For Lovers and Haters Alike, Smoked Beer’s Flames Burn StrongYou may recognize smoked beer by the German term “rauchbier,” which translates literally to “smoke beer.” As a style, rauchbier refers to smoked lager, specifically smoked märzen; examples from Brauerei Spezial and Schlenkerla, in Bamberg, Germany, are the most foundational. But nearly any style of beer can be smoked, and in fact, it’s only been a couple of centuries that all beer wasn’t at least a little smoked by nature of its production. Today, American craft brewers are throwing their hats into the ring alongside the centuries-old smoked-beer legacies of Bamberg and other parts of Germany, as well as places like Poland. Rauchbier from Spezial or Schlenkerla is the best introduction to the world of smoked beers, but there’s plenty of exploring to do from there. Witness two people try their first smoked beer and you could hear them utter the same exact words, but whether they love of loathe what they’re drinking lies in the delivery. Is it, “Mmm, this tastes like bacon!”? Or, “Ugh, this tastes like bacon!”? While it’s unlikely to break out beyond niche status, one of beer’s oldest traditions is popping up in more taprooms, and it’s time to decide if you’re Team Hell Yes or Team No Way on smoked beer. | 
