Aecht Schlenkerla Märzen. It's a classic. One of those beers that you either
love or hate. It leaves no room for ambiguity, or at least not for long.
I love it. When I first tried it, about six years ago, I probably wasn't too sure, but after three bottles it won me over. I'm not sure what it is about this beer. Opening it is like opening a smoked ham or bacon. It's sweetly malty, in a crisp, clean way, with toffee, nuts, a touch of fruitiness. Hops bring up the rear, providing a fresh, grassy element to the finish, and perhaps a hint of mintiness. But it's the beechwood smoke that is the star of the show. When you try a Schlenkerla Märzen for the first time, it seems bloody strong, but when you get get acquainted properly, it's a comforting, fireside kind of flavour, simple and honest.
So it was with great anticipation that I placed an order
* for a few bottles of
Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock, an 8% brew made with oak-smoked malt. On the nose, it's similar at heart to the Märzen, but somehow more salty. If anything, it's possibly more hammy, with almost meaty flavours, a touch of umami lurking in the background. As expected, a good full body and, thankfully, for a German Doppelbock, it's not sickly sweet or gooey in the slightest, just a slight creaminess. Honey, bubblegum. A light carbonic bite and a pear-drop fruitiness add a sharpness to the foreground, while an oily smokiness brings up the rear. It's not overpowering, but strikes a lovely balance between sweet and, dare I say it, savoury, if you can use such a word to describe a beer. It's not a quaffer, like it's older sibling, but demands a bit more attention. Lovely.
*Was very glad that Biershop Bamberg had some left!
Aecht Schlenkerla Märzen. It's a classic. One of those beers that you either love or hate. It leaves no room for ambiguity, or at least not for long. I love it. When I first tried it, about six years ago, I probably wasn't too sure, but after three bottles it won me over. I'm not sure what it is about this beer. Opening it is like opening a smoked ham or bacon. It's sweetly malty, in a crisp, clean way, with toffee, nuts, a touch of fruitiness. Hops bring up the rear, providing a fresh, grassy element to the finish, and perhaps a hint of mintiness. But it's the beechwood smoke that is the star of the show. When you try a Schlenkerla Märzen for the first time, it seems bloody strong, but when you get get acquainted properly, it's a comforting, fireside kind of flavour, simple and honest.
Incredibly, this has just turned up in the UK too - must grab a bottle before it all disappears.
ReplyDeleteI get the impression, from the units and English text at the bottom of the label, that this is probably largely aimed at the export market. Seems it was first made last winter, presumably as a new seasonal. Must ask... :)
ReplyDeleteLove at first sip, that's how I describe my relationship`with Schlenkerla Märzen (and all the other smoked stuff from the brewery)
ReplyDeleteIt's the one beer that has the biggest acquired taste, either this or gueuze! You just need to drink a lot of it to begin to like it - bit like whisky. I plan on trying to do so but must get a dopplebock from North bar to try make some 'intelligent' comparisons.
ReplyDeleteI managed to sample some draught Eiche Doppelbock in the Schlenkerla Tavern at the end December; it was escellent. At 8% though, I only had the one, but some customers seemed to be quaffing it like it was going out of fashion!
ReplyDeleteI also bought back a bottle of it, along with some Märzen and Ur-Bock.
PF, yeah, they produce some great stuff. But the Märzen is hard to beat as a regular beer, isn't it? I don't buy it often enough really.
ReplyDeleteGhosty, definitely a taste worth acquiring. I cut my smoke teeth on Schlenkerla, and quite of lot of the other German Rauchboers don't quite reach those levels of smoke, so it's a good one. Although Smokey George was possibly the smokiest beer I've ever had! If you like peaty whisky, see if you can get some of that :D
Paul, I'd love to have tried this in the tavern first. I moved south a few months ago, so am in easy reach of Bamberg now. Waiting for a good opportunity to hop on the train to get the good beer in the proper atmosphere :) Shockingly, I haven't tried the Ur-Bock yet!
Märzen is one of those beers that are close to perfection for me, though, I must admit I have a HUGE weakness for Urbock
ReplyDeleteThat's one beer I must get. got a feature on Schlenkerla coming up. Sounds intruigingly different, this one.
ReplyDeleteIt's not massively different, Leigh, but certainly different enough that it's worth trying if you like the Märzen. I'm wondering how it'll age now :D
ReplyDelete