Awards, rankings and medals for Schlenkerla Smokebeer

Awards

"Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier is not only among beers but among all alcoholic drinks a classic...Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier is the world's most famous smoked beer."
Beerhunter Michael Jackson **** World Classic [Pocket Guide to Beer, pp. 64, 65]:

As one of the last traditionally made smoked beers, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier has been passenger in the "Ark of Taste" by Slow Food®

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Märzen
(the classic Smokebeer as described by Michael Jackson)

Gold medal at the 2020 Indie Beer Cup (Costa Rica). Silver was awarded to Schlenkerla Eiche double bock.
Winner at the 2019 specialties competition of the Nuremberg metropolitan area
Gold medal at the 2017 Stockholm whiskey and beer festival as best dark lager
2016: gold medal at the "World Beer Idol" competition
Gold medal winner 2015 Australian Beer Awards (silver for Schlenkerla wheat, bronze for Schlenkerla Urbock)
Silver medal winner at the 2014 Australian Beer Awards (Gold was awarded to Schlenkerla Wheat)
Gold medal at the 2013 Stockholm beer festival
Gold medal at the 2012 Stockholm beer festival
Winner at the 2011 specialties competition of the Nuremberg metropolitan area
Silver medal winner at the 2010 Australian Beer Awards (Gold was not awarded)
Silver medal winner at the 2009 BrewNZ Beer Awards
Schlenkerla Smokebeer voted as "Imported beer of the festival" at CAMRA London Drinker Beer Festival 2009
silver medal winner at the International Australian Beer Festival 2009 (gold was not awarded)
gold medal winner at the Stockholm beer festival 2007 and 2008
listed as unique culinary delight in the October 2006 issue of the Playboy Magazine (USA)
2005: Schlenkerla Smokebeer is one of the 30 best culinary specialties in Germany in the magazine "Der Feinschmecker"
2005: Ranked amongst the Top 50 beers in the US magazine Men's Health as "weirdest beer of the world".
Winner in the quality contest Helsinki / Finland in the year 2000
Gold Award at the "Stockholm Beer Festival" in the year 1999
Gold Medal at the "World Beer Cup" (USA) in 1996
CMA Honor Award for 20 years of constant premium quality in the year 2003
Every year since 1983 the CMA Quality Award.
Great DLG Award in Gold in the years 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012

Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer - Urbock

2019: ratebeer.com users vote Schlenkerla Urbock (together with Schlenkerla Lentbeer) as best smoked beers world wide
2015: Best winter beer in Finland (Iltalehti)
2015: bronze at Australien beer awards (gold for Märzen, silver for Wheat)
2014: Amongst best 15 fall beers (www.thrillist.com)
2012: Schlenkerla Urbock amongst the 50 best beers in the world
2011: Best winter beer at the Helsingin Sanomat
2011: Gold medal as one of the 50 best beers in the world
First prize (Gold) at 2010 Amsterdam Bock Beer Festival
Best smoked beer in Draft Magazine (February 2009, USA)
Winner as best Christmas beer 2008 in Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
Silver medal at 2008 Amsterdam Bock Beer Festival (Netherlands)
No. 2 in the 2007 winter beer contest at Helsingin Sanomat (tied with No. 1)
2007: Amongst the TOP 3 Christmas Beers at Iltalehti newspaper in Finland
Best Smoked Bock at the 2007 Amsterdam Bock Beer Festival
Winner at Helsinki Beer Festival 2007 as best bottom fermented strong beer
"Joint Winner" at the Cambridge Beer Festival in 2005 (CAMRA)
1st Price "Best seasonal beer" at the Turku Beer Fest 2004 (Finland)
Best Winter-beer in "Ilta Sanomat" in Finland in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004
"Importbeer of the year" in the magazine "The malt advocate" in the USA in 1999

Other Schlenkerla Styles :

2022: Eiche double bock and smoked wheat both with gold medals at the European Beer Star 2022
2020: Eiche double bock wins the silver medal at Indie Beer Cup. Gold was awarded to Schlenkerla Märzen.
2019: ratebeer.com users vote Schlenkerla Fastenbier (together with Schlenkerla Urbock) as best smoked beers world wide
2016: smoked wheat wins gold medal at Australian beer awards
2015: smoked wheat wins silver medal at Australian beer awards
Schlenkerla lentbeer (Fastenbier): best beer at the 2015 Amsterdam beer festival
Schlenkerla smoked wheat: Gold medal winner at the 2014 Australian Beer Awards
2013: Helles Schlenkerla Lager is rated by Men's journal (USA) as one of the TOP 25 beers
2011 - Schlenkerla Smoked Wheat Beer: Best top fermented beer at Helsiniki Beer Festival (Finland)
Schlenkerla Lager in October 2010: Men's Journal (USA), amongst the 25 best beers in the world
2010: Schlenkerla Lentbeer is rated "Lekkerste Bier" (best tasting beer) at the May Bock Festival in Amsterdam, Holland
2009: Schlenkerla Smoked Wheat Beer wins silver medal winner at the International Australian Beer Festival (gold was not awarded)
Schlenkerla Smoked Wheat Beer has the CMA Quality Award since 2004

Rankings and reviews:

2026: Restaurant Guru names Schlenkerla the "best pub and bar"
Restaurant Guru 2026
Best pub & bar
Schlenkerla
2024, 2025 and 2026: Schlenkerla kitchen awarded by Slow Food®
Lux reviews 2017: Schlenkerla is Germany's best speciality brewery
2017: social media analysis by Webosaurus, Schlenkerla at no. 2 of craft beers in Germany.
since 2012, www.ratebeer.com: Schlenkerla Lentbeer: best smoked beer in the world
2014: Schlenkerla is named "Champion Medium International Brewery" at the Australian Beer Awards 2014.
Amongst the 3 most popular beers at the Slovenia beer festival 2013
2013: Schlenkerla is one of the TOP 3 breweries in Germany and amongst the TOP 100 in the world (www.ratebeer.com)
USA May 2011 and again July 2012: YourBeerNetwork rates Schlenkerla as one of the TOP 20 beers in the world.
Norway 02/2011: VG Nett, 6 (out of 6) point specialty beer
Beer Connoisseur Magazine Dec/Jan 2010/2011: No. 1 of world class beers.
Beer of the month at www.gottöl.se (May 2010)
DER FEINSCHMECKER (Germany's No.1 magazine for high class food, beverages and fine living) rates Schlenkerla brew pub as one of the top addresses in Germany 2010
Winner in the 2009 competition "Historic taverns in Germany"
rated as on of the world's TOP 5 beers for barbecues by Stephen Beaumont (05/2009)
Daily Telegraph (UK): One of the Top 10 Beers worldwide (02/2009)
www.jp.dk: Jytland Posten ****beer (07/2008)
www.chef2chef.net: One of the TOP 25 beers world wide. (02/2008)
"Zeit - Magazin": One of 99 reasons to enjoy Germany (11/2007)
Recommendation in the "Marco Polo Travel Guide" to Franconia (07/2007)
www.beerme.com: One of the best beers in the world. "20-Point-Beer" in Beer Hall of Fame. (02/2008)
www.ratebeer.com: Amongst the best 100 breweries in the world. One of the TOP 10 beers and one of the TOP 3 breweries in Germany. (10/2006)
www.beeradvocate.com: Best smoked beer world wide and one of the TOP 25 beers in Germany. (12/2006)
www.beerhunter.com: 4**** world classic (08/2006)
DER FEINSCHMECKER rates Schlenkerla as one of the TOP 20 brewery pubs in Germany

DLG Great DLG Award (in Gold):
The Great DLG Award is conferred every two years by the "German Association for Agriculture" (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e.V.). The different brands of beer are analyzed by the internationally renowned brewery-institutes in Weihenstephan and Berlin. Depending on the quality, the beer then will be awarded with the Great DLG Award in Gold, Silver or Bronze. The Gold Award stands for absolute premium quality. The Great DLG Award is also highly respected outside Germany, above all in the United States and Japan, and serves as a measure of the quality of a beer.

Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e.V., Eschborner Landstr. 122, D-60489 Frankfurt a. M. www.dlg.org

CMA CMA Quality Award:
The CMA Quality Award is awarded annually by the "Central Marketing Association of German Agricultural" (Centrale Marketing-Gesellschaft der Deutschen Agrarwirtschaft). As the Great DLG Award, it determines the quality of beer on the basis of scientifically measurable criteria.