Schlenkerla – Bamberg's Original Smoked Beer Brewery

When people say Rauchbier (smoked beer), they mean Schlenkerla. The historic smoked beer brewery Heller-Bräu Trum in Bamberg – known worldwide by its cult nickname „Schlenkerla" – is universally regarded as THE reference for smoked beer. In the heart of Bamberg's UNESCO World Heritage old town, at the foot of the Imperial Cathedral, beer has been brewed here for over six centuries – following a process long abandoned everywhere else in favor of industrial efficiency.

The history of the house reaches back to 1405, when the property at Dominikanerstraße 6 was first documented as „Haus zum blauen Löwen" (House of the Blue Lion). The official brewery name „Heller-Bräu" has been in use since 1767. The now-iconic nickname comes from brewmaster Andreas Graser (1875–1905): after an accident involving a runaway beer-cart, he was left with a swinging gait – „Schlenkerla" in Franconian dialect. The name stuck, first to him, then to the entire brewery.

Today, Matthias Trum runs the house as the 6th generation of the Graser/Trum family. The brewhouse and maltings have been located at Oberer Stephansberg since the 1930s – on the same site where the historic rock cellars cut into the sandstone still serve as maturation vaults.

Key facts at a glance

• Official name: Brauerei Heller-Bräu Trum GmbH („Schlenkerla" is the cult nickname)
• Location: Bamberg, Franconia (Bavaria) – tavern: Dominikanerstraße 6; brewery: Oberer Stephansberg 27–35
• First documented: 1405 as „Haus zum blauen Löwen"; official brewery name „Heller-Bräu" since 1767
• Leadership: 6th generation (Graser/Trum family), currently Matthias Trum
• Signature feature: own historic maltings with a smoke kiln fired by open beechwood flames – one of only two remaining breweries in the world still smoking their own malt this way (the other: Brauerei Spezial, also in Bamberg)
• Brewing technique: classic decoction mashing in copper kettles; maturation in Bamberg's legendary sandstone rock cellars
• Service: in the historic tavern, the beer is drawn directly from oak barrels (traditional wooden-cask serve)
• Recognition: included in Slow Food's Ark of Taste; the Schlenkerla kitchen was again honored by Slow Food in 2026

The range – from legendary to obscure

• Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen (5.1% ABV) – The dark, bottom-fermented original and Bamberg's true icon. Smoky, savory, malt-forward – think smoked ham in beer form. THE world reference for Rauchbier.
• Schlenkerla Rauchweizen – A top-fermented wheat beer built on smoked malt: a fascinating fusion of Franconian Rauchbier and Bavarian Weißbier tradition.
• Aecht Schlenkerla Fastenbier (seasonal) – The strong Lenten brew – malty and richly spiced.
• Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier-Urbock (seasonal) – The stronger sibling of the Märzen, bottled in autumn.
• Schlenkerla Kräusen Sommerbier – A fresh, lively young-beer summer version of the smoked classic.
• Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche (seasonal, Christmas) – Malted over an oak-wood fire instead of beech – a softer, more layered smoke profile.
• Aecht Schlenkerla Erle Schwarzbier (4.2% ABV) – A dark lager built on alder-wood smoked malt – finer, gentler smoke paired with pronounced roast notes.
• Schlenkerla à la Grätzer / Grodziskie – Schlenkerla's take on the historic Polish smoked wheat classic.
• Schlenkerla Lagerbier, Helles, Stiftsgartenbier, Heinzlein – classic non-smoked beers from the Heller-Bräu portfolio.

An Aecht Schlenkerla is not a beer to drink absent-mindedly – it's a sip of brewing history. First-time drinkers often think of smoked ham; by the second sip, the fascination that draws beer enthusiasts from around the world on pilgrimages to Bamberg starts to make sense. In our shop, you'll find the key varieties fresh from the heart of Franconia – best served at 7–8 °C with a proper foam crown.