Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Today I'm drinking Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock brewed by Brauerei Heller-Trum in Bamberg, Germany. The first thing you may do when looking at the label is just pick another bottle. In addition to all the German you may have been willing to suffer through, the worst part is an unreadable font seemingly invented by bored professional calligraphers. Fortunately, one phrase barely saves the day: Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer. The back label gives some details about this beer and sets your expectations. This is a 500 mL bottle.

Charred ashy wood aroma, very powerful. Reminded me of the bonfire scene in Revenge of the Nerds where the jocks get dumped for the nerds. Luckily, though I was a jock, I wasn't a prick, and I didn't date the homecoming queen anyway. Seriously though, this beer could easily trigger flashbacks if that kind of situation is a skeleton in your closet. I have warned you! Anyway, you will also smell some chocolate hints. But mainly this is a full-on smoked assault on your senses. There's even a hearty, savory ham aspect to the smell.

On to the flavors. Let's start with Mmmm. Really good. Smoked malts dominate. A little sweet but not overdone, as I'm super glad you don't feel like you're drinking a sweet ham beer. Ashy camping wood, just char in the mouth, without the texture. Some brown sugar adds some additional sweet fun, works perfectly with the other flavors.

Great carbonation and a touch of bitterness are perfect in this beer. Nice body, too. A hint of spice toward the end and just a little warmth from the 6.5% alcohol. Great flavors. I highly recommend grabbing one. You pretty much don't even need to smoke your dinner if you pair it with this beer. For real!