Recently I've had the chance to try two German Rauchbiers. Rauchbier is German for 'smoked beer.' If that seems odd to you, I'm with you. But try one, and you'll realize it's pretty fantastic.

Spezial Rauchbier Lager

With my brother-in-law Darren in Eugene, OR, I tried this beer on finding it at the local market. From Brauerei Spezial, one of the classic old breweries in Bamberg, this beer is a rich amber color and pours with a dense but not thick head. Spezial is unique among rauchbiers in that they make two things at the brewery: beer and ham. At the beginning of the brewing process, the brewers toast the grains in a large oven with a conveyor running through it. They use the same conveyor for the ham, so the grains pick up some of the quality of the pork. It's not overpowering, and if I didn't tell you, you might not notice. But when you're looking for it, you do get the sense that some salty, pungent pork flavor is back behind the earthy, nutty lager.

This is a great beer, with or without food, but especially without. I've only tried a few rauchbiers, but I would call the Spezial Lager a 'starter rauchbier', because the flavor of the smoke isn't overpowering at all. In fact, it's very smooth, with a nicely balanced smoke and toasted wood flavor. I could drink a case.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

I found this brew by Brauerei Heller, also in Bamberg, at my local Whole Foods. It gets top scores on Beer Advocate, where they extol its virtues as the classic example of rauchbier. It is very smoky. Taking a sip, you get the sense of having shoved your head inside a freshly toasted cask, and then banging it against the side. Hard.

Compared to the Spezial, this is a much more serious brew – the California Merlot of rauchbier. By itself, I found the smoky flavor to be somewhat overpowering, especially because I entered the experience expecting something more like Spezial, which I tried first. I'm sure I'm just calling attention to my lack of Distinction by complaining, but I would not reach for this beer while chatting at a party.

With dinner, though, it was a whole other story. We grilled a mix of wonderful sausages – lamb mergueza, pork bratwurst and a chicken garlic, and basil – with green beans and roasted sweet potato. The Schlenkerla beer was amazing with sausages, adding a wonderful character to the lamb and pork in particular. The smoke combined with the sticky earthiness of sweet potatoes was also fantastic. I would absolutely drink this again, and I'd do it with dinner.