Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock - Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla

PorterLambic

Florida

4.78/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer is truly amazing! By far, the absolute best smoke beer I've had.
Pours a deep, dark reddish brown with a tan head, what little of it there is.
The smell is pure "beef cooking on a wood fire" smoky. A friend says it smells like beef jerky. An odd comment but very accurate.
The taste is exactly like it smells, rich and smooth, very well balanced, with a stong smoke flavor.
Not as creamy as expected, comparable to a Guinness (in many aspects), but goes down very smooth and easy.
Drinkability is a very high. Very obvious smoke flavor, which I truly enjoyed, repeatedly. This beer is absolutely fabulous with bratwurst or other smoky meats & strong flavored foods. A "must try" beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2004 05:07:56 | More by PorterLambic

Gregg_Kawakami

Hawaii

1.75/5  rDev -57.6%

06-15-2013 08:05:27 | More by Gregg_Kawakami

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark Chestnut

Aroma: Smoky malt

Taste: Very smokey aroma; smokey, malty, hoppy flavor; slightly bitter

Remarks: One of my early attempts at ratings. Bought at Heinrich's Supergetrânkemarkt in Kornwestheim.

Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 01:18:04 | More by IchLiebeBier

EigenBeer

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

06-12-2013 02:06:19 | More by EigenBeer

Hellmeh

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

06-08-2013 19:54:37 | More by Hellmeh

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.56/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Pours with a nearly white creamy head over dark amber liquid with slight hints of garnet red. Nose is intensely smoky...so much so that I can smell the smoke emanating from the glass 1&1/2 feet away from me as I jot down the tasting notes! The taste is wonderfully smoky, sweet & pungent with excellent mouthfeel, not much in the way of hoppiness here, but when there's this much flavor packed into a beer like this it's hardly missed! Finishes long with huge notes of smokiness with sweet malts coming in behind. Just a fantastic example of the Brewers art here! For the novice: try it, if you don't like it...try it again. It may take 3 or 4 bottles, but once you acquire the taste it's nothing short of one of the greatest drinking experiences you'll ever have!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 01:19:14 | More by beerluvr

jspaner

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

06-07-2013 02:17:22 | More by jspaner

coolandy007

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +9%

06-06-2013 10:46:41 | More by coolandy007

JohnBender

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +9%

06-05-2013 23:05:58 | More by JohnBender

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.1%

06-04-2013 12:05:53 | More by touchmeimsac

deadliest

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +9%

06-04-2013 03:50:54 | More by deadliest

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into stange. Deep ruby brown with a medium fizzy white head that lasts. Smells of smoked ham with an after-smell of sweet dark malts. Taste is not as smoky as the smell at all; the sweet malts start out in the beginning, sort of like a schwarzbier, and then the smoky flavors come in and blend quite well.

After seeing countless "ugh, rauchbiers" posted in "beers you can't stomach" threads, I was a bit apprehensive to try this, but I knew I had to, and I'm glad I did. This is a great and unique style, and I'll definitely be trying more.
For anyone else who is apprehensive about them, this is an excellent one to try the style with.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 01:22:11 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

johntfox

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

06-01-2013 20:39:14 | More by johntfox

Woodman70

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -3.1%

06-01-2013 02:47:30 | More by Woodman70

MacStinson

Michigan

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-31-2013 18:10:49 | More by MacStinson

Luiz0930

California

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-31-2013 07:39:16 | More by Luiz0930

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a color brownish copper color with some light ruby highlights seen shinning through. Upon pouring there is a two finger tan colored head that has a about a 3 min retention time before fading and leaving some light lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell – Big on the smoke and the char with some undertones of brown bread and caramel. There are also aromas of char and some meaty smells mixed within giving it a nice campfire like aroma.

Taste – The taste of some darker malts as well as a nice strong smokiness are initially present upfront. Some lighter dark fruit flavors mix with these giving it a moderately taste. The sweetness intensifies a bit as some flavors of caramel come to the tongue. A salty flavor joins the mix more toward the end while the beadier and malty flavors begin to fade. IN the end with the smokiness increasing slightly, a cured but moderately sweet smoked taste is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the average to just above average side in terms of its thickness with a carbonation level that is overall rather average, both suiting well the blend of smoky and sweet.

Overall – Lightly sweetened BBQ taste in a glass here. Roasted, smoked with a bit of char, sweet and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 02:19:59 | More by Darkmagus82

kvnstfrd

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -21.3%

05-23-2013 12:53:28 | More by kvnstfrd

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%

05-22-2013 13:58:37 | More by Slatetank

samEBC

Belgium

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-20-2013 19:04:14 | More by samEBC

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.29/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a translucent, clear mahogany color with a voluminous bone colored head. Excellent lacing through out the drinking left on the sides of the glass. For the aroma, I picked up some fruit esters underneath the wonderful charred wood scents. After a taste I found it to be similar to that of smoked Gouda cheese, meat, some hoppiness, with a soft bready finish. Very complex. Something about the mouth feel reminded me of a menthol cigarette. Nice and light bodied, for the seasoned connoisseur of smoked beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 22:43:38 | More by Neorebel

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -3.1%

05-18-2013 22:45:20 | More by Photekut

Bill235

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9%

05-13-2013 11:58:45 | More by Bill235

twenty5

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -33.4%

05-10-2013 15:32:50 | More by twenty5

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4.18/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Half-litre bottle opened on its BBD (late Apr 2013) and poured (twice) into my Westmalle chalice.

You know what you are going to get from these guys, or at least you should.

This was everything I expected anyway: smokey and malty, with enough body and alcohol to sit back and enjoy, which I did.

Plenty of others have already pontificated long and hard about this fine brew, I agree with most of them (that scored it high and liked it).

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 13:58:05 | More by BlackHaddock