Rauchbier (German: Rauchbier) is a strong (from 4.8 to 6.5%) beer made from malt smoked over an open fire. Today, this intoxicating drink is considered the hallmark of German Franconia and the eccentricity of local brewers, but a few hundred years ago, almost every European beer had a “burnt aftertaste”, while modern lagers would have seemed insipid and tasteless to the inhabitants of those eras. Next, we will figure out how smoked beer appeared, where it disappeared and why it has now returned to the shelves again.
History
The legend says that a fire broke out in one of the breweries and the grain prepared for processing was heavily smoked. The owner of the production, constrained in funds, was forced to brew beer from what he had, and the result was surprisingly successful.
In fact, before there was simply no other way to dry barley to increase its shelf life, except on an open fire. So smoked beer is not someone’s fad, but a traditional drink made using ancient technologies. True, in the Middle Ages, all beers were obtained by top-fermentation, and today’s Rauchbier is lager, that is, bottom-fermented (another type of yeast).
The first mention of smoked beer dates back to 1516, and is found in the context of the Schlenkerl brewery. According to legend, the pub was named after the owner, who, in turn, acquired the nickname Schlenker (from German Schlenkern – to stagger) for his funny walk and habit of actively gesticulating when talking.
Famous manufacturers
While in the XNUMXth century the whole world switched to drying grains in an oven (of course, no characteristic smell remained), the small Schlenkerla brewery mentioned above in the city of Bamberg maintained the tradition, and stubbornly “smoked” their beer, even though that lovers of the drink every day became less and less. Today it is the most famous manufacturer of Rauchbier.
In the same town, there is another small pub, Spezial, which also specializes in smoky beers. It is thanks to these two companies that Rauchbier is strongly associated with Bamberg and is considered a local landmark of the city.
Features
The taste of smoked beer directly depends on which logs are burned. Apple tree gives a delicate creamy taste, hickory gives a spicy pepper note, maple gives a smack of smoked sausage, and alder gives the aroma of cold-smoked fish. Beech logs are considered classic fuel, but softwood is not recommended – because of it, beer gets the taste of cough syrup.
In addition, there are many seasonal varieties with various additives, such as juniper Rauchbier or March beer.
Countries
In addition to Germany, various variations of smoked beer are found in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine. Curiously, some breweries order malt from Bamberg.
The traditional camp is already rather fed up with beer lovers, many are trying to find new, original tastes. This may explain the revival of interest in Rauchbier.
How to drink smoked beer
Rauchbier is right to drink, like any other beer, from tall glasses, and eat meat – certainly smoked or fried! German manufacturers give the following recommendations:
- Drink only freshly brewed beer, during storage the drink loses some of the flavor.
- The ideal serving temperature is 7-8 ° C.
- A distinctive feature of Rauchbier is a thick head of foam about a quarter of a glass high, so do not sip the beer “on the wall”, but pour it boldly.
