I don’t smoke. My beer, however, sometimes does. And unlike the effect smoking can have on humans, I’m here to tell you my friends that smoking (smoked, more accurately) beer is a very, very good thing. What is smoked beer you ask? Quite literally, it is beer that is brewed with a portion of malt that has a distinct smoky character imparted to it. This is done during the kilning, or drying process.

All malt is kilned to some degree, lightly for pale malts (used in pilsners, pale ales, etc.) and intensely for roasted ones (used in porters and stouts). Long ago, the science of malting was nowhere near as advanced as it is today, and barley malt was often dried over open fires. The smoke would slowly waft through the grain and influence its final flavor. Today, such conditions are deliberately reproduced to make smoked beers like Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen.

Schlenkerla is a tavern in Franconia, a region of Bavaria famous for its wonderful smoked beers. Literally, Schlenkern means to stagger, as one would perhaps after a few too many brews. The story behind this brewery’s name is that once one of the brewers walked strangely and was nicknamed Schlenkerla; the name stuck to both him and the brewery. A tavern is also run by the company that serves their delicious beechwood-smoked brews.

This is the third beer to be released in the United States by Schlenkerla, following the original Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Ur-Bock. The three form an intensely flavored triumvirate of gastronomical delights, complex and intriguing, not to be missed by any serious gourmet. For my part, I’ve been drinking lots of the original Marzen lately. I’ve always loved it, and thus was happy to see it readily available here in Georgia, even more so than I found it in Rhode Island (where it was not to be found) and Massachusetts (where it was seen sporadically).

Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen pours to a cloudy mahogany color with a huge towering head formation and an intensely smoky nose. The palate is similar to Schlenkerla’s other beers in its smoky intensity suggesting smoked ham and green olives. It’s in the body that this beer takes a separate path: it’s lighter and thinner than the Marzen or Ur-Bock, and perhaps more drinkable because of this (though those who have never tasted a rauchbier might have difficulty getting past its pungent taste. Keep trying. You’ll learn to like it.)

The finish is slightly bitter and herbal, tart, and somewhat suggestive of Unterberg bitters. An absolutely delicious and unique beer, something that should not be missed. You can taste the wheat beer body but there are no clove or banana notes: the smoke overwhelms them. An absolutely incredible brew that combines the refreshing light body of a wheat with the intense flavor of smoked malt.

Perhaps a perfect beer for the firehouse? After a hard day of smoke eating, a bit of smoke drinking might be just what the doctor ordered. I enjoyed a bottle with charcoal grilled chicken, light on the barbecue sauce but heavy on the hickory smoke, potato salad and sautéed cabbage with bacon. A match made in Franconia.

SIMILAR BEERS:
These beers are also smoked:
Rogue Smoke
Alaskan Smoked Porter
Vermont Smoked Porter
Otter Creek Hickory Switch Amber
Stone Smoked Porter
Amherst Brewing Company Puffer's Smoked Porter
Kaiserdom Rauchbier



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