Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

A truly unique style and brewed by my friend's at Mason's up in Brewer ME, a shout out to them!!!!  This is a beer with the richness of a doppelbock and the grainy complexity of pumpernickel bread. Hefeweizen yeast accents the aroma.  THE Classic Smoked Beer!!!

Bamberg and Smokebeer (the Germans call it "Rauchbier") belong together, a liaison which was not without consequences.  Schlenkerla has become a magic word for a long time, but many do not know where this word originated. Its roots lie within the Frankish vernacular, in which "schlenkern" is an expression for walking not straight - just like a drunken person does. Allegedly one of the former brewers had a funny way of walking due to an accident, or maybe due to the beer, and so he was called the "Schlenkerla" - the little dangler. The ending -la is the typical diminutive for the Frankish dialect. After a while, the residents of Bamberg also called the tavern Schlenkerla, and even though the sixth generation of brewers now taps the beer, the name has remained. Even in the phone book and the internet you can find the brewery under the name Schlenkerla. Today it stands for the tavern, the brewery and, most importantly, for the Smokebeer.

Just like its ancestral Cousin this Smokebeer is a dark, aromatic, bottom fermented beer. No doubt: there are stronger beers, but nevertheless, one should not underestimate Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier ... it can make you "schlenker" quite a bit. Its smoky flavor is being achieved by exposing the malt to the intense, aromatic smoke of burning beech-wood logs.. After mixing it with premium-class hops in the brew, it matures in cellars into a mellow, magnificent-tasting beer.


The connoisseur drinks it slowly with relish, but steadily and purposefully. He knows, that the second "Seidla" (half-liter) tastes better than the first, and the third even better than the second. He drinks during the morning pint and during the afternoon break. He drinks it in the evenings, drinks it alone and with company, especially with company, as "Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier" makes one talkative and exuberant.

Enjoy!!!!!!!  I'd give it a  5 star rating but recognize the smokiness is certainly an acquired taste :-)