If you happen to be looking for a unique and flavorful beer to celebrate Oktoberfest or anytime of the year, you might want to try SCHLENKERLA Märzen, a smoked beer from the historic brewery Schlenkerla in Bamberg, Germany. Schlenkerla is the most famous producer of Rauchbier, a style of beer that uses malt that has been dried over a fire, imparting a distinctive smoky aroma and taste. Schlenkerla has been brewing smoked beer since 1405, when it was a pub known as Zum Blauen Löwen (At the Blue Lion). The name Schlenkerla comes from a brewer with a hobbling gait whose image can be seen on the bottle label.
Schlenkerla Märzen is the classic smoked beer from Schlenkerla, brewed with original Schlenkerla smoked malt from their own maltings and tapped directly from the oakwood cask in the brewery tavern. It is a dark, bottom-fermented beer with an alcohol content of 5.1% and a bitterness of 30 IBU. It is available all year round, but especially popular during Oktoberfest, harecore fans look to this Märzen to give them an distinctive experience.
The first thing you notice when you pour this marzen is the color: a fairly light brown with a reddish hue and a creamy beige head. The second thing you notice is the smell: a strong and enticing aroma of smoked meat, wood, and most notably charcoal. It smells like a barbecue in a glass, and it makes you hungry for some smoked meat, we’re talking ribs, brisket, pulled pork… Name your own 3 meat plate!
The taste is equally impressive: it is malty and smooth, with a medium body and carbonation. The smokiness is not overpowering, but rather well-balanced with the sweetness and bitterness of the malt and hops. It has notes of caramel, nuts, bread, and chocolate, as well as hints of bacon, ham, and a roaring campfire. The aftertaste is long and satisfying, leaving a smoky sensation in the back of your throat.
Schlenkerla Märzen is not a beer for everyone: some people might find it too smoky or too intense. But if you are adventurous and curious, you will discover a beer that is not only rich in history and tradition, but its flavor is BIG. It drinks like a Marzen with a smokiness that is not overpowering.
And yes, we know it’s a dark-colored, maybe heavy-looking, beer. But we promise that the more you drink it, the smoother it gets. If you were on a deserted island and all you had was this beer, you would be just fine. It is a beer that fires up your senses and can transport you to another place and time while pairing well with hearty food and good company. It is a beer that you will remember and want to have again and again… perhaps drink all night!
(In fact, when we did this tasting, we ran out of Schlenkerla and switched to another high-quality Marzen to follow; however, our palates quickly missed the taste that was no longer present. Good thing the new beer was a really good Bavarian to make-up the difference.)
Schlenkerla uses beech wood for the fire, which gives their malt a characteristic flavor. They have their own maltings where they smoke the malt according to their traditional recipe. They also use their own yeast strain, which contributes to their unique flavor profile.
This brewery has other varieties of smoked beer that you can explore as well. They have a wheat beer that is lightly smoky, a bock beer that is full-bodied and smoky, an oak-smoked double bock that uses oak wood instead of beech wood for the malt drying, a cherrywood-smoked red lager, an alderwood-smoked black lager, an unfiltered smoked beer for Lent season, a helles lager that is very lightly smoky, and a low-alcohol historic beer called Hansla. You can find them in bottles or on tap (if you can find it) at selected retailers and bars (probably not in US bars because we like Juicy IPAs more), and somehow you can order them online from their website. If you visit their brewery tavern in Bamberg, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the heart of Franconia, where they serve their smoked beer from wooden barrels according to old tradition. There you can also enjoy their traditional Franconian cuisine and experience their annual events such as Smokebeer Preservation Day on July 23rd or Urbock First Tapping on October 5th. Road Trip 🤔💡???
Schlenkerla Marzen is more than just a beer: it is a piece of history, culture, and art. This Beir challenges your expectations and rewards your curiosity. It is a Beir that deserves your attention and appreciation, so drink it up! If you are looking for something different this Oktoberfest season, give SCHLENKERLA Märzen a try. You might be surprised by how much you like it and want more.
Prost! 🍻
Just an FYI for our Seelos Brewers:
Smoking your own malt is claimed to be a very easy process that does not require any special equipment. All you need is a smoker and some malt. You can have fun experimenting with different types of wood and soaking solutions. Maybe yet to come in one our future German brews… Stay tuned.
Blessed Fr. Seelos, Pray for Us!
- Dan Weimer
