Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier

IM @Domingo. He is really knowledgable about all things German. He will be able to answer all your questions.

 

There is a two page long thread about this beer in the Germany section.

 

I had it a couple years ago in Bamberg.

1. Yes
2. ?
3. ?
4. Loved it.

 

Here:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/fastenbier.259843/

 

I don't think it is bottle conditioned, but there is the tiniest bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle (I assume from being unfiltered). I wouldn't pour that into the beer at first, but definitely consume it at the end.

I think it's fantastic- probably my second favorite beer in their lineup. The base beer has a leaner malt profile than the Maerzen, definitely less toasty, the attenuation is fairly dry, and the bitterness has a great clean snap to it; at this point I would describe it as a pale ale structure fermented with lager yeast. The smoke is present but not overdone. I could drink a ton of these in one sitting, so it's a shame that it has such limited availability.

 

Enjoyed this on draft at Armsby Abbey last night.
Striking in nose and flavor, body.
I very much enjoyed it.
Cheers

 

Just tried this brew last Sunday for the first time. It was the first time I saw it on the shelf and the guys at the store said it's been draft only up until this year. I have no idea about how it's carbonated or what to do with the yeast, but I can tell you that, like everything else from Aecht Schlenkerla, it's delicious. It's not my favorite from them, but that's only because their Doppelbock and Helles blow my mind every time I drink them. But it's an amazing beer and is definitely sessionable. Enjoy!

 

First time in bottles: Schlenkerla Fastenbier

The Schlenkerla Brewery (or if you prefer: Brauerei Heller-Trum) is world renowned for their smoked beers. They also make a very nice Helles beer which is technically not a smoked beer since no smoked malts were used to brew that beer but even the Helles has a smoky quality to it imparted by the Schlenkerla brewhouse.

I recognize that smoked beers are very polarizing. Some people love them and some people viscerally hate them. I am a ‘tweener’; I like/love some smoked beers and I dislike others. While all smoked beers share the common feature of being brewed with smoked malts, not all types of smoked malts impart the same smoky flavors and how the smoked malt is used in the brewing process will have impacts as well.

I have had the pleasure of drinking Schlenkerla Fastenbier on draft in the past but this is my first time drinking this wonderful elixir from the bottle; this is the first time that bottled Schlenkerla Fastenbier has been available in the US.

Enough of my jibber jabber, on to the beer!

Poured into my 0.5 liter Willi Becher glass.

Appearance:

The beer is a deep reddish brown color, with a big fluffy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

Smell:

A combination of smoke and sweet caramel malt aroma. There's also a prominent floral aroma from the hops. Really big nose on this beer!

Taste:

Lightly sweet malt up front mixed with some chicory flavors; a nice combination of bready caramel malt and smoke. I notice some spicy notes in the mid-palate. It has a smooth finish of brown sugary malt, spicy hops, and creamy smoke.

Mouthfeel:

A creamy, medium body, medium carbonation, and a dry finish.

Overall:

In my opinion all of the flavors and qualities of this beer work so well together in this beer. In music terms this is a masterful symphony!!

I would recommend this beer to others to try who may have been ambivalent about drinking smoked beers. This beer seems to prove out that smoked beers can be enjoyable through a masterful and balanced approach to using smoked malt in brewing beers, For my palate this beer is very drinkable through its extraordinary blend of overall flavors.

Cheers to Schlenkerla for their beautiful crafting of Fasternbier!