Black Bavarian
Sprecher Brewing Company

Black BavarianBlack Bavarian
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From:
Sprecher Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Schwarzbier
Ranked #9
ABV:
6%
Score:
90
Ranked #8,721
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 10.64%
Reviews:
506
Ratings:
990
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 01, 2023
Added:
Apr 23, 1998
Wants:
  153
Gots:
  108
Bronze Medal Winner in the European Darks category at the 1988 Great American Beer Festival (GABF).
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of CBlack85
Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina

4.16/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz can into a DFH Shaped Pint Glass

The beer pours nearly black with a huge tan head that slowly recedes into a thin cap leaving behind just the slightest amount of lacing.

The aroma is of black malt, coffee, cocoa, and a mild nuttiness.

The flavor is similar to the aroma; toasty black malt, cocoa, coffee, a mild nuttiness. Nicely balanced and very clean. Medium/light bodied and moderately carbonated, the beer finishes dry.

Overall, this is a great example of the style. Too often American brewers will be too heavy handed and end up with something similar to a Porter.
Dec 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.35 by Ambertothepale from Wisconsin

Nov 25, 2023
 
Rated: 3.72 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Aug 04, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by Justinprintz from New Jersey

Jul 14, 2023
Photo of Papercut4
Reviewed by Papercut4 from Wisconsin

4.04/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours out of the can a very dark black-brown with almost no head. Smells like roasted malts and some faint cocoa notes. Tastes roasty as well with a dark chocolate kind of after taste. Pretty good mouthfeel and carbonation. Super cool beer.
May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

May 05, 2023
 
Rated: 4.22 by Bartleby91 from Wisconsin

Apr 08, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured deep dark brown, nearly black with a tan head that barely covered the surface. Curious.
The aroma is lost on me, damaged nose.
The taste, wow, this has a lot going on. Charred malts presenting as dark bread toast and cocoa with a hint of tobacco tossed in. A tiny bitterness to pull the flavors together and this is a really tasty beer.
The feel was very good but lacked much life due to minimal carbonation.
But that’s just minor compared to the taste.
Good beer!
Feb 14, 2023
Photo of Funktion
Reviewed by Funktion from Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a deep, nearly black, color with a moderate tan head. SRM of 22-23.

Aroma: Strong aromas of black malt, chocolate, cocoa, with some hints of nut sweetness. Traces of coffee are present.

Flavor: Moderate flavors of black malt and grains upfront. This then turns into a cocoa and bittersweet chocolate flavor. Some English flavors of black malt, licorice, and leather off the end for a relatively bitter finish.

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation. A roasted and bitterness lingers off the end with some bittersweet.

Overall: A great representation of a style you don't see everyday. Nice English malt flavors of black malt, bittersweet cocoa, light coffee. yet a decent grain malt and bitterness off the end. Packs a lot of flavor, an appropriate body for the ABV, and a bittersweet finish to clean the palate. I'd come back to this one and compare it to any Schwarzbier or heavier Euro dark lager or English Porter. (Current Rating: 3.93)
Nov 06, 2022
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a deep, nearly black, color with a moderate tan head. SRM of 22-23.

Aroma: Strong aromas of black malt, chocolate, cocoa, with some hints of nut sweetness. Traces of coffee are present.

Flavor: Moderate flavors of black malt and grains upfront. This then turns into a cocoa and bittersweet chocolate flavor. Some English flavors of black malt, licorice, and leather off the end for a relatively bitter finish.

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation. A roasted and bitterness lingers off the end with some bittersweet.

Compared to New Belgium 1554 1/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas. More chocolate, cocoa, roast. Similar flavors, but more flavor overall. Winner: Sprecher

Compared to Indeed Loretta's Dark Lager 1/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas. More chocolate, cocoa, roast. Less caramel, syrup, sweetness. More roasty and carbonation too.

Compared to Steel Toe Brewing Schwarzbier 1/2023: Pours similar, similar aromas. Less grains, yeast, and dry dark grains. More chocolate and roast.

Compared to Lakefront Eastside Dark 1/2023: Pours darker, stronger aromas. More dark chocolate and grains. More flavor all around.

Compared to Bells Kalamazoo Stout 2/2023: Pours similar, lighter but stronger head. Stronger aromas. More dark and roasted chocolate and dark grains. Dryer and more roasted, but less bitter and sweet.

to Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald 11/2023: Pours similar, darker head. Stronger aromas. More chocolate. Less coffee and dark roast. Smoother.

to Deschutes Obsidian Stout 12/2023: Pours similar, lighter head. Milder aromas. More earthy, bitter black malt and roast. Less rich chocolate and dark chocolate.

Compared to Barrel Theory Dark helmet 1/2024: Pours darker, darker head. More dark cocoa and roast. Less earthy black malt. Sweeter.

Compared to Phase 3 Czech Dark Lager 2/2024: Pours similar, darker head. Milder aromas. More earthy, bittersweet cocoa. Less rich chocolate and coffee roast. Dryer

Overall: A great representation of a style you don't see everyday. Nice English malt flavors of black malt, bittersweet cocoa, light coffee. yet a decent grain malt and bitterness off the end. Packs a lot of flavor, an appropriate body for the ABV, and a bittersweet finish to clean the palate. I'd come back to this one and compare it to any Schwarzbier or heavier Euro dark lager or English Porter. (Current Rating: 4.08)
Nov 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4.08 by Chilmer from Iowa

Jul 10, 2022
Photo of TheOccasionalBeer
Reviewed by TheOccasionalBeer from Wisconsin

1.51/5  rDev -62.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.5
The last time I had this was decades ago, and I liked it then. So....

Pouring, the scent is of sour metal and only slightly more noticeable than the ether emanating directly from the bottle. One finger (barely) of beige foam quickly returned to its mother almost opaque black-cat brown liquid (not nearly as dark as I remember, but there weren't as many dark beers then due to everyone worrying about their waistline. Sour metal hits the tongue first, then a truly burnt toast aftertaste. Along the way it feels a bit like astringent sandpaper. The more I drink of this, the more dominant sour metal becomes and the less sure I am that I'll finish it. Sprecher is not doing very well with me these days (save for their root beer) and I have to question my younger self's sense of taste (I liked IPAs back then as well... no at all now). A couple more sips now, and I know I won't be finishing this.
Apr 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4.07 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Mar 08, 2022
Photo of akaizer
Reviewed by akaizer from Virginia

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A bottle poured into a pint glass. Pour had a 1/4" light-khaki foam head with a dark, dark brown body and hints of red on the edges. Scent is lightly sweet (chocolate?) with some toasted notes. On the mouth is an intense (awesome) dark lager profile: toasted notes, char, bitterness, smoke, and notes of the sweeter scents peeking through. Feel is on the medium bodied side with a strong backbone and mild (char-like) bitterness in the aftertaste. Highly recommend for fans of the darker lagers or smoke ale family that enjoy that delightful char.
Mar 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.03 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 27, 2021
Photo of BrendanStoehr96
Rated by BrendanStoehr96 from Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
The best schwarzbier I've had.
Jun 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.08 by Phoodcritic from Michigan

Apr 15, 2021
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Bottle reads '000027054 2029 0957'; consumed on 3/4/21

Pours a clean black body with some muddied mahogany accents and is capped with a finger of creamy, dark beige foam; decent head retention leaves a paper-thin, spotty veil of cap, slight, frothy collar, and some sparse, stringy lacing holding firmly to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with milk chocolate meeting ashy roast while a tinge of supportive hop character lends nuance and a deepening robustness; bakers chocolate and toasted black bread texture the middle with refined bittersweetness as a hint of caramel and lingering, bittersweet coffee close the bouquet.

Taste brings bakers and dark chocolate evened with charry malt upfront as distant caramel and slight minerality meet grassy hops through the mid-palate; ashy roast and resurgent milk chocolate sweetness build on the back end and through the finish while nutty tones of coffee linger.

Mouthfeel brings a full body, semi-creamy in texture and lifted gently with a rounded, low-lying carbonation; fluffy, just short of fully creamy textures wash over a soft char through the mid-palate, tingling yet resonant into the back end with a dry, robust finish.

With a layered, malty nuance developing beyond an impressive initial roast, this beautifully structured Schwarzbier is able to maximize both richness and earthy depth for a bittersweet overall attenuation with a plush delivery.
Mar 05, 2021
Photo of matt-evans2
Rated by matt-evans2 from Wisconsin

2.74/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
nothing memorable about this beer.
Jan 26, 2021
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

4.12/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours pitch black with a fluffy light brown head. Smells of dark roasted grain with slight coffee notes. Tastes of dark roasted grain with coffee and chocolate. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Dec 19, 2020
Black Bavarian from Sprecher Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 990 ratings