a modest-size town in the Franconia region (northern Bavaria), appears on cultural maps for its well-preserved medieval architecture and on beer maps for brewing smoke-flavored beers with techniques preserved from the same period. With a population of 70,000, Bamberg supports eight breweries (a ninth, Maisel, closed in 2008); two are notable producers of “rauch” or smoked beer. See rauchbier.

The Schlenkerla brand made by Heller Bräu Trum (annual production approximately 15,000 hl or 12,800 US barrels) illustrates the range of styles that may be offered in smoked form from a heavily smoked märzen (the style most often offered with smoked flavor) and Ur-Bock to more lightly tinged weissbier and helles. The smaller Spezial Brewery offers a more traditional range that keeps to the dark lagers with dunkel, märzen, and seasonal bock offerings. Although Schlenkerla has been widely exported, Spezial has rarely been seen outside its home region.

The smoke flavor in these beers comes from malt kilned directly over a wood fire. Green malt enters the kiln at the end of germination and is heated by the wood smoke for a full 24-h cycle. Beechwood fires the kilns, but only after being dried under cover for 1 to 2 years to reach optimal seasoning.

The one exception to this technique is Schlenkerla’s slightly smoky helles, which contains no smoked malt but picks up the flavor from yeast previously used in the more heavily smoked beers. Both Schlenkerla and Spezial make their own smoked malt on micromalting equipment of approximately 4,000 kg (10,000 lb) per batch within their facilities. Across town, Weyermann Malting produces smoked malt in larger lots for other brewers both in Germany and abroad.See also weyermann® malting.