Bamberger Rauchbier
Brauerei-Gaststätte Klosterbräu

*archived rating*

Pours a dark brown with a large foamy tan head. Aroma is roasted malt and a hint of smoke and chocolate. Taste is mild smoke & roast with not much bitterness, & sweetness. Not too many breweries make this style of beer. Decent for what it is. BB 8-2025

From the tall boy can in a snifter. This solid brew pours a deep muddled mahogany with
a fantastic head of khaki foam that settles to a thick long lasting layer with very nice lacing.
Nose of smoked meats, char, oak, dark toffee, and notes of dark cocoa. Flavors impress with
smoked oak, peat nuances, smoked meat, ham...double smoked bacon, dark cocoa, subtle
coffee, and toffee with lightly herbal hop notes. Mouth feel is medium, smooth, lightly coating,
lightly creamy, and finishing with a nice smoked note.

Overall, of all in this style I have tried I did this one.

Would purchase again....at the next Christmas advent I guess....sigh.

Cheers

Pours clear, dark brown in color with one inch head. Taste is medicine, toasted malt and smoke. Medium light body, medium low carbonation, slightly sweet. I like the overall smoke factor but the aftertaste reminds me of getting sick as a child.....ewwwh.first sips yum but then...please get me to Schlenkerla.

I've had smoky beers before, but this one was definitely different...

...different in that it was way maltier than any of the others I have had. Truly good looking beer - pouring a ruby tinged black brew and looking all black and beautiful. The smell is smoky and deep and the taste has malt and smoke all through it. A great brew...

500ml can poured into a Spiegelau wheat beer glass.
EXP 2025/03

L: Dark brown pour, 1/2” tan head, thick batter-like foam is moderately persistent, lively pour, bits of slick lace.
S: Robust smoke house aroma, bread grain malt.
T: Nice greasy smoke flavor, some sweeter bread and honey notes lurking underneath, spicy hops on the back, sharp overall.
F: Highly carbonated and crisp, hints at creaminess as it warms, medium-weight body.
O: Very nice smoke character.

Poured from an aluminum can, stored in a refrigerator at 38 degrees. The ale/beer was poured into an insulated pint glass. The beer was allowed to warm a bit before tasting it.

Look – Dark brown to black. Very modest head.

Smell – Smoky

Taste – Smoky and spicy

Feel – Medium body

Overall – Enjoyed the beer but won't purchase it again.

Bamberger Rauchbier from Brauerei-Gastatte Kloisterbrau. 500 mL (16.9 fl oz) can. Part of “12 German Beer Specialities” box. $ 4.25 (Including tax)/can, $ 0.251/fl oz. from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, picked up 02/11/24. Reviewed 21/12/24 (Review 3425). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “EXP 2025/03” Stored at 39 degrees F at home. Served at 48.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 50.3 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), slight chill haze.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, translucent ruby.
Head: Large (Maximum 5.4 cm, aggressive center pour), buttermilk. High density. Rapidly drops to a 1.0 – 1.3 cm crown fed by carbonation and a complete, rocky cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Distinct beechwood smokiness, more like Schlenkerla than Spezial (probably uses a higher % of smoked malt than Spezial). No hops. No ethanol (5.3 % ABV, as marked on label). No disulfide or diacetyl.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins with smoky bacon, barely bitter, followed by an oral dryness. No hops, no ethanol. No disulfides, no diacetyl. Mild gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium; creamy; soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 Another excellent rauchbier from the rauchbier capital!

 

L:
-pours the darkest of brown with no light coming through and a small-to-medium,frothy,beige head
-high carbonation visible
S:
-beechwood smoke,bacon,coffee,chocolate,bready,roasty
T:
-Follows the nose + malty
-low-to-medium bitterniss
F:
-mediuj carbonation
-light-to-medium body
O:
Unusually roasty for a German Rauchbier.Really good stuff.

Pours deep brown with a long lasting tan head- light smoke on the aroma - sweet malts are balanced nicely with the combination of smoke and hops. Nice beer!

 

Review: 2218
Name: Bamberger Rauchbier
Brewery: Brauerei-Gaststatte Klosterbrau
Location: Bamberg, Germany
Style: Rauchbier
A.B.V.: 5.2%
Canned: B.B. 03/2025
Date: 07 Oct 2024
Let's delve into the world of German beers with a unique find-Bamberger Rauchbier. This beer, a recent addition to my repertoire, was discovered during a Smoke Fest at Live Oak in Austin. The event was a delightful exploration of smoked beers, and Bamberger Rauchbier stood out with its rich, unique flavors.
For this review, I've chosen a traditional pint glass and meticulously served the beer at 44 degrees, ensuring the perfect temperature for tasting. The pour resulted in a frothy, creamy, two-fingered, light tan head with excellent retention, leaving beautiful lacing on the glass. The beer's color, a dark oily brown with rich dark walnut red hues, is charted at SRM 32, making its appearance above average.
The lovely, rich Maillard smoked meat aromas with fire, smoke, and char blended well with dark roasted malts. The dark roasted malts have molasses, toasted pumpernickel bread, malty sweetness, and toasted cereal grains forming the aromas' base. Nosing the glass again, I smell floral blossoms, coffee, herbal, light chocolate, wood, tobacco, and earthy dirt.
The smoked malts and roasted malt take center stage here, with flavors of toasted pumpernickel bread, toasted cereal grain. fire roasted meaty Maillard, smoke, fire, char, chocolate, wood, tobacco, earthy mushrooms, molasses, and caramel. As the flavors develop on the palate I notice herbal, resin, floral blossom, minerals, medium roasted coffee, and a light malty sweetness.
The body is medium-plus and has medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is tannic finishing dry and smooth.
As I savored the vibrant aromas, I found the flavors of this beer to be a delicate harmony. The careful balance of smoked malts and other flavors is a testament to the craft and time that goes into this style. I found the tasting experience to be truly enjoyable, and I look forward to encountering this beer again.

 

Dark mahoghany tone, ample tan foam, spotty lace. Woodsmoke and wet barley aroma. Rich flavor, dry rolling woodsmoke that never overpowers, mild bitterness. Full bodied and easily drinkable.

Huge thanks to Adam for this one! $4.99 4-packs are a steal at the local deli, must find more.

16.9 oz can bb 2024/08 into a large tall 20 oz glass.
L: SRM 40 Pours black with deep ruby color at base, has a frothy khaki 3/4" head that has good retention, low fine carbonation, light lacing on one side.
S: Smoke, a hint of smoked meats, red grape, caramelized malts, toasted grains, gently earthy.
T: Taste follows aroma plus plum, light char, distant dry cocoa, a suggestion of brown bread, dark unsweetened bakers chocolate.
F: Firm, lightly creamy , smooth medium-heavy bodied feel with a rich middle and a long velvet-smooth lightly drying finish.
O: Imagine smoked malted milk ball candy. Great tasting with well balanced flavors. Feel is smooth and easy drinking. It's finish leaves you wanting another sip. It is outstanding in its style.
**I would not compare this to Schlenkerla Rauchbiers. It is different.

Bamberger Raunchier
5.3 ABV. BB 03-2025.

Love the tagline: Craft brewing since 1533.

L -- Deep, dark, opaque brown with a tight, resilient, tan head.

S -- Lightly smoky, woody aroma. A touch of citrus back.

T -- Interesting balance of smokiness and herbal hops up front. Dark bread crusts follow with the same lightly herbal bitterness making up the backbone. The finish gets a little phenolic in a tart way, but nothing distracting.

F -- Mouthfeel is soft to lightly dry with a light-medium body.

O -- While maybe not quite a Schlenkerla Urbock in rich maltiness, the sublime smokiness of this beer makes it deliciously quaffable.

From a 500mL can:

Appearance: Dark brown, big head.

Smell: Smoky—Charcoal.

Taste: Mild sweetness followed by nice smoke flavor. Beechwood smoke is not harsh. Medium bodied. Smoke continues in the finish, maybe a touch of acid.

Overall: Always excited to try a new-to-me smoked beer. Picked up some in the Quad Cities. Nice and smoky, maybe a step or two below Schlenkerla in complexity. Still tasty and a good deal too!

 

Wow! Who knew I'd like a smoked beer. May be the best $4 I spent for a 4 pack of 500mL cans. Looked good on the pour, dark with a fluffy light tan head. The aroma pulled me right in, with the smell of smoked meats. First taste was wonderful. Smoky and malty from start to finish, begging to be paired with some sharp cheese. Which I did. I would, and will, buy this again in a heartbeat. A wonderful beer to savor.