Feuerwehrmann Schwarzbier
Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.

Feuerwehrmann SchwarzbierFeuerwehrmann Schwarzbier
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From:
Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Schwarzbier
ABV:
5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 9.18%
Reviews:
51
Ratings:
54
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 17, 2012
Added:
May 03, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Rated: 4.5 by MyMagicalPants from Massachusetts

Jun 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by deapokid from Pennsylvania

Dec 03, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by nmann08 from Virginia

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of hreb
Reviewed by hreb from Washington

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
An unexpected 22oz bottle from Cheesy. Poured, cold, into imperial pint glass. Beer pours black with a red-tinge and a thin brown head and a few big bubbles emerging from the surface. Roasty aroma like porter or stout.

First impressions: roasty, nutty, and dry. Sharp with carbonation and a bitter edge. The crisp lagery feel juxtaposes well with the malt profile of a much heavier, thicker beer. Aftertaste is a little cloying, but on the bitter side -- a good sign for a lager. Good but not great; the only detractor from its drinkability is the excessive carbonation.
Feb 25, 2010
Photo of Kelp
Reviewed by Kelp from New Hampshire

3.61/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A nice black pour with decent tan head. Nice lacing down the glass.

Coffee malts and caramel

This starts off with a malty taste that moves towards a slight coffee taste. A small caramelness at the end and a touch of smoke.

Nice smooth taste across the tongue and a medium body to the beer.

It was a decent beer but nothing great. I will miss the brewery, but this is not my favorite beer from them.
Feb 17, 2010
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black with a creamy, rich tan head that thins to an espresso-like head that leaves lacing.

The smell is of sweet molasses, chocolate, coffee, licorice with a noble hop backing.

The taste is of sweet chocolate/molasses with lightly roasted coffee. Fairly assertive noble hop spicing and gentle roast give balance to the sweet dark maltiness. It has a clean, smooth lager character.

Noble hop character, light roast and dark maltiness smoothness come together well... I love when this style is done right!
Feb 01, 2010
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.62/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep brown, with a finger of foamy tan head. Retains with mostly a fizzy look but does have a good enough flareup, producing a good bit of spotty lace. The aroma is dark and roasty smelling with a good bit of chocolate malts coming out, along with some lighter notes of caramel and some green feeling floral character.

The taste is dark with chocolatey roast, along with a firm tingle of spicy hop character. Finishes very dry and roasty in mouth. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a prickly feel to the carbonation but still creamy enough to remain decently drinkable.

This was OK. I was hoping for maybe a little more hop character to add some extra crispness to this, as all of those dark flavors had this coming off feeling more like a Porter at times.
Jan 28, 2010
Photo of morebeergood
Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

3.97/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the bomber into pilsner glasses. Dark brown color, with a leather colored head. Looks like a cappuccino. First smell I noticed was chocolate. But on the first sip, this beer is not really sweet. Maybe a hint of bittersweet cocoa, but its main flavor profile for me was smoked malt. Rich dark flavor, and a thick body, but I found the beer easier to drink that I expected. It's a lager beer, so it's very light on the palate, and the low abv helps it goes down quite smoothly. Went well with marinated lamb shanks, but could be paired with a variety of foods or desserts. For $5.99 a bomber, I think I found a steal.
Dec 29, 2009
Photo of capra12
Reviewed by capra12 from New York

3.5/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Reviewed at The Gingerman NYC from notes taken that day.

Appearance: Deep and dark mapel brown with little head

Smell: Dark coffee like grains.

Taste: Opens with a smoky type of malt/coffee and dark grain as a tanginess takes over the middle to finish. I could definitely taste the dark grains in this leaving a slightly alcoholic and dark grainy aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied with minimal carbonation and rather coarse.

Drinkability: I wouldnt have this again because it just isnt my type of brew but I recommend this to someone seeking a roasted/smoky opens withe a slightly hoppy dark grainy finish.
Dec 21, 2009
Photo of Derek
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

4.24/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Black with a light tan head, light retention & lacing.

S: Very bready, licorice, light roasted nut, dark caramel & coffee.

T: Bready, dark caramel/cola, dark chocolate, licorice, pumpernickel rye, balanced bitterness. A good schwarz, though it's certainly leaning towards a bready dunkel.

M: Smooth moderate body, less than moderate carbonation, off-dry finish.

D: A great drinker.
Dec 21, 2009
Photo of almychristopher
Reviewed by almychristopher from New York

3.71/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
this beer pours a nearly black translucent red with a small tan head that recedes to nice patchy lace. the aroma brings a bit of the roasted chocolate malt that you'd expect from the color as well as a bit of a sweet lagery scent. very sweet and malty up front with the hop bite paring nicely with the bit of astringency from the dark malt. the light body and the aggressive carbonation make this an easy drink, but not one that I'd go out of my way to find.
Dec 19, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.63/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Radek's bottle. I rally like the style. Not much roast,it is there, dark with a cape of a light brown head. Average mouthfeel. A good lager, you can drink a litre of his and if not share it with others.Only a hint of chocolate, this is pure shwartzbier.
Dec 15, 2009
Photo of MrHurmateeowish
Reviewed by MrHurmateeowish from Maine

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber purchased at McKinnon's in Salem. Pours a nearly opaque black body with ruby-red highlights and nearly an inch of khaki-colored head. Roasty dark chocolate and roasted coffee with some nut and caramel notes in the aroma. Tastes roasty and nutty with a good portion of caramel and slight grassy herbal hop toward the finish. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Fairly drinkable, despite being slightly astringent. A pleasant roasty dark beer. Not too bad, though not the best example of the style I've had.
Nov 20, 2009
Photo of njmoons
Reviewed by njmoons from New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a bottle on the sale rack at the Beer Store. I enjoyed the beer, but had a lot of roasted malt for a Shwarzbier.

Poured very dark brown, almost black. Very little foam, but what did come up stayed for a while.

The aroma was malty and sweet.

Taste was light like a would have expected but there is a lot of roasted malt flavor which was too much for my tastes in a Schwarbier. The roasted malt also interfeared with the finish, which was not a crisp and clean as I like in a Lager beer.

Almost seemed a light stout.

Mouthfeel was light as expected, and I had no trouble drinking the beer.

I might also suggest a new label. I really had to look at the beer bottle to see what it was. The label was dark and without a close look I could only see a very long German Word (fireman) that I could not pronounce. I only invested the effort since it was on the sale rack.
Nov 17, 2009
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.92/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a very thin off-white head that fades very quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of coffee, roasted malts and touches of dark fruit and hops.

T: The taste starts out malty but not overly sweet with flavors of coffee and dark chocolate. There's a touch of smokiness and a mild but complementary hops presence that brings a good balance. The after-taste is bitter-sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a good sessionable dark beer to drink for a whole evening if you're in the mood for that kind of beer.
Nov 12, 2009
Photo of IBUnit63
Reviewed by IBUnit63 from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber into Bristol Motor Speedway mug, 'cause it's dark like motor oil and I've forgotten how fun NASCAR can be, since watching it really sucks lately.

This is a good-looking Schwarzbier. Really reminds me of root beer in head and body. Head goes reasonably quickly but leaves enough to make it interesting. Almost a slight reddish tinge in the darkness reminiscent of that Philly regionality, Birch Beer.

Nice toasted malt lager scent - grassy hops about as well. Scent is slightly metallic with tannins. Not sure of hop profile but a bit of Munich malt as well?

Taste is rather tannic from some patent maybe. It's hearty - even good when it warms. Very nice balance here between dark roasted Germanic malts, a little grassy hops (even some pine) and even carbonation.

I do like the palate feel here. As mentioned, the carbonation works well against what is really significant and bold depth on the palate. Very good balance.

Doesn't drink exceptionally quickly, but it drinks exceptionally well. Big fan of this one.
Oct 18, 2009
Photo of m1ked
Reviewed by m1ked from California

4.32/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
BT noonish....no crowd & good people watching. watching the breast cancer walk go by.

A- Pitch black except for the bottom edge that has a sliver of mahogany garnet glimmer. The top has an off white even skimming.

S- A strong but clean woody roasty coffee aroma. Hints of smoke and bitter chocolate.

S- Woody smokey roasted coffee with a mix of bitter chocolate and a little creaminess to it- like a milk chocolate. There is a certain tartness to it near the end. Lingering smoky wood bitterness.

M- The taste is certainly a darker profile, but it is very light bodied with a crisp active carbonation most noted at the end. I like the tight carbonation and the smoky notes working together.

D- I don't come across this style on a regular basis, but I really do enjoy it. I think this is a solid representation and I would recommend it to anyone that likes this style or anyone who has never tried this style.
Oct 10, 2009
Photo of BeerSox
Reviewed by BeerSox from Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz bomber into nonic

Pretty much opaque black with a thin ruby line at the bottom. A one finger light brown head settles to an even thin cap.

The aroma is very roasty, with the malts giving of a slight bitterness. There is also a smokey quality in there. Some dry coffee bean is in the background. Very malty, not much hop aroma is in there.

Somewhat of a sweet light chocolate start turns into a slightly dry burnt malt finish. More of the smokiness carries over from the aroma to the flavor. Full bodied.

A very enjoyable Schwarzbier. Recommended.
Sep 14, 2009
Photo of Cyberkedi
Reviewed by Cyberkedi from Georgia

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma is rich, smoky and yeasty with a nutty hint, quite appealing. It pours a deep, barely translucent sable that shows reddish brown at the bottom and has a frothy light tan head that hangs around for a bit. Flavor is spicy, malty, a little smoky with woody and caramel hints. Texture is smooth and lively, bubbly and tingly.
Sep 06, 2009
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a near black body with some ruby-hued hints at the edges and capped with a medium-sized, ivory-hued head.

Smell: The nose is comprised of light roasted notes smelling of thinned out molasses, Breakfast Blend coffee, nuts, half a Tootsie Roll, and fruit.

Taste: Assortment of roasted malts tastes - mild coffee, sweetish Tootsie Rolls, more nuts, and charred grains. Subtle hint of dark fruitiness. Spicy Noble hops blend with the roastiness from the blackened malts. Larger toasty caramel tones on the latter half. Drying finishes with lingering hints from the hops and roasted malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A solid, satisfactory Schwarzbier that goes down easy.
Sep 02, 2009
Feuerwehrmann Schwarzbier from Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 54 ratings