Rauchbier

Lore & Background

Before the modern era, malt was dried over open flames or in sunlight, and smoked beer was not universal. Beginning in the 18th century, hot air kiln drying became common, and by the mid-19th century it was near-universal, preventing smoke from contacting the malt and causing smoke flavour to almost disappear. In Bamberg, certain breweries maintained the tradition by continuing to use malt dried over beechwood fires. The malt and fermenting beer are stored in part of the catacombs of Bamberg, tunnels built from the 11th century onward, which have stable moisture and temperature. Formerly, ice was used to cool the fermenting beer tank room, harvested locally or imported from as far as Finland or Sweden. The beer is filtered and put into oaken vats. Schlenkerla and Spezial have produced smoked beer for more than a century, and both are still in operation alongside seven other breweries in Bamberg. Due to craft beer popularity, smoke-flavoured industrially-produced malts became available, and the style has been attempted worldwide. In 2017 Slow Food included Schlenkerla and Spezial Rauchbiere in their Ark of Taste.

Reader's Guide

Rauchbier's significance lies in its preservation of a pre-industrial brewing method that nearly vanished. The continuous tradition in Bamberg, maintained by Schlenkerla and Spezial for over a century, provides a direct link to historical brewing practices. The style's legacy is evident in its recognition by Slow Food in 2017 and its spread beyond Germany, with breweries in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, and Iceland producing smoked beers. The Brewers Association distinguishes three Bamberg-style variations—Helles, Märzen, and Bock—each brewed according to the underlying style but with smoked malts replacing some or all of the mash bill. The Polish smoked beer Grodziskie, made from wheat and highly carbonated, saw a period of no production in the late 1990s. The style's adaptability is shown by the variety of smoked beers worldwide, from porters and stouts to saisons and Scotch ales, using different smoking materials such as beechwood, peat, or cherry wood.

Did You Know?

• Rauchbier is German for 'smoked beer'.
• The malt for Bamberg Rauchbier is dried over fires made from beechwood logs.
• Schlenkerla and Spezial have produced smoked beer in Bamberg for more than a century.
• Grodziskie, a Polish smoked beer, is 2.7–3.7% alcohol by volume and straw to gold in colour.