Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Postby **Bilsch** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:44 pm

First impression was faint smoky aroma mingled with the smell of the best Helles IT. One would think these two scents to be incompatible but in this beer it seems to work. Behind the subtle smoke flavor was bready malt with faint caramel and citrus. I don’t typically care for rauchbiers but this one is quite delicious and would make a great starter beer for people scared of smoke.

Postby **ajk** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:30 pm

Remarkably, this beer doesn't use Rauchmalt. It just picks up ambient smoke from the brew house.

Postby **Bilsch** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:45 pm

That's a serious hotbox contact high then because this beer was only slightly less smoky then a commercial grodziskie I tasted.

Postby **Brandon** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 2:02 pm

ajk wrote:Remarkably, this beer doesn't use Rauchmalt. It just picks up ambient smoke from the brew house.

I thought I read somewhere that they ferment the Helles using yeast repitched from a full on (e.g. Marzen) batch. I tried it once in a Helles I brewed and it added a nice complexity to the beer without being overly smokey. I've never tried the real Schlenkerla Helles so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like.

Postby **ajk** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 2:20 pm

It definitely tastes smoky. I would believe the repitch story (I've gotten intense smoke from just a repitch before). But also, they use all the same equipment, hoses, etc.

Postby **Ancient Abbey** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 4:35 pm

Second the repitch story.

For those favoring the bold, I highly recommend replacing 100% of the Pima with rauchmalt. It's fantastic.

Postby **Ancient Abbey** » Sat Oct 22, 2016 11:20 am

Having tried both Weyermann and Best rauchmalt with lodo, I can tell you that if you are chasing Schlenkerla, then you want the Best rauchmalt.

Postby **Cavpilot2000** » Wed Mar 29, 2017 6:28 pm

Ancient Abbey wrote:Having tried both Weyermann and Best rauchmalt with lodo, I can tell you that if you are chasing Schlenkerla, then you want the Best rauchmalt.

Good to know.
I too enjoyed the Helles. A very unexpected offering from Schlekerla. And I've only seen it in the States, not at the tasting room either time I've been there (a May and a December).
What I did find the last time I was there (this past December) was Schlenkerla Eiche, their holiday Doppelbock (8% abv).
It was...glorious.

Postby **ajk** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 6:50 am

Cavpilot2000 wrote:What I did find the last time I was there (this past December) was Schlenkerla Eiche, their holiday Doppelbock (8% abv).
It was...glorious.

Ah, the oak-smoked Doppelbock! I'd really like to have that fresh at the brewery. You can find it in the States, though — I had some a couple of months ago, and it was in pretty good shape.