Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

Style: Urbock

Alcohol Content: 6.5%

From: Bamberg, Franconia, Germany

Purchased From: Purchased from: Utobeer, London Borough Market
http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html

Schlenkerla is a historic brewpub in Bamberg, Franconia, Germany renowned for its smoked Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Schlenkerla roughly translates as "Dangling". Schlenkern is a German verb meaning to swing or to dangle. The -la suffix is typical of the Franconian dialect. The name reportedly originated with a previous brewmaster of the brewery who possessed a hobbling gait. An image of this hobbling brewer can be seen in the designs on the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier bottle.

Schlenkerla are world famous for using an old fashioned smoking technique which involves drying the grain over an open beech wood fire . Thus it is unavoidable that smoke penetrated the malt and to give a rich smoky flavor. So as it's been awhile since I reviewed a beer from Germany, and from reading around on various blog sites, this drink comes highly recommended. Um eine gute Gesundheit. Prost!

Smoking Hot?

Colour: This beer pours a dark brown almost black colour. You will notice a light tan or almost butter like head, which at first is very thick a creamy looking. This then slowly melts into the glass leaving a light dusting in the glass.

Aroma: Ok, I admit it, this is the strangest beer I have ever smelt!! Extremely rich smoky bacon or pancetta notes rise up from the glass and washes over your nostrils. It's like you're eating a bacon sandwich or a meat platter. The smell is so intense that it will stay with you even if you leave the room.

Body: In the glass the drink looks a lot like Guinness, but in the mouth it's far lighter. The smoky richness of the malts also translates to the mouthfeel. The smoke will cling to the back of the throat will every sip. This can be a little overpowering at first, but you do get use to it.

Taste: As I mentioned earlier about the nose, the primary flavour of this beer is smokey bacon. This taste comes from the smoking of barley malts over beech wood logs. The flavour is then intensified by a long maturation period of three months. There is a slightly creamy after taste which is created by the deep malt sweetness of the barley. At 6.5% ABV, you would expect to taste some alcohol, but due to the intense smoking this is very well hidden.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/flying-dog-gonzo-porter.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/camden-brewery-pale-ale.html

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