Spezial Rauchbier Lager - Brauerei Spezial

Tone

Missouri

3.83/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, amber color. 1/3 inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and slight lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight nut, slight earthy malt, smoke, and a hint of pale malt. Fits the style of a Rauchbier. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of smoke, sweet malt, hint of earthy malt, hint of pale malt, hint of roasted malt, and a hint of hop. Overall, a good session beer. Smoke essence isn't as strong as I would like, but still well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2011 13:33:01 | More by Tone

beeragent

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a glass from a bottle.

A - Pours a light copper, forming a 1 inch off-white head that quickly faded. No lace on the glass.

S - Aroma is dominated by the smoked malt, but not overpowering.

T - Smoked malt along with a bit of pale malt/bready flavor towards the end.

M - Light bodied with low carboantion. Very clean and smooth.

D - Good flavor and aroma, clean body, but less than impressive appearance. The flavor is not as robust IMO as other rauchbiers from Bamberg.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 02:24:32 | More by beeragent

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.18/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer appears slightly hazy and a rusty orange hue, with a thick inch and a half of head that resides atop the beer for several minutes, gradually diminishing to a quarter inch.

S: The aroma is rauchbier all the way, with the expected scents of smoke, fire, and malt.

T: The flavor has more of a peat character than some other rauchbiers I have had, akin to an Islay scotch. Pleasant smoke notes and a very enjoyable malt character make this a fine example of the style. The flavor is not over the top; this is a lighter, well balanced, highly drinkable rauchbier.

M: Light in body and very smooth.

D: While perhaps the mouthfeel could be thicker, the drinkability is high. I inadvertently drained my glass in short time, and wished I had more. I'll be having this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 01:40:34 | More by Huhzubendah

Mdog

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Dark gold, lots of particles, big head.

Smell: Smoky, salty.

Taste: Big smoky charcoal throughout. A little bit of sweetness is in there, but lots of dry charcoal.

Drinkability: A little too much "burned to the crisp on the grill" type flavor to have more than one.

Rauchbiers are an interesting set of tastes. This one goes a little too far into the carbon for me, like picking something out of the charcoal and giving it a taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 00:07:52 | More by Mdog

Domingo

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ah, Rauchbier, and smoked beers in general. It's a style I honestly enjoy as long as the smoke is allowed to dominate everything else. The Schlenkerla versions are a bit much for me, let's see how this one fares.
Pours a medium to tannish brown. Fluffy white head, good carbonation and clarity.
The nose is smoky, but not the infamous "BBQ sauce" scent some can have. There's a malty note in there and even a hint of clover-honey from the lager yeast.
The flavor is similar. Smoke's there in full-force, but it's really only a 50/50 pairing with the malt, which seems to be more of an amber in terms of flavor/color rather than the "dunkel" listed on the bottle. That might be a Bamberg thing as I've never been and am not as familiar with their traditions. Trace noble hops pop up here and there, but are more of a balancer than flavor component. It's easy to keep drinking this and the flavor never loses impact and the smoke never overpowers. If anything, the malt note comes out more as it warms a bit.
I've love to have more of this and I definitely think Spezial will be on my visit list whenever I make it to Bamberg. I'd imagine a pairing with pork or a stew would be great.
If all Rauchbiers were like this, I'd be more than happy.

EDIT: Had this in Bamberg and it's just as good if not better. Great pairing with some jagerschnitzel, too. I prefer it to the ones from Schlenkerla and would say it's definitely among the top beers in town. In fact, I'd say everything they had was top notch.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 20:14:56 | More by Domingo

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

1.75/5  rDev -52.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Pours a clean orange-ish to copper color with a white head. In the aroma, a small hint of smoke and a smell of sweet tea. In the taste, small dry smoke and a hint of sweet tea maltiness. A small bite and medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry tea like aftertaste. Light smoke and a big presence of sweet tea malt and a hint of lemon.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 11:35:20 | More by OWSLEY069

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark orange with an off-white bubbly head that reduces to a skim and a ring. No lacing, some rising bubbles.

Mild smoky aroma, some light toasted malt and country ham-like scents. Where's the malt?

More of the same. Decent smoked malt flavor, but the malt never fights thru. Watery, but crisp, with a long smoke finish. Bitter toasted bread is there, but in a later wave of flavor. A refreshing rauchbier? Clean flavors, just too weak. This is borderline 3.0.

Thinner mouthfeel than expected. Some astringent pucker.

I'm a bit disappointed. The malt character needs some depth. It is a lager, but this seems to be a decision of smoke over all other beer elements. And there it fails a bit. The smoke isn't overpowering. The liquid bacon factor doesn't come into play -- it just lacks a bit more depth.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 23:06:47 | More by OtherShoe2

TheJollyHop

California

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Herbal hops, smoke, pepper, BBQ, and leather,
A pour expressing deep amber to light brown hues.
A finger of white head that was soft like a feather,
Smoke and fruitiness did fuse.

Flavor, a light and smoky sweetness with hints of BBQ together,
med carbonation, light body, and a refreshing quality does infuse.
An overall sweeter than hoppy brew perfect for the weather,
If you want a crisp, smoked beer this is the one to choose.

While not exemplary, average quality it does exceed,
if camping and honey is what you like this is what you need!

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 03:45:32 | More by TheJollyHop

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Light orange in color, with a thin white head that gradually fades, becoming patchy. Decent lacing.
Smell is crackery, smokey malts, with hints of barbeque and a touch of sausage.
Taste is malts with some ample, smokey notes, as well as some hints of barbeque and brown sugar. Very subtle notes of sausage.
Mouthfeel is crisp yet slightly smooth. Fairly dry on the finish. Medium-light body.
Drinkability is good. Pretty good take on the rauchbier.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 02:43:51 | More by Parrotbeak

Stigs

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

550ml bottle, served in a standard pint glass

A - pale golden in color and crystal clear. aggressive pour yields an inch or so of frothy white foam which falls to a thin layer within a few minutes.

S - lightly smoked meats with a thin sweet undertone of caramel and slightly bready malts for balance.

T - starts off with some grainy and lightly toasted malts, also a kiss of caramel before the smoke sets in in a very delicate controlled manner. reminiscent of smoked ham or incense - not overpowering at all and quite pleasant.

M - thinnish body and carbonation could stand to be just a touch hotter for an extra "oomph". lingering lightly sweet smokiness.

D - overall pretty enjoyable - went very nicely with my salmon + avocado panini. looking forward to trying more of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 02:18:02 | More by Stigs

DrewHodges

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Notes from 4/8/10 tasting; .5L bottle poured to ceramic Spezial beer krug.

A--can't see color well in the ceramic mug, but a light bubbly head that settled to very thin, some sediment floating

S--wonderful smoky ham smell and the signature roast malts of rauchbiers

T--excellent flavor, a light smokiness, balanced flavor compared to Schlenkerla

M--this bottle might be a tiny bit old based on the flattish watery mouthfeel, but still pleasant

D--very drinkable beer, one of the few rauchbiers you can enjoy several in a row

Drank this beer numerous times living in Bamberg, and the export bottles in the US just aren't nearly on par with what you can get in the Spezial brew pub, but still nice to have it once in awhile to bring back the memories...

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 21:13:00 | More by DrewHodges

largadeer

California

4.15/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

0.5L with a best by date of 06.04.10 purchased at Gourmet Haus Staudt. Poured into an Andechs tumbler, Spezial's rauchbier lager is a bright, stunningly clear auburn color. Small champagne-like bubbles sustain slightly off-white head, two fingers height at first and then ultimately a half-inch cap.

It's got a reserved, almost delicate aroma. There's a bit of toast, a bit of sweet pilsner malt with a subtle, well-integrated smokiness. This seems to be the antithesis of Schlenkerla's massively smoke-infused rauchbiers.

The first sip seems almost void of smoke, subsequent sipping reveals it more and more. The smoke character is present at a beautifully balanced level, matched by rich flavors of toasted malt, caramel, dark fruit. It's lacking the strong meaty character I get from some rauchbiers, instead presenting more of a woodsmoke quality. The flavors are rather intense and the body surprisingly robust for the meager 4.6% ABV, which I'm a bit ambivalent about; it's not entirely quaffable, though it's impressively flavorful given the low alcohol. It finishes on a clean, lightly toasted note with the faintest metallic twang.

I enjoyed this thoroughly on the whole. The subtle smoke, complex malt profile and low alcohol made it a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 03:18:21 | More by largadeer

popery

California

4.47/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle, home. Bright copper-amber liquid, crystal clear, with a fizzy, white, dissipating head. The aroma is milder and more refined than other rauchbier that I've tried, mostly Schlenkerla. Spezial's Lager tends more toward rich caramel and fruity malt. The smoke doesn't make the beer feel old or hammy. It's more like a fresh, mesquite-ish accent to a nice malty lager. The flavor is relatively sweet but also much bigger than its abv would suggest, a bit like a good mild. It's a great malty lager flavor, nutty and yeasty. Soft feel. Very good lager.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 05:29:58 | More by popery

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle best by 06.04.10.

Poured into my Bamberger ceramic stein (Gustbrauerei G. Bernreuther-Pyras) it has a nice bright white 4 finger head that recedes into a froth. The beer is brown with red and yellow hints.

It smells between a helles and a rauchbock. It has a nice smokiness to it with also a pinch of malt aroma.

I actually think the smoke is less present int he taste. It is like a nice light dukel lager with a good dose of smoke flavor over the top. The aftertaste is of helles lager.

The mouthfeel is nice, with a good carbonation level. The drinkability is high for the style.

Overall a great beer that isn't for all but can be something to be accustomed to.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 02:13:55 | More by crossovert

tigg924

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: 1/3 inch head, clear, orange-brown in color, moderate carbonation

Smell: smoked malt

Taste: smoked malt, grass, small hops, and honey

Mouthfeel: medium/light bodied, semi-sweet with small bitter stretches, boozy, high carbonation

Drinkability: This one drinks like a smoked amber. It is super easy to drink even with the high carbonation. The smoke is strong and pleasant. I could have several.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 15:53:31 | More by tigg924

bob3701

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an English style pint glass. Hazy gold/amber color with a big bubbled head that very slowly disapates into a thin film with almost no lacing. Slight smokey aroma. Very little smoke in taste but I thought this was a very good German lager. I like the stronge smokey beers which this is not yet I still enjoyed this beer. I have a friend that is not crazy about rauchbiers but I think he would enjoy this. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 23:57:00 | More by bob3701

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500 mL brown bottle with a freshness code of 18.11.08. Pours a fairly hazy, dark orange/amber color with a large-bubbled tan foam. Dissipates rapidly and does not leave much lacing.

Smell is like smoked black olives. Little bit of burnt wood and grainy malt. Dunkel lager? I can see that. Slight roast and a touch of sweet malt.

Taste is surprisingly not overly smoky. There is a bit here and there, but the flavor profile overall is very much in line with a Munich dunkel...a good dunkel at that and the hints of smoke make it that much more enjoyable. Good beer, but needs more smoke - of course that is coming from someone who could use more smoke in the Skerlenka Urbock! This would be a good intro into the world of Bamburg produced rauchbiers.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 18:58:31 | More by twiggamortis420

erz316

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottle into Maß. appearance is not bad, but doesnt inspire particular hope either. not much smoker taste either, real disappointing. the feel is ok, but the body isnt carbonated enough. the colour is like a light coke. the head is slightly brown. overall I am quite disappointed with this beer, compared to the schlenkerla urbock and regular.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 02:51:16 | More by erz316

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle purchased somewhere localish, I'm sure.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4" off-white head over the cloudy orangey amber brew. Head is quickly down to an uneven layer of bubbles, leggy, with average lacing. Aroma is sweet, leathery, smokey, with a touch of citrus. Taste is very sweet to start, countered some by bitterness starting in the late middle, with the smoke blowing through but not dominant. Mouthfeel is smooth, possibly due to low carbonation, and drinkability is alright. Okay amount of smoke in an okay beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 23:00:56 | More by ppoitras

hustlesworth

Ohio

2.42/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

after a review of an unnamed danish pachyderm beer left me completely dissatisfied, i cracked open a smoker i've had for a few weeks. prost to hopefulness.

A- deep clear rusty amber with many floating particles. foam is nice and creamy and beige with thick lace blanketing the inside of the glass.

S- hardly any smoke in the aroma, just the faintest touch, and overall it smells like an oktoberfest. something i definitely don't mind, but not what i had expected. mineral water, slightly metallic, sweet caramel malts, and underlying toasty aromas. floral spicy hops.

T- some very very mild cocoa, coffee, and roasted flavors, very toasty, but sadly not much smoke. pretty much a plain malty lager for me. some caramel sweetness and noble hop flavor in the finish.

MF- light carbonation and a powdery feel. ample body.

D- must be a bad day for beer in my world. 2 disappointments in a row and i'm about to just call it a night. maybe this bottle is old. i can't find a freshness date.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 04:28:57 | More by hustlesworth

gueuzeonhigh

Maine

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy red-amber. A diminutive tightly knit head with a hair of lacing of the glass.

Next to no nose. After a hearty inhale I sense a note of hickory smoke-- or is it smoked ham? Not much else.

Flavor was a rather average lager type profile. I could detect the smoke element, but maybe it is because of the low alcohol content or some other aspect of the brewing but where's the beef? I'm not asking for a Russian Imperial Stout-- but I am asking for the flavor elements of a quality lager beer. Not here.

Mouthfeel was cordial, but nothing that excited my palate.

Drinkability is superior-- the comparatively low alcohol content makes this beer a good candidate for a summer time cold beer refresher. Unfortunately the price per bottle that I pad means there are lots of potential competitors with a far more satisfying flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 03:10:25 | More by gueuzeonhigh

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Cape Wine & Spirits in Lewes, DE. Poured chilled from the 1/2 liter bottle into a mug.

A - A pleasant looking hazy medium amber w/ a 2 finger bone white head w/ tiny beading

S - The nose is mildly smoky w/ a caramel malt back and slightly bready yeast aroma

M- The creaminess is very nice w/ malt coming in w/ moderate carbonation and accent of smoke w/ sweet caramel finish

T - The flavor has a very toasted bready malt that leads to hints of woody smoke which adds to the malt flavors but doesn't quite give a meaty taste, more like sweet smoked nuts. The malt doesn't let the balance shift to a smoky menace, rather it is refreshing w/ a smooth caramel and light lager yeast flavor. The finish is semi-dry w/ a light smokiness

D - I wish this had more smoke, but was pleased overall since the smoothness of the lager makes it very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 16:19:03 | More by Slatetank

steveh

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Haven't had this since a long ago trip to Bamberg. Scored a bottle locally at Binny's.

A -- Clear, deep gold bordering on amber with a firm, off-white head that settles slowly.

S -- Nice smokiness reminiscent of a fireplace or camp fire. Not heavy, very pleasant, if not a little light.

T -- Hmm. A very mellow smokey flavor, same character as the aroma -- more wood smoke in character than smoked meat. Smooth with a bready background and finishing lightly spicy bitter. I can see age giving this an astringent character, glad this bottle is fresh.

M -- Soft mouthfeel with a light medium body.

D -- I could drink this all night, in fact -- I did in Bamberg!

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 20:56:23 | More by steveh

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've actually enjoyed some of the smoked beers that I've had so I thought it was time to try one of the versions from Germany. It was pretty good, but I didn't find the smoke notes as pronounced as much as some of those from the US. (Left Hand & Rogue)

Poured with a scant slightly off white head that seemed to fade rather quickly. A nice Amber color that was straight down the middle. No lacing to speak of.

The aroma was of an amber with some typical caramel notes and of sweet malt. Only the slightest smoke hint in the aroma.

The flavor was nice and again had lots of light caramel malt flavors. Very toasty and just slightly sweet. There was only a hint again of the smoke flavor. I was expecting a bit more punch here. Nice, just not as complex as I had hoped.

Medium Light body with a tingle of carbonation.

Nicely drinkable and did go well with some food. (Pork) It just wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. Frankly, I'd reach for a Rogue Smoke Beer long before trying this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2009 01:00:56 | More by Reagan1984

Rayek

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Slightly hazy amber with active carbonation. A pillow-like beige head has great retention. Bits of lace are left behind.

S: Grass and straw dominate. Aromas of smoked meats are there, but extremely subdued.

T: Again, the smoked quality is very subtle. The taste of raw barley dominates. A lemon and grass bitterness provides balance. Finishes relatively clean.

M: The medium light body is dry and has the right level of carbonation.

D: This is an OK, but not great Rauchbier. There are better examples of this style to be found. Mild smokiness just seemed way too subtle to me.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 03:37:55 | More by Rayek