Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen - Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla

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

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

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

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

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

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.84/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen has a very thick, beige head, a hazy, brown appearance (which becomes much cloudier, once the bottom bottle contents are swished and poured in), many tiny bubble streams, and a very thick lacing sheen left behind. The aroma is almost exclusively wood smoke, with maybe some sweet bread hidden underneath. Taste is of wood smoke, with some sweet breadiness, and just maybe some banana. Mouthfeel is mostly light and watery, and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen finishes tangy, drinkable, and odd. Overall, this is a must-try beer, if nothing more than for it’s unusual aspects. I think it is an excellent and well-done beer, even if the style is not to my particular liking. It’s certainly worth trying at least one time.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 15:03:59 | More by RonaldTheriot

beerme626

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Bottle from Liquor Barn in Lexington, poured into a weizen glass
A: Kind of plain, brown, one finger head that disappears quickly, with no lacing or anything.
S: Bacon, a little, much more mild than the marzen.
T: Bacon a little, but a good bit of wheat and the banana/cloves of weizens
M: Kind of sticky, not terribly carbonated, but still pleasantly
O: Good, but go for the Marzen for your bacon beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 02:02:42 | More by beerme626

cbutova

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have always liked this brewery, surprised it took me this long to actually review more of their beers.

A- Poured into a pint glass from the bottle, not exactly proper glassware but I think things will be OK. Massively gigantic cap forms on the beer to about 4 fingers in size and goes out of the glass about an inch. The head's texture is somewhere between foamy and creamy and retention is quite good. Just a few patches of lace.

S- Smoky overall with a light peat feel, I guess I would say it has a medium smoke level from all the smoked beers I have had. The smell reminds me a lot of trying to start a campfire but it keeps going out and you get the intense smoke off of the just charred wood. Bacon hint. Some light fruits and malts beyond that.

T- A bit more rounded out and multi-dimensional here. The smoke once again leads the way but is quickly balanced out by the other beer ingredients. The smoke is seriously just like starting a campfire, somewhere near peat but not entirely. A nice light fruit presence, apples and white grapes, as well as some yeasty banana and spice. The smoke and these other flavor meld together nicely, something I wasn't quite sure would work.

MF- Body reminds me of a silkier version of a Pale/IPA, lighter end with high but nice carbonation. Smoky finish on the palate and a decent amount of bitterness for a Rauch.

The blend of the German yeast strain and the smoked malts is quite good. Smoky bananas, mmmm. This makes we want to go start a campfire because it reminds of those pesky nights starting the fire for the campsite.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:19:03 | More by cbutova

FLima

Brazil

4.19/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Copper color. Poured a thick off-white head with a good retention.
Smoked aroma with notes of wheat and yeast on the background.
Smooth and effervescent sensation with antagonisms flavors, refreshing piney hops and a gentle but clear smoked character and hints of banana, bacon and spices. Dry aftertaste with reminiscent smoked notes.
Medium body with a good carbonation.
I was initially afraid to taste this beer given it was hard to picture a smoked wheat beer. But they made it work. Their Marzen version is awesome but this one is also incredible and maybe a bigger brewer challenge. For that this should bear a good score.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 23:56:26 | More by FLima

mmmbirra

Italy

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Very nice looking burnt sienna. Almost completely opaque with a frothy head that billows over the rim of the glass. After a bit it dies down somewhat but maintains a solid inch of foam for the duration.

The aroma starts off with the standard Schlenkerla beechwood smoke, though it's not nearly as pungent as their marzen, and has a pleasant hefe weizen yeast spiciness that lingers in the background. I didn't think this combo would work out as nicely as it does.

The taste again has smoke and wood right up front, and perhaps some slight roast, with the hefe weizen creaminess and spiciness in the background. It's hard to believe just how well the smoke and banana esters work together. A slight tingle on my tongue from the carbonation keeps it light and eminently drinkable.

Full-bodied for the style, but goes down quite easily compared to other weizens. A little smoke lingers in the back of my throat after swallowing, giving this one an abnormally and wonderfully long finish.

Definitely up there as one of my favorites hefes, though it's really more of a dunkel weiss and as such more of a cold weather beer.

Edit: after having a few more bottles over a couple of weeks, I've put this beer into perspective. A solid wheat beer, with a nice smoky element, but nothing oustanding.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 17:58:26 | More by mmmbirra

Liquoric3

Germany

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Agressive pour, nice 3 finger head that lasted quite long time. Colour is brown almost like a Dunkelweizen. High carbonation typical for Hefeweizen.

First smell you get is smoked malts like in all the the other Schlenkerla beers. Bacon comes to my mind but there no typical flavours like banana or clove.

Little banana in the taste, spicy more like pepper and a slightly bitter finish which I don`t like in my Hefeweizens. You don`t get so much smoke in the taste like the smell indicated.

Then there is a medium lasting smoke flavour on the palate.

It is not bad, but I l prefer other flavours im my Hefeweizens and I also think the smoke goes better with their Urbock or the Märzen version.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 21:48:33 | More by Liquoric3

Robalypse

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Caramel color with a huge head that leaves heavy lacing on the glass.

Smell:
Campfire, smoked meats, the woods on a cool, fall night. This is most definitely one of the most unique, but pleasent smelling beers I've encountered so far.

Taste:
As promised by the smell, there’s a taste of smoked bratwurst up front which might not sound that appealing in a beer, but works surprisingly well. The aftertaste bears a bit of a smoky, maple syrup taste. The alcohol in this beer seems imperceivable which is in line with the relatively mild alcohol content.

Mouthfeel:
Medium bodied, light carbonation, quite smooth with just a bit of a fizzy sensation going down.

Overall:
This is definitely a tasty and distinct beer. I gulped a pint down in a matter of minutes, which speaks to its smoothness and drinkability. Despite the strong smoke overtones, it has a refreshing quality. Still not something I’d want to have frequenting my glass because of the distinct flavor, but it could definitely enter into my beer rotation. Would go amazingly well at a barbeque on a summer night, due to the smokey taste and refreshing quality. Considering the price point isn't too harsh, it's certainly worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 01:15:33 | More by Robalypse

OF001

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500mL btl. poured into a tulip.

Dark earthy pour with light ruby tones and a massive, thick, stable and long lasting head that is absolutely amazing. The head comes is a dense as a nitrogen stout, with uber tight bubbles. Good tan lacing.

Smells of smoke and light wheat sweetness. Not overwhelming but I would have liked a little more depth, but for a smoked beer its what I expect, I have been a little stuffed up so that doesn't help.

smoke, lightly wooded but more oily BBQ smoke, like from meats and bacon fats. Smooth with a medium bitter hopping on the finish. Mild sweetness and hints of spice. Chocolate and over roasted dry coffee; french blend.

Smooth to start, thinner than I expected, with a high crisp note (mainly of the roasted coffee, reminiscent of caffeine in a dry espresso roast bean) just past the middle and a dry CO2/hop dryness on a short zesty and tight fizzy finish.

As I said, more on the nose but it may be the fault of my nose, but I still would top it out at 4.75. I would like more creaminess and more body, on the mouth feel, but I guess it is a marzen so stylistically it is correct. In the taste profile more wood and a little less oil, but that is a personal preference, I love wood smoke. Its an intro rauchbier, the marzen is a waste for me, give me more body and more smoke and more smoke and more smoke and body...and smoke. The 4.35 average it gets is generous considering my tastes it would only be about a 3.8-3.95

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 10:25:16 | More by OF001

MattSweatshirt

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Took a one beer break from the Märzen at Schlenkerla with this.

It has a big fluffy white head on a super cloudy and dark bodied beer. Laces wonderfully. Proper.

Sweet banana and clove seems to battle with the smoke with being the dominate aroma until you taste i. It seems the smoky/meaty flavor dominates the banana and clove in the taste.

There is a lively carbonation and medium body.

This was lovely. There's a good Weissbier base working here and the added smokiness just ups it.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 07:27:32 | More by MattSweatshirt

udouche

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

16.9 oz bottle in 16 oz Weizen Glass

A - Pours rich sweet potato colors. Stays cloudy after settling. Solid inch and a half lite weight head. Minimal lacing.

S - Pungent smoke at obnoxiously delicious levels. Bacon, Wood, Dry Aged Meats. Some sweet accents of malt and carmel.

T - Camp fire as you take it in opens up with dark fruits and hint of sour apple. As it sits on your tongue you really taste the grassiness of the wheat that lightens it. Washes dry with a subtle nuttiness you swore you tasted on the tip of your tongue.

M - Very lite and crisp. Carbonation resonates under your tongue with an slight effervescence.

O - Of the three (Marzen, Urbock, & Weizen) Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbiers this is the most balanced and approachable to a rauchbier novice in my opinion. I could session drink this one, where the other two are tasting beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 02:38:52 | More by udouche

BEERMILER12

Maine

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a slightly hazy dark amber color with 3 fingers of head

S: Starts off with a good deal of smoked malt, with some wheat as well. A light fruitiness comes through, but the smoke steals the show

T: Much more mellow than the nose, with quite a bit more wheat than in the nose. The smoke is toned down a bit, but is still the most prominent factor. Wheat to start, followed by swift smokey tones that lasts well into the finish

M: Medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation

O: As usual with this brewery, a solid smoke beer. I think this style is a little too light to really utilize the smoked barley, but it's still good nonetheless. I prefer the marzen and urbock, but this is still recommended if you like rauchbier

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 04:14:12 | More by BEERMILER12

acevenom

Louisiana

4.23/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Samuel Adams perfect pint glass. Pours dark toffee brown like a dunkel with a thick white head. It appears to be well carbonated. The aroma is of light smoke and wheat malt. I don't get any expected weizen notes like banana and clove. The taste is more reflective of a weizen with notes of the smoked malt. I get some of the banana and clove pairing with the mild smokiness of the malts. There are some chocolate notes as well. The body is light with moderate carbonation. The finish is smooth and clean. The drinkability is high. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 04:35:37 | More by acevenom

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

50cl bottle poured into a standard weissbier glass at Kachelofen,Bamberg

A - Dunkel chocolate body with a 4 finger tan creamy head. Lacing/head retention is good.

S - Light bacon note, lots of milk chocolate. No obvious classic weissbier notes.

T - More familiar notes here. Banana/clove backbone with chocolate notes coming through. Hint of bacon lingers but very subtle. Its sweet overall. Clean refreshing finish.

M - Medium carbonation/body

D - This was very tasty. Classic weissbier flavours with a nice chocolate/smoked mix of side notes. Was very tasty with my "lumberjack" pork fillet.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 18:34:20 | More by seanyfo

LiquidAmber

Washington

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a rich orange amber with massive carbonation strings rising through the glass. Three finger fine off white head that continued to slowly build until settling into a long lasting cap with massive lacing. Nice smoked aroma with hint of smoked meat and malt. Very faint wheat. Flavor is light wheat with complex smoky wood elements, finishes somewhat dry and smokey. The smoke dominates the light wheat and malt flavors, but is still pleasant; the maltier styles seem to blend their character with the smoke a little better than this and I miss the weizen flavors. Still a pleasant smoked beer from a great brewery. Nice medium body with a hint of creaminess.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 04:27:42 | More by LiquidAmber

Bung

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml. Kind of an orangy/tan with a billowing off white head. Almost looks like some Belgian pour

Aroma, smoked beach wood dominates. Smoked pork, grainy malt, some buttery toffee.

Taste, very woody up front, with the smoke as well. I think the clove accentuates the woodiness. Some toffee and a hint of chocolate even. Less meaty than the other versions.

Lighter bodied than the others from Schenkerla, more carbonation as well. Definetely the easiest drinking though. A slightly more refreshing Rauchbier.

Put this one off till last because I assumed it would have more wheat beer characteristics that I don't care for as much. That was a mistake as this easily stands up with the others. Though Urbock is my favorite now.

More similar to some of the Scandanavian smoked beers.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 01:52:04 | More by Bung

Dave1999

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark red with a yellow hue when you hold it up to the light. There was a big white head which died to almost nothing in seconds.

The smell is smoked meat, this really powerful.

The taste is smokiness, then the wheat and lemon of the Weizen. Smokey and sweet.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation.

This is a very good beer I've tried all the rauchbiers from brewery and they're all great.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 00:19:38 | More by Dave1999

Misanthropy_Sipping

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's rare that I openly say that I love any particular style of beer. But smoked/rauch.... I love them. This smoked weizen was pleasant surprise.

The smell is dominated by the smokiness. I believe beechwood. It isn't stinking with smoke and doesn't overpower or waft over the entire room. It is light, but it is pretty much all smoke. Which for me is no problem. I really enjoy that smell a lot. Very woodsy.

Unlike other weizens the colour of this is deep for a wheat ale. Amber gold edges, but a nice reddish brown colour in depth. Very nice to look at.

On the weizen the smoke dominates the tastes as well. It just bears down on all of the common wheat beer flavors until the end where the twang of weizen pulls through nicely to remind you that you are not simply drinking a boatload of smoke. There is a tad grassiness that seems to wander and weave through the entire beer which is also very nice. A small amount of very delicate banana wants to pull through but it is stomped on by the smoke. the grass and banana hints liven things up a bit among the smoke though. But like I said, the smoke dominates this beer... clearly.

The bubbles are not over the top but it is definitely well carbonated, maybe slightly more than the average wheat beer.

Overall, another great beer from Schlenkerla. If you are looking for huge smoke in a lighter package, this is it. If you are looking for rauch in general, Schlenkerla is forever a great decision. If you do not like smoke in your beer, do not even think about touching this to your lips.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 02:56:56 | More by Misanthropy_Sipping

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy medium brown in color with some garnet red highlights when held up to the light and some moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a foamy three finger tall beige head that reduces to a medium sized patch of extremely thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate smokey aromas are present in this beer, though it smells like there might be a couple of different woods used in the smoking process. Very light hints of iodine.

T: There is a light presence of wheat underneath the flavors from the smoke - there are the flavors of a couple of different woods used in the smoking process as well as a light hint of iodine flavors. Not as intense in smoky flavors as many of the other beers in the style which makes it a little easier to enjoy.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Easy to drink and enjoyable - this would pair exceptionally well with any kinds of smoked meat (great complementary flavors) like BBQ or bacon. I enjoyed this beer shortly after enjoying a grilled hot dog and burger and that matched very well. I like the fact that the smokiness in this beer is not overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 01:49:03 | More by dbrauneis

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Deep amber-brown in color with a tall, fizzy, off-white head that settles quickly into no lace and little retention.

S: Roasted, smoked malt, smoked meat, earth. The wheat gives this beer a noticeable difference from the Marzen. Not as smoky/roasty as that beer, either.

T: Smoky, meaty, earthy, salty, woody, heavily roasted malt dominates, as expected. Like the nose, the wheat stands out and makes this is bit more mellow. Much lighter on the smoke than the Marzen so this might be a great introduction to the style for someone who hasn't had this type of beer before.

M: Super smooth, massive flavor, and the right amount of carbonation. A pleasure to drink.

O: Not complex but highly enjoyable. This is one of the beers in the style that can convert people and make them drinkers of Rauchbier. I certainly am now.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 23:26:26 | More by Gatch