Smoked beer, or Rauchbier, is a unique beer style from Franconia, Germany. It gets its characteristic smoky taste from malt that is dried over an open fire, giving it a flavor reminiscent of smoked meat.
How it is made
Smoked beer is made using malt that is dried over an open fire rather than in the sun. The heat and smoke pass through the raw malt, drying it and extending its shelf life. This traditional method was gradually replaced with industrial drying techniques using coal and oil, but some breweries in Bamberg have preserved this tradition.
History
According to legend, smoked beer originated when a fire in a brewery caused the stored malt to absorb smoke. The brewer, being poor, had to sell the beer made from this 'spoiled' malt, which surprisingly became popular. This led to the creation of a new beer style. The tradition survived only in Bamberg, giving rise to the term 'Bamberger Rauchbier'.
How it is served
Smoked beer has a distinctive flavor that may take some getting used to, as the old saying goes, 'only the third mug tastes right'. It is typically served with local smoked meats or the Bamberg specialty 'Bamberger Zwiebel' in a smoked beer sauce. The taste varies from strongly smoky, like Schlenkerla's beer, to lighter smoke from other breweries around Bamberg.
Adapted from the Russian Wikipedia article Раухбир, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.