Well here’s another quick “filler” post that I’ve slipped in
whilst finishing off a much longer one. Life’s a bit hectic at the moment, with
lots going on both at home and on the work front. In addition I’m making a
quick dash up to Norfolk tomorrow
to visit my father.
Bamberg, or
rather Bamberg’s best known beer,
is the subject of this mini-post as, surprise-surprise, I haven’t finished with
the city yet. "Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier" is Bamberg’s
most famous and most widely known beer. It is brewed by Brauerei
Heller-Trum, and follows the age old tradition of using malt
which has been kiln-dried using burning beech-wood logs.
This imparts an intense, aromatic, smoky flavour to the beer
which makes Schlenkerla Rauchbier one of the most distinctive, as well as one
of the most recognisable beers in the world. Schlenkerla have their own
maltings, where the Rauchmalz (smoked malt), is produced, and after brewing,
using first-class hops, the beer matures in 600 year old cellars, deep below
the hills of Bamberg. The result is a fine, mellow, magnificent-tasting beer,
best drunk directly in the "Schlenkerla Tavern", in the heart of Bamberg’s
old town.
The post I hinted at
earlier, is a fairly lengthy article, which may run over two parts, about Schlenkerla
Rauchbier. Rather than keeping you in suspense, and making you wait for it to
appear, I’ve knocked out this quick post about the bottles of Schlenkerla
Fastenbier (Lent Beer) I brought back from Bamberg
with me, following last month’s trip.
The Original Schlenkerla Lentbeer is an unfiltered
smoke-beer which, for a short season (Ash Wednesday to Easter), is sold from a wooden cask in the Schlenkerla Tavern. It is available in bottles over a much longer period; until stocks run out. The beer is reddish-brown in colour with a natural cloudiness, due to the
presence of the yeast. Its smoky aroma is really noticeable, especially when combined with the hop aromas which are also present.
On the last afternoon of our stay inBamberg, I called in at the historic Schlenkerla Tavern, where there is a kiosk, specially reserved for
off-sales. Once I’d managed to grab the attention of the two young girls who
were supposed to be serving, I bought a six-pack container consisting of
two bottles of Fastenbier, along with four bottles of the classic Original Märzen. The pack cost me just over €10, and was worth every cent.The pack survived the flight home (Schlenkerla package their beer in thick and sturdy glass bottles), and seeing as the Fastenbier has a BBE date of August 2018, I thought I’d better crack one open and see what it is like.
Well, as with the brewery’s own description, there is an intense smokiness which permeates through the thick fluffy head which forms on top of the beer. There are plenty of rich malty notes to complement the smoke; not really surprising, given the 5.5% ABV of the beer.
The beer is also surprisingly
thirst-quenching, indicative of a generous hopping regime, but you know what,
rather than sit here analysing and writing about this gorgeous beer, I’m going
to sit back, savour and enjoy it. Zum Wohl, Prost and all that!
4 comments:
Ok, for some reason your smoked beer posts are making me vary from my cut-n-paste quote routine. :)
As Martin alluded to earlier I too am going to have to make a trip to Bamberg at some point. I mentioned there is a chance my youngest's girlfriend may be doing post graduate work in Germany in the next year or so. If that's the case my wife and I will definitely look at flying over for a visit; and do Bamberg at the same time.
Baring that, my brother lives in northern France and it's less than an 8 hour drive from where he lives, so that's another possibility.
I mentioned I had a few 'smoked' beers at home I would try this week. I did that yesterday and unfortunately they were a bit lacking. The smoked Helles had a distinctive smokey after taste but the ales lacked any smokiness in my opinion. Plus, they weren't dark beers which might make a difference.
So I'll just have to keep watching Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter episode on Germany (and smoked beers) and put it on my to-do list. :)
Cheers
PS - I can't leave without at least one quoted comment!
" rather than sit here analysing and writing about this gorgeous beer, I’m going to sit back, savour and enjoy it."
Couldn't agree more! :)
There is nothing better in life than standing in the street in front of Schlenkerla at night with a beer in your hand. Absolute joy.
I'm enjoying your trip report Paul and filing them away for when Mrs Professor Pie-Tin and I have the time for a decent trip to Bamberg.
As someone who was born in Oldenburg in Germany ( Dad was Royal Artillery Bandsman ) and lived there for the first seven years of my life I've never been back since and feel I ought to pay a return visit one day.
Mum and Dad liked the Germans enormously - found them friendly and outgoing.All I remember is endless summers and hot bratwurst,chips and German mustard as a Saturday treat at the local market in Dortmund.
That dark pint looks gorgeous.
Russ, I’ve yet to come across any beer which is smoked as intensely as Schlenkerla; although that Alaska Smoked Porter (I can’t remember who brews it), does comes close.
It would be good if you can wangle some time in Bamberg, on the back of a trip to visit your youngest’s girlfriend. That way you can enjoy these beers at source, and drink them in some amazing pubs.
Dave, on our last night in Bamberg, we noticed plenty of people doing just what you describe – “Standing in the street in front of Schlenkerla at night with a beer in hand.” This was after we’d enjoyed a meal inside the rather packed pub.
We were lucky to find space to sit down and eat (we were in the farthest room), as the place was heaving. The waitresses certainly earned their money that night, and I made sure I gave the one who looked after our table, a generous tip.
It only occurred to us, on the way out, that the thing to do is order your beer at the self-service hatch (Schenke), and find a spot where you can drink standing up. If the weather’s fine, then the street outside is fine, as there are no daft health and safety rules to worry about.
Schlenkerla Rauchbier, served straight from those wooden casks, without any applied gas, has to be one of the best beers in the world, and enjoying it at the tavern, one of the finest drinking experiences!
Prof, my father spent part of his National Service in Germany, “playing at soldiers,” as he liked to call it. From what I can make out, he was stationed near Hanover. Dad spoke fondly of his time out there, particularly his time on leave when he went skiing in the Harz Mountains.
I too can therefore claim a family connection with Germany, although obviously not as strong as yours. Coincidentally I visited dad yesterday. He lives in a care home, up in Norfolk now, with his memories cruelly taken from him by the ravages of Alzheimer’s, but he was in good spirits, and looking OK for a man of 87.
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