One of the great joys about getting to taste and write about Slow Lane's beers is when the release features a style that has a very clear benchmark. There’s no shortage of old European styles that more or less survive because of a single brewery or region and Slow Lane are doing a pretty stellar job of making it their own.
What really gets me about brewing these beers is how breweries choose to approach them. Are they going for a strict recreation of the classic or something more nuanced and unique? With Bygone Era they are very much making their own Märzen rauchbier. Bamburg’s Schlenkerla is the standard to which all other rauchbiers are judged. I’m on record declaring that their helles lagerbier is easily in my top ten of all time. But if I’m being honest, almost all the others are just a little too much. For me, the intense smoked porky sweetness of the original Märzen rauchbier is equal parts exceptional and ultimately undrinkable.
What I love about the Schlenkerla lagerbier is that the smoked malt plays a part without being the lead. It’s just an element among many that combine to create an almost perfect lager. Bygone Era is in that same vein. It pours a glowing amber colour with a tan head that leaves a very pretty lacing. The nose is predominantly pitch perfect German lager of bready malts, floral hops and an undercurrent of woodsmoke. The smoke character of rauchbiers tend to lean into the meaty end of the spectrum but this is closer to the campfire in the distance end.
On the palate is a malt base of doughy pretzels, noble hop spice and a mild sweet smoke. The balancing act of allowing the smoked malt to stand out but not overpower must be so difficult but here it’s deliciously successful. It’s bitter, snappy and moreish in a way that most 6 percent ABV lagers aren’t, and to do this which such a difficult style means it’s one of Slow Lane’s very best.
Judd Owen
Published November 8, 2024 2024-11-08 00:00:00
