Bottle. Rauch Märzen, according to the label. Gusher. Aroma: Smoked meat, malty. Taste: Again malty, quite strong smoked meat, smoked herring. Hints of roasted malt and candy sugar. Moderate sweet, over moderate bitterness. Medium body, average carbonation.

0,33 l bottle from their booth at Fisch & Feines, Bremen. A cloudy darkest brown with a nearly two finger foamy pale beige head in the glass. Smokey aroma with malt, some smoked eel. Taste is roasted malty, short sweet caramel shot at the start. More malt in the second part. Below average carbonated as expected. Nice not overpowered stuff.

(Draught at Arendsnest, Amsterdam, 19 Feb 2023) Ruby red colour with dense, beige head. Malty, smoky nose with caramel, red fruit and smoked meat. Malty, smoky taste with notes of caramel, red fruit, bread, smoke and a mild bitterness. Medium body, with a touch of sweetness. Really tasty smoked märzen, with a generous smoky character. Very nice.

Tap at Arendsnest, 3rd November 22. Pours a dark brown. Aroma is smoke, peak, iodine. Taste is smoky, meaty, malts, peat, pretty good depth, nice beer

Ok rook moutig, maar ‘t is natuurlijk geen Schenkerla, had wat mij betreft nog meer richting de ham/bacon mogen gaan.

0.33 l bottle from 'Mr. Hop', best before December 2022. Almost clear, dark ruby with a medium large, frothy, almost stable, off-white head. Sweetish-malty, quite smoky aroma of smoked eel, caramel and toasted nuts. Gently sweet, malty, rather smoky taste of smoked ham, caramel, nuts and bread crust, followed by a short, gently bitter, fairly smoky finish. Medium body, smooth and slightly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Nice Rauchmärzen, well done.

‘Rauchmärzen’ by this Frisian craft brewery, bottle shared by Craftmember. Using the term ‘Rauchmärzen’ so explicitly sets the bar high, as this is clearly a direct reference to the original core beer in the immortal Aecht Schlenkerla range of ‘true’ Bambergian Rauchbier. Off-white, thinnish, tiny-bubbled, open and breaking but stable head, clear deep ‘metallic’ orangey-amber colour. Aroma indeed very strongly smoked with the powerful smoked bacon and smoked horse meat effects associated with Aecht Schlenkerla (and others), cigarette tobacco even, bread crust, pink peppercorns, dried peach, old crackers. Crisp, clean onset, very clearly a Lager indeed with malt sweetness setting in right away, minerally carbonated with smooth, even somewhat oily mouthfeel; the malt sweetness makes a slight turn to the cake- and honey-like but never gets there, as the Rauchmalz effect comes in just in time, adding smoked bacon ‘umami’ effects – though in a much softer way than expected based on the nose, to be honest. Light toasty-malty and floral-hoppy aspects ‘fill’ the finish while the smokiness gently lingers. Daring, in trying to imitate Aecht Schlenkerla’s ultimate Rauchbier in such a straightforward, undisguised and unambiguous way – more beers like this should be made by craft brewers these days, in my opinion. Of course, compared with the original, this one seems more superficial, more ‘easy’ and less thoroughly smoked with less complexity, but it is most certainly a step in the right direction.

Geprobeerd bij de brouwerij Brouwdok met LiekevdV. Het is een amandelbruin bier met een beige schuim. Het heeft een moutige, licht zoete wat rookachtige geur. De smaak is chocolade, koffie en gedroogd fruit achtig met lichte houtrook tonen op de achtergrond.