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 Schlenkerla Rauchbier
by erik lars myers
 Brewer: Schlenkerla, Bamberg, Germnay
Importer: B. United International
Style: Rauchbier
I've never had a beer that smells so much like beef jerky. It's really quite incredible. I wish there was some other way to describe it that made it sound more appealing, but it really does smell exactly like beef jerky. Not like good, make-it-yourself-out-of-the-deer-you-hit-on-the-Interstate-last-week beef jerky, either. We're talking Slim Jims, here.
So, it's odd. I see this beer as good for drinking in two occasions:
1) You're eating sausage.
2) You're eating BBQ. And none of that pansy-ass Carolina BBQ, either.
Perhaps I should take a step back and explain what this is all about. A rauchbier is a smoke beer. When the Schlenkera brewery is drying their malt they actually smoke it, much like you'd actually smoke your beef jerky. You can read a little about the process on their website.
So, as I said, it smells like Slim Jims, and honestly, it kinda tastes like Slim Jims, too. There's a sweet smokiness that overlays the, really quite nice, taste of malt and hops in there. It's definitely an interesting beer, and the most strongly flavored rauchbier I've ever had.
Trust me, you won't want to drink a bunch of this in a night. But also trust me, you do want to eat some BBQ with this. It would be damn, damn good. I, unfortunately, at this writing, and drinking, have no BBQ. This makes me sad.
But, this summer, I plan to make it an integral part of at least one cookout, and I will be sure to report the results. If you get a chance, please do the same.
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