Schlenkerla - the historic smokebeer brewery

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Märzen

Bamberg's speciality, a dark, bottom fermented smokebeer, brewed with Original Schlenkerla Smokemalt from the Schlenkerla maltings and tapped according to old tradition directly from the gravity-fed oakwood cask in the historical brewery tavern.

Served/Sold:
All year round from the wooden barrel at the historical brewery tavern. In kegs in some taverns in and around Bamberg. In bottles available at selected retailers in Germany, Export to EU- and worldwide, taverns and in the Schlenkerla-Webshop. In partykegs (5 litres) at the Schlenkerla Shop, selected retailers and in the Webshop.

Data:
Original gravity: 13.2 °P
Alcohol: 5.1%
Bitterness: 30

Read more: awards | detailed description | history | serving | purchase online

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Urbock

A full bodied smoked bock beer for Bamberg's strong beer season (October through December) in fall. Brewed already in the summer time, it is matured for months in the ancient Schlenkerla rock-cellars underneath Bamberg. Tapped freshly from the oakwood cask and the Schlenkerla brewery pub. Similar to, but much bigger than the classic Maerzen style.

Served/Sold:
Available October through late November from the wooden barrel in the historical brewery tavern. December and early January in bottles in the brewery tavern. In bottles in a few selected retailers, in some taverns and in the Schlenkerla-Webshop. In addition export to Finland and the USA.

Data:
Original gravity : 17.5 °P
Alcohol: 6.5%
Bitterness: 40

Read more: awards | annual Urbock first tapping event | purchase online

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Wheat

Schlenkerla Smokebeer Wheat is an ale with light smoky aroma. As Bavarian wheat beers, it is being brewed with a mixture of both barley malt and wheat malt. The portion of barley malt is hereby a classic Schlenkerla smokemalt, while the wheat malt remains unsmoked. Served unfiltered with its natural haziness, Schlenkerla Wheat reaches its full aroma through bottle fermentation with fine top fermenting yeast.

Served/Sold:
All year round from the bottle in the historical brewery tavern (bottle conditioned). From the bottle also at selected retailers, some taverns and the Schlenkerla-Webshop. In addition export to some countries.

Data:
Original gravity: 13.2 °P
Alcohol: 5.2%
Bitterness: 20

Read more: awards | purchase online

Schlenkerla Lentbeer

The Original Schlenkerla Lentbeer is an unfiltered smokebeer, brewed in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Bottom-fermenting yeast gives the reddish brown lentbeer a natural cloudiness. Its smoky aroma is already noticeable in the smell, combined with a fine hoppy note. In the drink the fullbodied, highly drinkable lentbeer shows its strong malty flavour, rounded up with the smokey taste and a light bitterness. Due to the nourishing yeast, the Original Schlenkerla Lentbeer has the "Brotzeit already included" (German word for afternoon snack).

Served/Sold:
Only during lent from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
From the wooden barrel at the Schlenkerla historic brewery tavern.
Exported in very small quantities on draft to the USA.
In bottles since 2015 (Germany and export).

Data:
Original gravity: 16 °P
Alcohol: 5.9%

Read more: awards | detailed description and historic background | purchase online

Aecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoke

A double bock for Christmas with a uniqe smoky note. The malt is kilned by an oak wood fire - unlike conventional smoke malt which is kilned by beech wood fire.

Data:
Original gravity: 19 °P
Alcohol: 8,0 %
Bitterness: 35

Served/Sold:
Only during Christmas time. From the wooden keg at the Schlenkerla. In bottles at selected shops. Exported in very small quantities draft and bottles to the USA. Available in the Schlenkerla Online Shop.

Read more: Awards | detailed description and historic background | purchase online

Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel - Rotbier (i.e. red lager)

Rotbier (i.e. red lager) used to be common in Franconia. The city of Nuremberg in particular was known for its Rotbier. Since its production was extremely laborious, Rotbier was replaced in the 19th century by Braunbier (i.e. brown lager) which was produced using modern, simpler brewing methods. It was not until 1997 that the beer style was revived.

For our Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel Rotbier, we dry the malt over fire with high-quality cherry wood (not over beech wood fire as with classic smoked beer). In contrast to the spicy beech-smoked malt, the cherry wood smoked malt has a fruity, almost sweet smoke aroma and provides a copper-red color in the glass. The finest aroma hops add berry notes to the multi-layered smoke flavor. With 4.6% abv, Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel is a full-bodied, pleasantly quaffable beer.

Many people first think of the river of the same name in Poland when they hear "Vistula" (German: Weichsel). Seemingly fittingly, very high-quality sour cherry trees grow along it - especially in the river delta of the Vistula. However, this is not the reason why the sour cherry is given the nickname "Weichsel" in southern Germany and Austria. Rather, the word goes back ethymologically to the Indo-Germanic term u̯eis, which meant something like "flowing" or "seeping." The English word "ooze," which probably also goes back to this, sounds similar today and still has the same meaning. The sour cherry was once used for glue production; the tree resin was allowed to seep out of the bark for this purpose, which probably led to the nickname. In the case of the river Vistula, the word root is the same and probably goes back to the (slow) flow speed.

Data:
Original gravity: 11,8 °P
Alcohol: 4,6 %
Bitterness: 28

Served/Sold:
From the keg at the Schlenkerla. In bottles at selected shops. Exported draft and in bottles to the USA. Available in the Schlenkerla Online Shop.

Aecht Schlenkerla Erle - Schwarzbier (i.e. black lager)

Schwarzbier (black lager) has been around since at least the 16th century and used to be more widespread than it is today. In the industrial revolution of the 19th century, it was almost displaced by mass-produced lighter beers. Only a few breweries preserved the beer style, and for about 30 years now it has been experiencing a renaissance.

For our Aecht Schlenkerla Erle black lager we use a very special smoked malt. This is not dried over beech wood fire, as is usually the case, but over fire made of alder wood. The alder smoked malt brings a fine, complex smoky flavor to the beer – less strong and spicy than in our classic smoked beer. A high roasted malt content provides a pronounced roasted aroma and the dark, almost black color. At 4.2% abv, Aecht Schlenkerla Erle has slightly less alcohol, but is strong in flavor.

Data:
Original gravity: 11,0 °P
Alcohol: 4,2 %
Bitterness: 25

Served/Sold:
From the keg at the Schlenkerla. In bottles at selected shops. Exported draft and in bottles to the USA. Available in the Schlenkerla Online Shop.

Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Hansla low-alcohol

In the past, due to lack of hygiene, drinking water was usually polluted with illness-causing bacterias. Beer did not contain such pathogens, as it was boiled and hopped. Therefore, until the end of the 19th century, beer was the preferred daily beverage. To keep a clear head, Bamberg's brewers had a special brewing technique to make low-alcohol beer. Hoppy, mildly smoky and with only a small amount of alcohol the unfiltered Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Hansla brings back this old Bamberg brewing tradition.
By the way: There are also not smoky versions of this old brewing technique; find out more about Heinzlein here.

Served/Sold:
All year in the brewery tavern. Starting 2020: In the brewery and the tavern in the bottle for take out, and in the Online Shop.

Data:
Original gravity: 3,4 °P
Alcohol: 0.9 % Vol.
Bitterness: 35

Read more : detailed description and historic background | purchase online

Aecht Schlenkerla Kräusen (in the USA also known as "Helles Märzen, refermented Kräusen blend")

In the world of German brewing, Kräusen refers to the intense proliferation of bubbles and foam formed during fermentation of a young or “green” beer.  And Aufkräusen (literally to kräusen it up), refers to a historic brewing technique in which some green beer is added to a fully-matured lager.  This is a very old and very typically German tradition, and today even English-speaking brewers refer to this technique as krausening.  Krausening brings the vibrant freshness of young beer to the more refined, austere flavors of a fully-matured lager.

Aecht Schlenkerla Kräusen starts out as normal Helles Schlenkerla Lager and matures for months in the old rock cellars underneath the brewery. Just before filling it is blended using the before mentioned "Kräusen" technique with classic Märzen Rauchbier. The result is an unfiltered, bottom fermented and amber color Märzen Lager hybrid with a vibrant and slightly smoky flavor .

Data:
Original gravity: 11.5 °P
Alcohol: 4.5%
Bitterness: 30

Served:
In the summertime at Schlenkerla brewery tavern from the wooden barrel. From the bottle in our Online Shop and at select importers and shops world wide. In the USA available on draft and in cans at these addresses.

Helles Schlenkerla Lager

“Schlenkerla Helles” is brewed with fine Bavarian aroma hops from the area around the city of Nürnberg. It's lagered in century old caves underneath the historic Schlenkerla brewery and maltings. Schlenkerla Helles is boiled in the same copper kettles and bottom fermented by the same yeast as the historic Schlenkerla Smokebeer. Its subtle smokiness without using smoke malt makes “Helles Schlenkerla Lager” a unique representative of the classic lager beer style “Bavarian Helles”.

At times the pale lager is also available as specially unfiltered edition.

Served/Sold:
All year round, in the bottle and keg, at selected taverns and shops. Export to the USA.

Data:
Original gravity: 11.0 °P
Alcohol: 4.3%

Read more: awards | purchase online

Vintage Beers

Schlenkerla is the last brewery in Bamberg to utilize historic rock cellars for beer lagering. Even world wide there are almost no breweries left that work like that today. But not only the normal lagering of smoked beer happens there: Already in the 19th century brewers in England matured beers in bottles for several years, similar to sparkling wines (e.g. Champagne). Since 2010 this is also done at Schlenkerla: For all seasonal bock beers (currently Oak smoke Eiche double bock, Urbock and Lentbeer Fastenbier) there is a specially unfiltered and limited edition. These bottles are then lagered for at least 4 years in the rock cellars at the there natural temperature of around 8°C. The yeast continues to work during that time and constantly creates new flavors and aromas. A unique experience for all beer lovers!

A hint for perfect enjoyment: Take the bottle out of the fridge a little before serving; the flavors develop better at a slightly warmer temperature. And when pouring, the yeast residue at the bottom of the bottle can (but does not have to) be left out or even used for an aftertaste as second glass. Find out, what you like best!

Served/Sold:
All year round in the brewery on Oberen Stephansberg 27-35. Mail order via the Schlenkerla Webshop