Schlenkerla Marzen - Smoked Beer

Product Information

Side Bar: In 1516, the official “Beer Purity Law” (the Reinheitsgebot) was enacted to declare that ONLY 3 ingredients may be used in beer. Whether it’s grain, honey, nuts, toffee, raisin, or chocolate flavors from the malts, or floral and earthy notes from the hops—all these and more are perfect complements to smoke, with the potential to become something greater than the sum of their parts. In sum: Schlenkerla Rauchbier is a sip of beer history. Drinking a Schlenkerla is like a small time travel. Schlenkerla Smokebeer is a living fossil from a brewing world that existed centuries ago. Smoked Porter– A classic. Alaskan Brewing’s Smoked Porter is one of the first of its kind in the American craft beer market. A staple they’ve brewed since 1988, Alaskan Brewing’s Smoked Porter is one of the best smoked beers in the entire country. Again, the smoke blends with the other ingredients instead of stomping on them, with charred chocolate notes defining the beer as a whole.

Variety also plays a part in the popularity and reputation of German beers. Bavaria, dark beers, and wheat beers dominate the menu in the southern part of the country. The Bavarian-style wheat brew is a thirst-quenching beer perfect after a long bike ride. Many riders choose to unwind in the brewery’s beer garden, where they may indulge in the local fare of Weiss Wurst sausages and sauerkraut. A unique, historical sour beer hails from the Northern part of the country. The Berliner Kindl Weisse is a wheat-based beer that was traditionally allowed to sour overnight, lending a lactic acidity. To correct for this sometimes overly tangy beer, breweries served sweet syrups with the beer to cut the tartness. Traditional flavors for these syrups included raspberry or an herbal version made from wormwood. Yes, and then I had to try a fruity soft wheat beer-like drink and a sour beer with a dash of syrup that reminded me very much of our Berliner Weiße.

Yes, and then he tells us about the innovations, which for me as a Berliner are rather normal, but for the people of Bamberg are probably more of a break with tradition. Michel has decided to sell beer in cans and 0.25l bottles. This way, he appeals to a different group of buyers and the success proves him right. Michel also tries to appeal to women with his beers. His thesis is that once women have chosen a type of beer, they are the most loyal customers. And I have to agree with him.

You take another whiff because, well, this is just weird. I mean, we know it’s a smoked beer, so we should be expecting smoky aromas right? But wow! You weren’t expecting to feel like you are sitting right next to a blazing campfire getting hit in the face with a waft of smoke! Fun Fact: Most beers used to be dark beers. Due to the grains being harvested in the fall, most likely, beer was most commonly brewed in the winter. Now, I won’t get into all the scientific parts of the brewing (mostly because I actually don’t know all the ins and outs myself… I just like drinking the stuff!) but there is a stage of the process called “Mashing” and in the winter with cooler weathers, it was safer to leave the malt in this stage longer…resulting in darker beers. Beer Was Safer Than Water Bamberg is a 230-kilometre drive north along the A9 from Munich, the location of Munich Airport. Germany’s Inter-City Express (ICE) trains represent an efficient and relaxing way of travelling between the two cities. In Brazil, Eisenbahn produces a smoked beer called Eisenbahn Rauchbier, using malts imported from Bamberg. Otto– Otto from Schilling Beer Company is a Bamberg-style Smoked Märzen, made in homage to the home of smoked beer and to one of Europe’s most beloved styles. Otto shows the versatility of smoke applied well as an ingredient; this is a Märzen through and through with a darker body highlighted with deep red tones and characterized by caramelized malt. The smoke is soft and gentle. Unexpected given how harsh smoke can be.After discovering Alaskan Brewing’s Smoked Porter, and finding out that Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. sells their own cherry wood smoked malt, Hall decided to give smoked beer a try.