Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen - Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla

smakawhat

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a Gaffel Kolsch stange glass.

Big carbonation as expected for a weizen, head is really sticking around here and is large. Big time large. Off brown white. Body is cloudy dark brown amber truly opaque and kind of muddy looking which sort of doesn't look that too appealing. Some visible carbonation from the bottom too.

Classic rauchbier smoke, but also a sour tinge in the back. Not as salty as others too. Smoke is also a bit tame compared to others, but still gives that smoked meat(s) feeling.

Taste is too carbonated and fizzy for my liking. Gaseous and prickly taking away from the smoke taste, also goes to carbon dioxide dominant a little bit.

This is okay, bit it's not really I think very enjoyable, it's a tad small for smell and classic rauchbier taste, but it doesn't even have classic wheat beer properties or flavor or even body. It's almost as if the two don't work together and cancel out properties that make both of them great. I'll pass.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2011 01:32:04 | More by smakawhat

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-25-2013 10:35:39 | More by Slatetank

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-21-2013 18:30:45 | More by johntfox

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-17-2013 16:47:36 | More by Duff27

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-12-2013 19:54:43 | More by BeerForMuscle

beergoot

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-08-2013 00:07:36 | More by beergoot

dalepryor

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-07-2013 22:32:12 | More by dalepryor

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served in weizen glass at Brauerei Heller-Trum Schlenkerla on 4/8/2013. Pours a murky brown which has the color and clarity of unpasteurized cider. Head is one inch, dense, fluffy and off-white. Nose expresses a hint of smoke and some dark fruits (similar to a weizebbock in character) with a trace of clove and banana esters towards the back. Taste is quite mild on all accounts - smoke is very subdued but masks a lot of the character of a typical weizen. There is a bit of fruitiness, but it's really a bit muddled, There's also a slight herbal/peppery quality to the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body, but closer to light, with a carbonation that is not quite crisp, but does have a bit of a bite. Definitely an interesting take on the style, but not really something I would look for in a wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:00:40 | More by Jwale73

kurgan3

Poland

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%

04-20-2013 06:18:25 | More by kurgan3

Vinicius

Brazil

2/5  rDev -48.8%

04-14-2013 01:38:54 | More by Vinicius

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From: Friar Tuck's, Savoy, IL
Date: None on bottle
Glass: Weihenstephan weizen glass

The beer is a fairly amazing testament to how powerful smoked barley malt can be (assuming it makes up a typical ~33% of the malt bill in this recipe) over the other components.

Pours a billowing, towering head of off-white to beige colored foam with excellent retention, lasting several minutes in its decline to a 0.8cm cap atop the beer's body. Lacing is also substantial, and amusing, the imagery is like the continents of the earth plastered around the insides of the glass. The body of the beer is a fairly dark amber brown color, with light turning its appearance into an opaque muddy brown with orange highlights around the perimeter. Carbonation is very active and visible enough to be seen moving upwards across the sides of the glass. A very dark hefeweizen, but also very classic and good-looking.

Aroma is, of course, primarily of beech-smoked barley malt with a light underlying wheat malt sweetness and some phenolic band-aid. The traditionally powerful banana, clove, and yeast is overpowered by the smoked barley, but it's a rauchweizen, and I wouldn't expect otherwise.

The flavors are truly dominated by the smoked malt, but sweetness and some wheat malt character come through, along with a bit of yeast and phenols to let you know this is a weizen. Front of palate experiences a well-balanced blend between malt sweetness, yeast, and smoky malt. Mid-palate enhances the richness of the smokiness, making it quite dense, hazy, and complex: it's like drinking a noir film. The sweetness and yeast are still present, but moved very far to the background. Back of the palate finds a strong, smoky tang that's almost puckering, alongside faint notes of yeast and sweet malt. Aftertaste of beech-smoked malt, grass fire smell, and slight sweetness.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with plenty of soft, effervescent carbonation. The result is a smooth, slightly fizzy at first, then rather foamy, mouthfeel that meshes well with the body. Closes rather dry, with little residual stickiness on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 03:14:35 | More by falloutsnow

stephengraniero

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

03-27-2013 01:23:54 | More by stephengraniero

barnzy78

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

16oz bottle shared with my father-in-law who loves all things Germany.
Poured with swirled yeast sediment, it's a cloudy brown colored ale topped with a tan head. Smoky aroma, faint wheat and hefeweizen with banana & clove coming out as it warms. Tastes are fruity, tart, smoky, actually refreshing with some banana notes as it warms. Lighter body with moderate carbonation. Overall, pretty good. Classic Rauchbier here, but I preferred their Märzen or Doppelbock over this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:19:48 | More by barnzy78

mattparsons

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +2.3%

03-21-2013 22:28:41 | More by mattparsons

harpus

Alabama

2.75/5  rDev -29.7%

03-20-2013 19:24:57 | More by harpus

Jsmick

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%

03-18-2013 08:08:58 | More by Jsmick

teak

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -36.1%

03-17-2013 03:12:09 | More by teak

bacher468

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

03-16-2013 00:03:23 | More by bacher468

Lare453

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

03-13-2013 02:59:43 | More by Lare453

SmashPants

Australia

2.94/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle: solid brown 500mL bottle, nice German label.

Appearance: a clear beer, dirt-brown in colour with limited carbonation. A frothy head pops up and disappears entirely within the first ten seconds.

Aroma: very interesting - some sweet-smelling smoke. Certainly not something I am used to. Hopefully this one agrees with me more than the Rauchbier Urboch.

Taste: far better than the Urboch, but only so far as it doesn't turn my face inside out. I'm struggling to get anything other than the smoke in this - no wheat flavours at all. If anything, a touch of cured meats also.

Aftertaste: the strong meat and smoke flavours become a bit more demure in the aftertaste. Settles to a camping wood-fire flavour. A really bizarre flavour.

Mouth feel: medium in body with a moderate carbonation to carry the flavour across. The feel seems to be pretty good.

Overall: I'm still getting used to rauchbiers, and this one seems an awful lot more drinkable than the Urboch. I think I'll have to have quite a few more of these before I allow myself to pass any kind of judgement on them.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 08:25:49 | More by SmashPants

TheBishopco

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

03-07-2013 23:37:09 | More by TheBishopco

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle. Weizen glass. Enjoyed on feb´13. Amber color, foggy appearance & white froth. Close & lasting head. Mildy toasted bread aroma, hints of clove & intense ripe banana. Subtle Bamberg touch. Enters smooth & dense while a gentle & clean bitterness is felt. Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Creamy texture with smoky nature. Long finish where Bamberg shows its deserved reputation. Well balanced hops & malts. Refreshing & flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 08:57:25 | More by GONZALOYANNA

LambicPentameter

Kansas

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a 16.9 oz brown bottle into a stein glass. No freshness date that I can see.

Appearance: Rich, chocolatey color with hazelnut edges. As it pours out of the bottle, the cascading liquid reminds me a bit of apple cider. Beige foam with a smattering of larger bubbles, but mostly microbubbles. Retention is light. The bottom of the bottle has heavy sedimentation.

Smell - Applewood, wood fire, chicory and general spiciness. Hints of bready, yeasty aroma in the background that takes the edge off the smokey smell.

Taste - More wood fire, some hints of smoked pork and a finish of malty sweetness. The taste is pleasant up front, but long after you've swallowed your drink, it lingers in a way that doesn't entice the next drink. I really think this is a beer that needs to be paired with food.

Mouthfeel - Mostly crisp and bright in spite of the smokiness throughout the beer's profile. Like with the taste however, after the sip is gone, there is a somewhat unpleasant feel, almost like you feel after you've been out around a campfire for a couple of hours.

Overall, a beer that strikes me as well-balanced and incredibly unique. However, I need to try it again with a food pairing. The beer on it's own was just a little too intense for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 20:35:50 | More by LambicPentameter

codynevels

California

4/5  rDev +2.3%

03-02-2013 21:10:18 | More by codynevels

deac83

Texas

4/5  rDev +2.3%

03-02-2013 04:34:13 | More by deac83