Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen
Poured from a 1 pint 9 ounce (16.9 ounces?) bottle into a Smithwick's pint glass. A: Two fingers of nice head appear on the top. The beer itself darkens from bottom to top, chestnut to mahogany. Several bubbles stuck to the bottom of the glass rise up. S: The expected smokiness comes laden with the scent of smoked meat (pork comes to mind). This is not nearly as strong smelling as its cousin (Mrzen), and has a faint metallic tinge. Smelling closely one can perhaps smell strains of yeast familiar to other wheat beers. T: Good, but not great. I loved the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Mrzen, and I like wheat beers, so my expectations were high. It's possible the novelty of rauchbier has worn off, but I think it's mostly because the Weizen isn't as strong an effort. The beer is a little meaty, pleasantly so, with definite wheaty tones. To Schlenkerla's credit, this tastes like a wheat beer with smoke in it. It's good, but nothing special. The aftertaste is rather bland, with only a hint of smoke remaining. M: Carbonated and mostly unremarkable, except for the metallic feeling that creeps in. D: The smokey attributes of this beer nullify the usual drinkability of wheat beers. It's not HARD to drink, but it's not easy either. In the future, if I want a rauchbier, I'll stick to the Mrzen, which is what I recommend in favour of this beer.