Rauchschloss
Human Robot Brewery

Clear, light gold on the pour, dark copper body; fine carbonation; thick head, off-white, long-lasting, densely foamy. Rich malt aroma with a minor twinge of smokiness. Fantastic malt-forward flavor with a nice, unassuming smokiness tapering the malt sweetness; caramel; nice hop and smoked malt bitterness. Medium-heavy body; sticky.

A fine, balanced rauchbier that is nicely flavorful.

ABV: 5%; pouring temperature: 46.4 °F; canning info: 10/10/2025 628
Source: beer trade with @FRANKHAZE

I love this beer. It’s like a lager met an ale and they ate a smoked bratwurst. I can’t stop drinking these. Clean taste not too sweet and perfect hint of wheat.

 

Deep amber with a nice foamy head. Strong smoky aromas. Smoky flavors balanced out with malty sweetness. Flavors are very strong as well. Fuller side of medium mouthfeel. Really great rauchbier on the heavier side for smokiness.

A nice smoked amber lager. The smoke is fairly subtle and does not overwhelm the other flavors (malty or hoppy). An easy drinking smoked lager that will please even those who do not like smoked beers.

Human Robot Brewing "Rauchschloss"
16 fl. oz. can without production coding or freshness dating
$16/4pk at the 5th Street brewery on 10/27/2023

Notes via stream of consciousness: This beer is brewed from 100% Weyermann Beechwood smoked malt. It's a clear dark amber/copper in color beneath a finger's width of white foam. It's darker than I would have expected as that malt is just 4-8 EBC/2-3.5 Lovibond but maybe it picked up a lot of color during the decoction and boil. It smells as you might expect, smoky and malty, and the taste is the same. The smokiness is not overdone, and it leaves a pleasant lingering note in the mouth. There are some hops there as well but they're mild. I'll call them spicy and herbal. It's medium bodied and gently crisp and then smooth in the mouth. Overall it's quite well balance and enjoyable. I specifically traveled to Bamberg in 2017 to taste the rauchbiers within the city and in the surrounding areas and this one is right up there with the best of them.
Review #8,767

16oz can purchased from the fridge from a bottle shop as a 4-pack for $18.99 plus tax. No canned on date, but this was just announced to be released in cans on Instagram on October 4th. That means that this beer is like 12 days old. I think that Rauchschloss means "smoke lock"....clearly they are playing off of the Burgenstrasse "castle road" name as this is a variation of that Franconian recipe.

Look: Very nice dark copper / amber color. Nice clarity. There was a nice light beige-colored head that eventually faded down to a thin layer. Lots of small bubbles are quickly rising up the glass. The beer gained a soft haze after pouring the bottom of the can.

Smell: It smells amazing. It totally smells like an Aecht Schlenkerla beer. The smoked malt gives it a nice campfire aroma; it's strong but it's not overpowering. I can also smell a nice bready maltiness as well as a spicy hop finish. Even though this is a smoked beer, there is a lot of balance on the nose. The bottom of the can also had an increase in lager funk. Very interesting.

Taste: It's very tasty. It's a pretty aggressively hopped beer, similar to the Burgenstrasse, however I think that the smoked malt is helping to temper the perception of hoppiness and bitterness on the palate. Only after the smoke flavor dissipates from the palate do I perceive the highly bitter finish. The name of the game here is balance. There's such a nice balance on the palate between the smokiness, the maltiness, and the hoppiness. Everyone gets a turn. Up front, it's malty with nice dark bread notes and then it's all smoke all the time. Eventually, after the smokiness fades from the palate, the earthy, bitter, spicy, hoppy finish comes to the fore. It's a fun beer and it's super drinkable at 5% ABV.

Feel: It's medium to medium plus bodied. It's clean and crisp with a perception of chewiness from the smoked malt.

Overall: Wow. This is phenomenal. I had such high expectations for this beer and it is totally living up to them! This is definitely the hoppiest smoked beer that I have had and it is definitely an interesting experience. That being said, this beer does such a good job in balancing each element in the right proportion to allow each one a chance to shine - the smoke, the malt (I know that the smoke and the malt are both coming from the beechwood-smoked malts, but there are two very different flavors on the palate), and the hops. The mouthfeel is also very nice - it's easy to drink and it's not too light or too heavy.

 

on draft at the Jenkintown location in dimpled mug

clear, amber colored, thick creamy off-white colored head. The aroma and flavor both feature a strong but not overwhelming smokiness on top of bready malt flavor. campfire and smoked meat. medium bodied.

10 oz pour at the brewery, review going off of memory (had this one a few hours ago)

Somewhere between straw and amber; head subsides quickly with not much retention, clarity is slightly cloudy.

Aroma is nice balance of smoke, grainy bread and a subtle hop note.

Taste follows similarly the smoke is present but well balanced, grainy bread vibe returns and is followed but little hop presence.

Full body feel but light and very easy drinking, goes down pretty quickly with a very low bitterness, just enough dry to make you want another sip.

This is a well made and well balanced rauchbier, give it a try if you like the style.

Pours a clear, mid-range caramel-brown color with a finger-and-a-half of foamy, light tan head. Moderate retention and moderate lacing.

Deep, rich beechwood smoke aroma. It has a definite meatiness to it, but is still fairly delicate and much more about the smoke. None of that formaldehyde impression that sometimes sneaks into rauchbier.

Sweet malt hits first in the taste, followed quickly by what can only be called “smoked gouda, crackers and cold sausage plate.” Some rich caramel malt mixes with the smoke in the aftertaste. Again, slightly more delicate than I imagined it would be.

Medium bodied and smooth with just enough carbonation. Very easy drinking.

Smoked beers are not my thing, but this is definitely one of the better examples I’ve tried. Intensely smokey while still allowing the craft that went into the beer’s other characteristics to show.