Schlenkerla Erle

Review Date 1/2/2024 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Rauchbier   Brewery: Heller Trum   Country: Germany   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.31 (B)   ABV: 8%

2023 has been a smoking year, quite literally. I enjoyed some stellar Rauchbiers, including one from Kaiserdom in my Kalea Advent beer calendar, Göller Rauchbier bought in Helen, Georgia, and an amazing domestic Rauch (Schatzi) from Schilling of New Hampshire. All year, though, two very special smoked beers eluded me. One, Schlenkerla Weichsel Rotbier, I never found. This red beer smoked with cherry wood remains on my must-find list, though. I will find it eventually.

I did better with Aecht Schlenkerla Erle, although it took me a while to find it. This is a Schwarzbier (black lager) brewed with alder wood smoked malt. Erle is German for alder, and alder wood is a commonly used wood to smoke foods like salmon. It became available in the US towards the end of 2023 I believe, though I did not find it at any of my usual liquor stores here in Georgia. Indeed, I was looking for it especially (and the Weichsel) at Alpine Bottle Shop in Helen. I found neither.

Then, a Christmas miracle! My wife gave me (among other things) a gift card to Half Time Beverage, and I browsed their selection that morning, filling my cart as I went. When I got to the imported beer section, at the very top no less, I spied it! Aecht Schlenkerla Erle!

Then, a New Year’s miracle! FedEx showed up on New Year’s Eve (a Sunday if you can believe it) with my box of beer from Half Time, just in time for me to enjoy an Aecht Schlenkerla Erle before I ran out of 2023.

Here’s what the brewery says about the beer:

For our Aecht Schlenkerla Erle black lager we use a very special smoked malt. This is not dried over beech wood fire, as is usually the case, but over fire made of alder wood. The alder smoked malt brings a fine, complex smoky flavor to the beer – less strong and spicy than in our classic smoked beer. A high roasted malt content provides a pronounced roasted aroma and the dark, almost black color. At 4.2% abv, Aecht Schlenkerla Erle has slightly less alcohol, but is strong in flavor.

I paid $6.99 for my bottle of Aecht Schlenkerla Erle from Half Time. That is less than I pay for Schlenkerla beers at Total Wine (usually around $8), but more than I pay at Alpine Bottle Shop (usually $5). I would gladly pay the price again for this tasty beer. I am pretty sure my bottle had a packaging date, but I recycled it before recording it, so I cannot tell you what it was.

Aecht Schlenkerla Erle pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose of strong hickory smoke. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth and creamy in body, gently roasty and coffeeish like a good Schwarzbier-but only gently so. It’s the smoke that dominates, with notes of ham and bacon and hickory. Green olives poke through, too, and the beer finishes roasty and smoky and that is an amazing combination.

I noticed that the smoke seems not as pronounced as some of the other Schlenkerla beers, even before reading the notes from the brewery to the same effect. All the same, this is an delightful edition to the Schlenkerla pantheon of brews. I’m glad I found it, and you just know I will be drinking it again.

Glad I tried it?  T