What is German rauchbier?
Christopher Harper
Updated on April 05, 2026
Rauchbier is a German-style lager brewed with rauch (smoked) malt. At one time, smoked beer was commonplace, not the novelty it is today. Before Daniel Wheeler invented his drum kiln and changed the course of brewing history forever, the only way to dry malt was directly over an open fire.
Who makes Rauchbier?
As of 2017 there are only two breweries left in the world (Schlenkerla and Spezial of Bamberg) that have been malting & brewing Rauchbier the traditional way continuously, hence Slow Food® has made Schlenkerla Rauchbier a passenger in its “Ark of Taste”. Schlenkerla, the historic smoked beer brewery.
Where is Rauchbier brewed?
Bamberg Germany
German Rauchbier or smoked beer is a distinctively smoke flavored beer made from barley malt dried over an open flame. The best known Rauchbiers are made in Bamberg Germany, though a number are brewed outside of Germany as well.
What does Rauchbier taste like?
Today, they continue the tradition of making beers with malt smoked over beechwood, which imparts a smooth and pleasant smoky flavor, similar to that of hickory – so similar in fact that Rauchbiers are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Bacon Beers.”
How is rauchbier made?
Bamberg Rauchbier Certain breweries maintained the smoked beer tradition by continuing to use malt which had been dried over open flames. The malt is dried over fires made from beechwood logs. The beer is then filtrated to remove the opaque colour and yeast remnants, and put into oaken vats.
Whats the most popular beer?
Here are the top 20 most popular beers in America, according to YouGov research:
- Guinness – popularity 51%
- Heineken – popularity 49%
- Corona – popularity 49%
- Samuel Adams – popularity 44%
- Budweiser – popularity 41%
- Blue Moon – popularity 41%
- Coors – popularity 39%
- Miller – popularity 39%
Is rauchbier a lager?
Rauchbier is a German-style beer brewed with smoked malt. It can be any style, but most commonly it is a medium-strength lager. Rauchbier (German for “smoke beer”) is quite popular in Franconia, especially in Bamberg and its surroundings, where it is usually brewed to märzen strength.
What is the number 1 beer?
Bud Light Bud Light is the top-selling beer in the US, and is produced by Belgian-Brazilian company AB InBev.
What is Schlenkerla smokebeer?
First mentioned in 1405 and now run by the Trum family in the 6th generation, it is the fountain of Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer (in German language it’s called “Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier”). The smoked beer is here at the brewery tavern still being tapped directly from the wooden barrel according to old tradition.
What is Aecht Schlenkerla?
Schlenkerla is a famous old brewery and tavern in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is known for its smoked beer which is called “Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier” (“real Schlenkerla smoked beer”).
What is the origin of the German word ‘Schlenkerla’?
The -la suffix is typical of the East Franconian dialect. The name reportedly comes from a brewer with a hobbling gait whose image can be seen on the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier bottle. The brewery’s legal name is HellerBräu Trum KG, after the Trum family that has owned and run it for six generations.
What is a Bamberg Rauchbier?
Since the rauchbier tradition was continuously preserved in Bamberg, the beer style is now marketed as Bamberg Rauchbier. Due to the popularity of craft beer in recent years, industrially made, smoke-flavoured malts became available, and so the style has been attempted worldwide, including in its heartland of Franconia and Bamberg.
