räucherator

Smoked beer is a specialty that has almost been forgotten in large parts of Germany. In the past, all beers were smoked beers, since there was no way to malt the grain apart from drying it over a wood fire. As technology progressed, this practice became obsolete and most breweries resorted to industrially kilned malt. This gave them more creative freedom when it came to the taste and color of the beer.

A few breweries have retained malting with beech wood smoke. This includes, for example, the Schlenkerla brewery from Bamberg, which still takes care of its own malt. However, other breweries that do not malt themselves appreciate smoked beer for its unique character.

The Franconian brewery Hummel, not far from Bamberg, is a fan of strong smoked beers and quenches the thirst for this type of beer with their seasonally brewed smoked beer Doppelbock Räucherator. The beer with heavenly smoky notes flows into the glass in a ruby-red shimmering mahogany tone and is crowned with a reasonable amount of ivory-colored foam. The scent of a late summer campfire fills the air and tempts me with notes of caramel, crispy fried bacon and roasted malt. This reveals a powerful body with the same aromas: smoked malt, toffee, smoked ham, candied red fruits and spicy blossom honey. Fine!