From the bottle: “While for the classic ‘Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier’ traditionally beech has been – and still is – used, the malt for ‘Schlenkerla Oak Smoke’ is kilned with oak wood. The resulting Schlenkerla Oak Smoke Malt has a smoother and more multi-layered smoky note than the intensely aromatic Beech Smoke Malt. The hence complex smokiness in ‘Schlenkerla Oak Smoke’ is poured with the multifaceted bitterness of finest Hallertau aroma hops. With 8% alcohol and amber color it matures for months in the deep brewery cellars underneath Bamberg into a special treat for smoke beer lovers.”

What does all this info so far mean? I’ll tell you what in simple layman’s terms: SMOKE. MALT. DOPPELBOCK. HIGH ALCOHOL CONTENT. MASSIVE, THROBBING, SHINY, VICIOUS, VASCULAR HARD-ON (for me at least). With the complex and nicely balanced flavors of caramel, malt, cola, salt, bacon, beef jerky, booze, and let’s not forget… SMOKE… this is a must-have for smoke beer lovers and doppelbock lovers.  And if you love both (like me) then put on a condom before you open the bottle, unless you want your underoos to look like a splatter painting under a black-light right after taking your first sip. The flavor finishes with bitterness, smoked Gouda cheese, and smoked almonds. The smoke and bitterness flavors remain for the aftertaste and linger for quite a while.

Henry Deltoid's Beer Review: Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche

Wait… adult men still wear underoos, right?

My only beef (no jerky) with this beer is that the aroma entices the senses with a thick smoke that doesn’t quite translate as intensely in the flavor. For intense smoke beer lovers that’s a minor setback, but for all the rest of the beer guzzling community it is probably more beneficial than harmful. As soon as the bottle hisses as the cap pops off, your nose is punched with the smoky aroma of sausage on a charcoal grill. Unfortunately the aroma doesn’t last very long. But those few moments that you have alone with it are as precious and as endearing as a late night wank session in the VIP section of sextech.wpengine.com and well worth the investment.

The liquid is a caramel and rust color. Immediately following the pour, with its copious quantity of flocculates it looks like a sea monkey colony on steroids, Viagra and fertility pills. I LOVE FLOCCULATES. The head is pine colored, frothy, fizzy, loose, and dies quickly, which is standard for a doppelbock. The texture is watery with below average carbonation (again, standard for a doppelbock, as they tend to taste and feel like cola that is a tad flat). Lacing is mild and not noteworthy.

I previously reviewed the “Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen” and this one is a tiny bit lower on my scale due to it not quite delivering to the tongue what it promised to the nose. But this beer is well worth every penny you will pay for it. I guarantee it. Smoke up, you.

Style: 9.5/10

Overall: 9/10

The Deltoid has spoken.

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