Smoked Beers

I love subtle earthy, peat smoke in a beer, but I detest ashy, campfire smoke in a beer.

 

They don't use pleated malt for Scotch Ale in Scotland. Ron Pattinson has brewers log records to prove that.

There can be some Smokey phenolics from some yeast srains, that made Americans think that pleated malt was used. Edit - yes some American breweries use pleated malt.

 

Find a smoked berliner weisse; lichtenhainer. Those are dangerously delicious.

 

Yazoo Sue was pretty darn good. It's normally not my thing but I enjoyed it. Stone Smoked Porter is pretty good, but I've never bought it myself.

 

The New Holland one, unfortunately. Got a stress headache trying to finish it...in the hopes that, like Schlenkerla, it would eventually get better....

 

I didn't really love smoked beers before a few weeks ago, tried a few American versions, tried Schlenkerla Eiche, didn't love that either, but I tried the Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen recently at a German restaurant near me, and it opened my eyes to the style. Really, really delicious. It really helped that it was with some delicious bratwurst, too.

 

Trying pairing a Rauchbier with smoked meats like BBQ. The smoke from the beer will blend with the smoke of the meat and more of the actual beer flavor will shine through.

 

A few years ago I was not a fan of smoked beers but now I've really come to enjoy them. If you're looking for something with a mild smoke flavor, try Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier. It does not contain any smoked malt, but it's brewed on the same equipment as their smoked beers and picks up a really nice subtle smokiness.

 

My wife and I preferred the Spezial Lagerbier to Schenkerla's Märzen. The Schenkerla Ur-bock, however, is better than both!

 

For a short time I preferred Spezial Lager to Schlenkerla Maerzen, too. You ever try the Spezial Maerzen? Might have been the "magic middle" you were looking for. As to the Schlenkerla Bock, I have never liked it anywhere as much as the Maerzen. Just too heavy for my tastes.

 

I don't think I've had the Spezial Maerzen. Could it be that it wasn't available when we were there? I'll make a point to try it our next visit (hopefully in June).

 

You need to request it at the tavern, and it's only served by the bottle. The regular Lager has a green border on the label and the Maerzen a darker red border.

 

Epic Smoked Porter is pretty decent. Not as smoky as others like Alaskan Smoked Porter. Would always recommend the Epic to someone who has never tried a smoked beer.

 

Stone Smoke Porter tastes like BBQ ash... A Schlenkerla Rauch Marzen though - tastes like smoked bacon.

 

Yeah, I've had a few aged versions and sometimes it's prominent, while other times it's missing. I've even gotten that from different bottles of the same batch. They brought a 2002 ASP to the Denver Rare Beer Tasting last year and some bottles were smokier than others, although all held up wonderfully.

With Rauchbier, I don't think the the smoke diminishes with time...at least not for several years. IMO, the Schlenkerla beers you get on tap in Bamberg are less smoky than the 6-12 month old bottles we usually see on the shelves in the US. Taps, too. The Bull & Bush in Denver has started carrying their stuff and while less smoky than bottles, it's still a bit heavier than the fresh stuff on tap. I think the smoke almost seems to concentrate.

Personally, my favorite smoked beers are the normal Spezial Rauchbier and Shlenkerla Krausenbier. While I haven't seen it lately, the O'Fallon Smoked Porter used to be amazing.

 

Question: I just picked up a Schenkerla's Märzen as well as a Schenkerla Ur-bock. I would like to compare them to see which I like better. In what order should I have them? Herrburgess, what sayest you?

 

The maerzen will be milder and less sweet - start there.

 

Thanks.

 

Schlenkerla makes a number of smoked beers. My personal favorite is the Schlenkerla Fastenbier.

Cheers!

 

As in many things, moderation is the key. A good beer with a slightly smokey flavor is delicious. Now the bottled ashtray you can keep.