Rauchbier

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Beertsipper, Sep 19, 2015.

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  1. vurt

    vurt Grand Pooh-Bah (3,578) Apr 11, 2004 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Man, I am happy to see this style get some love. It's one of my favorites.

    I don't have any problem sessioning the lighter examples of the style: Spezial, Göller, Schlenkerla Helles, the gorgeous Rauch Dunkel from Heater Allen, even the Lager Feuer Helles from Fat Head's will scratch that itch nicely. With the heavier examples of the style, I'll have just one, and savor it over time.

    A perfect beer for fall, IMO.
     
  2. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Agreed. Personally, I get almost no smoke from Smoke and Dagger. I thought it was a very sweet Schwarzbier, quite drinkable and well done nonetheless. It really should be reclassified as a Schwarz on this site, because having it as a Rauchbier can be a bit misleading.

    I liked Fire and the Ham, it’s a pale colored Rauchbier, but plenty of smoke in that one. I found it to be very drinkable, it could be a decent “beginners” Rauchbier, and is likely to be fresher than the Schlenkerla offerings sitting on the shelves.

    That being said, the perfect segue into the Rauchbier world is still Schlenkerla’s Helles. In fact, forget about a segue, it might be the perfect beer for me period. Deliciously drinkable sweet pils malt up front, with a touch more than a hint of smoke in the finish. One compliments the other, and at 4.3% abv, it would be my go-to sessionable beer. Unfortunately the abv is low, but the price is not.
     
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  3. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    What? No greasy, salty, pork flavors in your beer(s)? :wink:
     
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  4. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Fresh, like in sitting in Bamberg fresh, just clean smoke from well dried beachwood. Then it goes bacony as it ages, then hammy, then when really old to liquid smoke. Many that I know have said they don't like Rauchbier, then come back from Bamberg saying they love Rauchbier. It is best fresh, but you know that.
     
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  5. lambpasty

    lambpasty Initiate (0) May 3, 2013 New Hampshire

    I think you should be able to find Schlenkerla in NY, and if so I cannot recommend the Helles enough (if you can't get it, PM me and we can work something out :slight_smile: ). Instead of directly smoking the grains for it, they brew it in the same equipment/facility used for all the other rauch's they make so it picks up the residual smoked flavors. Incredibly well balanced and just amazing IMO, it's the perfect amount of smoke to complement a fairly delicate base beer. Their Urbock is my #2 I think, but the Marzen and Doppelbock aren't far behind. They have single-handedly made Rauchbiers one of my favorite styles - I swear my mouth waters as soon as I crack the cap off, and if I ever tried a "beer-only" diet this would be the style I'd go to for sustenance.

    So far my favorite pairing has been the Schlenkerla Helles with a grilled ham/cheddar/apple sandwich and German spicy mustard. Simple as it was, I could have died happy after that meal. I general I really love these beers with anything that's been grilled/smoked etc. You'd think smoked doppelbock with brisket would be too much, but somehow it just makes me want more of it.
     
  6. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Gun to my head, if someone told me to pair a single rauchbier with a meal, I'd take Schlenkerla Krausen with a thick cut of (normal) Weiner Schnitzel and some Obatzda.
    If it has to come from a bottle, give me Spezial Rauchbier instead.
     
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  7. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It would take a gun to your head for that? :grinning:
     
  8. Smakawhat

    Smakawhat Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,727) Mar 18, 2008 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It's too bad I don't see enough of this aside from Heller-Trum (hey no complaints!) over here..

    I'd love to see more, even Spezial which I have NEVER seen sold anywhere in the US.

    I had a bottle of their Rauch-Marzen when I was in Berlin which was great stuff.
     
  9. Ozzylizard

    Ozzylizard Grand Pooh-Bah (5,825) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    If you can't, drop me an e-mail (Tempted to say BM, but too many years in the lab!)
     
  10. Ozzylizard

    Ozzylizard Grand Pooh-Bah (5,825) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Really? I've found it on occasion, but couldn't tell you where now.
     
  11. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I could swear that there is a genetic component to being drawn to these German smoked beers. I don't know exactly when these beers began to be brewed, but I would suppose it was long ago. A good piece of my family is from Bavaria, able to be traced back to 918 A.D. The first sip that I took of Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen was a touch mind-altering, like deja vu. I understood this beer instantly and keep it around at all times.
     
  12. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    They were once with Shelton Brothers.... I don't know about now. Aecht Schlenkerla's line-up is superior in every way.
     
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  13. Ozzylizard

    Ozzylizard Grand Pooh-Bah (5,825) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Could be - outside my sphere of knowledge. Schlenkerla's definitely better IMO as well.
     
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  14. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I'd take Spezial's normal Rauchbier over all but Schlenkerla Krausen, but I haven't seen an imported bottle in years either.
    They still list it on the Shelton Bros. website, though.
     
  15. Ozzylizard

    Ozzylizard Grand Pooh-Bah (5,825) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Haven't had the Krausen but am hoping to return to Deutschland in 2017 - warming up mein Deutsch!
     
  16. Jacobier10

    Jacobier10 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,090) Feb 23, 2004 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It took me several tries to get acclimated to the style, just like it did for lambic and gueuze, but now I can't get enough of them. I love the entire Schlenkerla lineup, world class beers in my opinion. Schlenkerla Helles is one of my favorites of all time despite it not actually being a rauchbier, as mentioned before. They're excellent with grilled and smoked food or just on their own. I usually don't have more than one bottle at a time, but I could definitely have several in one sitting without a problem.
     
  17. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Schlenkerla Helles is a truly great beer!
     
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  18. Yargamo

    Yargamo Initiate (0) Jun 9, 2015 New York

    My life would be squared away if Aecht Schlenkerla put its Marzen into six-packs....even at 20 bucks a six I pull the trigger frequently. Until then, it remains a treat at 5 bucks a pop
     
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  19. Andrew041180

    Andrew041180 Initiate (0) Mar 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    Love the style, but don't understand the smoked meat comparison. Yes, you can smoke meat. Yes, you can smoke beer. The thing that they share in common is the smoke, not the meat. At least in my experience.

    Yes, I'm also a big Jack's Abby fan, and yes I really enjoy Smoke and Dagger. I've only had Fire in the Ham once, but enjoyed that as well. Hopefully with the new brewery expansion we'll see more favorable pricing on the later. Pricing on the former already seems pretty good to me.
     
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  20. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    The majority of Americans seem to only equate smoke to meat, so the knee-jerk reaction to anything with a smoky character is meat. Never mind they're not disseminating between the flavors of the smoke and the barley or the smoke and the meat. They just lump everything together.
     
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