Pours very light gold with an ivory head – this is a Helles, after all. Noble hops are in the background, letting some delicate malty sweetness come through. What makes this beer stand out is the smokiness. Schlenkerla makes several other beers with smoked malt, and this has none but is made on the same equipment.
The subtlely of the smoke works with the beer’s overall lightness. I’ve been a bit obsessed with smoked beers lately, and while I’m not a big fan of Schlenkerla in general (I find the smoke in their beers to be too simplistically single-noted) the light touch on this beer works. I wouldn’t pair this with food that is too flavorful – subtly flavored fish or cheese like halibut or chevre perhaps?
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