresh. Kudos to B United for the care taken during import!

Picked up a 500 ml bottle from the Appalachian Vintner in Asheville on 4-23-25 for $6.99. Bottling code indicates 210 24 25; 11:47A - one can interpret the bottle date of July 28, 2024; expiring July 28, 2025; consumed 8-1-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured dark brown with a nice off-white head with the original pour.

Nose is very nice. I am getting notes of smoky chocolate.

Taste is a moderately roasted malt base that yields notes of chocolate. Finishes with a smoked cheese on the back of the palate with all traces of sweetness balanced out.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and pretty smooth yet refreshing.

Overall, this is one unique brew. Definitely not as smoky as the other Schlenkerla offerings and the malt flavors are allowed to shine thru.

No can date, just a code
Pours a frothy fizzy 1.5 finger tan head with moderate retention, fair sticky lacing, dark semi hazy mahogany to chestnut brown color

Nose brings a nice smoke, beach-wood-like smoke that's on the milder side, almost like cherry wood, a bit of campfire and smoked meats, a bit of coffee and roasted malt, and hint of chocolate caramel

Taste starts with the malts actually, dark roasted malts with some coffee, chocolate, a bit of burnt caramel, then smoke which is fairly smooth, light campfire smoldering wood, beech-wood like, a bit of smoked meat or cheese, light bitterness from roast and mild spicy hop, a hint of campfire smoked burnt marshmallow, dry finish

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, a bit soft as well, med carb

Overall a nice beer, somewhere between mild rauchbier and schwarzbier, smooth smoky character and enjoyable even on a hot summer day

Nice colour, plenty of head.

Smell is smoky malt, some fruit sweetness and spice. Not quite the smoke I like though, must be the different wood used.

Taste is the same

Feel is light and smooth

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass
Appearance – The beer pours a dark brown color with a huge billowy head of tan colored foam. The head has a great level of retention, fading very slowly over time and leaving tons of streaky lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is very strong of a roasted and toasted malt mixed with notes of chocolate and coffee. As a Rauchbier, there is also that nice bacon smell, with this one being of a sweeter bacon with notes of hickory and oak. Other smells of caramel and toffee mix within, and with a campfire and vanilla smell, a rich and robust smell is produced overall.
Taste – The taste begins with nice roasted and toasted malt flavor mixed with some flavors of char and a bit of chocolate and caramel sweetness. There are notes of vanilla and crème as well as a bit of dark fruit of raisin and plum. As the taste advances it bitters slightly, with some coffee and more burnt amber char joining in. The woody tastes also intensify a bit, and with a touch of herb at the very end, one is left with a smooth and nicely roasted, toasted, and smoked taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the medium in thickness with a moderate carbonation level. For the mix of dark toasty and smoky flavors and the lower abv., the middle of the road body is quite nice, balancing the rich dark and smoky with an easier drinking feel.
Overall – A quite fantastic smoked brew. Well crafted and balanced overall. Certainly, one to try if you have the opportunity.