Beer of the Weekend #264: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
As it turns out, I was thankfully wrong about my stange: it is much more versatile than I thought. Along with kölsch, it is, according to BA, ideal beerware for Altbier, Bock, Czech Pilsner, Faro, Gose, Gueuze, Lambic (both Fruit and Unblended varieties), Rauchbier, and Rye Beer.
That’s right — Rauchbier. Just like tonight’s sampling: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen, brewed by the Brauerei Heller of Bamberg, Germany.
This is the weizen bother of BotW #150, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen. (I actually thought about using a weizen glass, but it is not recommended on BA.) I have been itching to try another “Schlenkerla” for a while and picked up the Weizen today while giving my compliments to Joe Hotek for the Kwak recommendation.
Serving type: One 500 ml bottle. No freshness date. I have to say, the old-style German font on the label is pretty intimidating.
Appearance: Poured into a stange. The color is a very cloudy, dark caramel brown. Three fingers of thick, fluffy, slightly tanned head dissipated very slowly, leaving trails along the glass and a billowy lacing. There is a lot of carbonation action going on, and there is a cake of sedimentation on the bottom.
Smell: Mmm… Smoky. The smoked malts obviously dominate, giving the beer the scent of smoked sausage reminiscent of landjäger. (Oh, so good!) Amazingly, the wheat qualities come through, giving it some hefeweizen fruitiness: ripe banana, green apple, and a little strawberry.
Taste: The intensity of the smoked malts is subdued, but it is still the dominant flavor. It exhibits the landjäger or smoked brat quality from the aroma. The mouthfeel is thick and wheaty, and, much to my amazement — again — wheat beer qualities such as ripe banana, apple, and strawberry are present. I would have never guessed.
Drinkability: In terms of smokiness, Weizen plays second fiddle to its märzen brother, but it is still a high quality brew. Tons of complexity and flavor.
Fun facts about ASRW:
-Style: Rauchbier.
-Price: $4.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, German cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), beef, smoked meat, game, grilled meat, and salmon.
-IBUs: 20
-Nerdiness from the brewer’s English version website:
-According to the website, “Schlenkerla is official sponsor of SlowFood.” Yay!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
That’s right — Rauchbier. Just like tonight’s sampling: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen, brewed by the Brauerei Heller of Bamberg, Germany.
This is the weizen bother of BotW #150, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen. (I actually thought about using a weizen glass, but it is not recommended on BA.) I have been itching to try another “Schlenkerla” for a while and picked up the Weizen today while giving my compliments to Joe Hotek for the Kwak recommendation.
Serving type: One 500 ml bottle. No freshness date. I have to say, the old-style German font on the label is pretty intimidating.
Appearance: Poured into a stange. The color is a very cloudy, dark caramel brown. Three fingers of thick, fluffy, slightly tanned head dissipated very slowly, leaving trails along the glass and a billowy lacing. There is a lot of carbonation action going on, and there is a cake of sedimentation on the bottom.
Smell: Mmm… Smoky. The smoked malts obviously dominate, giving the beer the scent of smoked sausage reminiscent of landjäger. (Oh, so good!) Amazingly, the wheat qualities come through, giving it some hefeweizen fruitiness: ripe banana, green apple, and a little strawberry.
Taste: The intensity of the smoked malts is subdued, but it is still the dominant flavor. It exhibits the landjäger or smoked brat quality from the aroma. The mouthfeel is thick and wheaty, and, much to my amazement — again — wheat beer qualities such as ripe banana, apple, and strawberry are present. I would have never guessed.
Drinkability: In terms of smokiness, Weizen plays second fiddle to its märzen brother, but it is still a high quality brew. Tons of complexity and flavor.
Fun facts about ASRW:
-Style: Rauchbier.
-Price: $4.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, German cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), beef, smoked meat, game, grilled meat, and salmon.
-IBUs: 20
-Nerdiness from the brewer’s English version website:
Schlenkerla Smokebeer Wheat is an ale with light smoky aroma. As Bavarian wheat beers, it is being brewed with a mixture of both barley malt and wheat malt. The portion of barley malt is hereby a classic Schlenkerla smokemalt, while the wheat malt remains unsmoked. Served unfiltered with its natural haziness, Schlenkerla Wheat reaches its full aroma through bottle fermentation with fine top fermenting yeast.
-According to the website, “Schlenkerla is official sponsor of SlowFood.” Yay!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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