Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen Bottle 500ml

“Classic Bamberg Rauchbier with beechwood smoke, toasted malt, caramel and a dry savoury finish.”

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen is the beer that made Schlenkerla famous, and once you smell it, it is not hard to understand why.

The malt is dried over an open beechwood fire, giving the beer its unmistakable smoky character. Underneath all that smoke you get toasted bread, caramel, roasted grain and a little dried fruit, with firm bitterness keeping the palate balanced and surprisingly drinkable. At 5.1% ABV, it has plenty of flavour without becoming heavy.

This is one of the benchmark smoked beers of the world. If you want to understand traditional Bamberg Rauchbier, this is the bottle to start with.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Beechwood smoke, toasted malt, dark bread, caramel and subtle herbal hops.

Palate: Medium bodied with rich malt, toasted grain, light caramel and a deep smoky character.

Finish: Dry and savoury with lingering smoke, bread crust and firm hop bitterness.

About The Brewery

Schlenkerla is based in Bamberg, Germany, and is one of the world’s most famous producers of traditional smoked beer.

The brewery still smokes its own malt over an open beechwood fire, preserving a method that largely disappeared when modern malt drying techniques became widespread. That traditional process gives the Märzen its distinctive campfire aroma and deep savoury character.

Despite the intensity of the smoke, the beer itself remains very balanced. The malt is rich without becoming sweet, the bitterness keeps things fresh and the finish is dry enough to make the next sip very easy.

It is a style that can seem a little confronting at first, but once it clicks, there is really nothing else quite like it.

Details

Producer: Schlenkerla
Beer: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen
Style: Smoked Märzen Lager
Country: Germany
Region: Bamberg, Franconia
Bottle Size: 500ml
ABV: 5.1%
Bitterness: 30
Malt: Beechwood Smoked Barley Malt
Fermentation: Bottom Fermented
Colour: Dark Amber
Availability: Core Range
Key Flavours: Beechwood Smoke, Toasted Malt, Dark Bread, Caramel, Herbal Hops