Smoked Rösten
Human Robot Brewery

Golden amber color, clear; fine, dense carbonation; initial thick head, white and sudsy; long-lasting though it recedes to a one-finger thickness. Rich, malty nose; caramel; a hint of sweet wood smoke. Nice toasted grain sweetness; twinge of smokiness permeates everything; low-key hop bitterness. Medium-heavy body; smooth with a robust sense of denseness; lightly warm sensation.

This is an interesting beer in that no smoked malt was used, but the smokiness was derived from yeast used previously for another smoked beer the brewery. This is a fascinating idea and does seem to work. The subtlety of the smoke flavor should appeal to those who are new to smoked beers or anyone who is familiar with classic Bamberg produced smoked beers and want to compare things. A unique and delicious offering.

ABV: 5%; pouring temperature: 45.3 ℉; canning info: 10/27/25
Source: beer trade with @FRANKHAZE

 

 

From a 16oz can. No date on the can.

This is a fairly clear looking beer and it is golden in color. There's a ton of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass to produce a thick 3 finger white head. The head is frothy and the bubbles are small. Head retention is great and I really like the lacing on the glass.
The aroma has a nice hint of grain and a touch of sweetness to it. I also get a faint hint of smoke and it is a nice counterpoint to the grain.
Taste - There's a lot of grain in this beer. The grain is mostly cereal in nature with a touch of biscuit. There's a bit of sweetness in the grain part of the beer. There's a faint hint of smoke that comes in on the backside. The smoke is quite faint and has a liquid smoke like flavor - not that is a bad thing.
The beer has a nice bubbly body. Very crisp feeling. Smooth in nature.
This is a pleasant beer. Very tasty and a well made beer.

on draft at the Jenkintown location - in half liter pils glass

clear yellow golden, thick layer of bright white head. great head retention. Light woody smoke in the aroma, similarly restrained in the taste too. Clean pale malt flavor underneath. Well balanced. thin to medium bodied.

16oz can purchased from the brewery in Jenkintown, gifted by a friend. A four-pack sells for $16. Canned on 10/16/2023, so this is 19 days old.

Look: It pours a nice light gold color with near perfect clarity. There was a nice two fingers of whitish head upon the pour, which dissipated to a very thin layer. A nice stream of carbonation quickly rises up the glass.

Smell: It smells similar to the regular Rösten, with a bit more earthiness and a subtle smoke aroma. It has a sweet, doughy malt aroma along with bright lemony notes and a spicy, earthy finish. Only after swirling the glass do I pick up on the subtle smoky aroma. It adds a bit of a campfire kind of character. The nose is very inviting!

Taste: Truly delicious. This is excellent. It is not that different from the regular Rösten Helles, and I think that it just goes to show you how subtle the smokiness is. Just like Rösten, this beer is super drinkable, crushable, chuggable....you name it. It has a nice lemony citrus flavor up front along with a sweet maltiness. Then the finish brings a soft smokiness along with a mild bitterness that also has some spicy and earthy characteristics.

Feel: It's light to medium bodied but it has a fullness to it that is characteristic of a good Helles. The carbonation is spot on.

Overall: This is so good. I have yet to have Schlenkerla Helles, which is the inspiration for this beer. So cool that the smokiness is just coming from the yeast of a previous batch of Rauchschloss and not from any smoked malt. I liked Rösten and I personally like this a bit more. I also wonder how much age plays a role; I consumed Rösten at 3 1/2 months old and Smoked Rösten is less than 3 weeks old.

From the can:
Smoked German-Style Helles Lager
"Am morgen ein Bier und der Tag gehört dir!"
"One beer in the morning and the day is yours!"

This was one of the most unique beers I had at Snally and it really delivers as far as having that helles body but with a faint kiss of smoke. I honestly would've liked more smoked and I think that this experimental take on Rösten gives us some reason to believe that this could be possible without the use of smoked malt. This only had one prior smoked beer pitch. I wonder if a more full result would stem from multiple prior rauchbier uses.