Indie Black Ale
Barrel House Brewing Company

Appearance - black beer, no head, a thin collar. Unassuming start.

Aroma - slightly sweet background of roasted coffee. Unfortunately, smokers at the bar are interfering with the sniff potential as this beer's nose is on the lighter side. Overall, it's good but restrained.

Taste - good roasty malt and light charcoal flavor mix. Not so complex but deeply flavorful. Bare trace of hops on the swallow, but the finish is warm, roasty and comfortable. A touch of alcohol appears as it warms.

Mouthfeel - slightly chewy and slightly heavy. Slightly below average carbonation, all work well for a schwarz.

Drinkability - very good impression overall, this will hold its own with food or without.

The dark bronze body seemed slighty hazed and the beige head seemed more reminiscent of a porter or stout. Decent retention with good lace effect. The nose is primarily of roasted malts with a small hop presence and odd fruitiness.

The flavor seemed a bit mixed with roasted and sweet malts fighting for the foreground. A small level of hops but not enough to balance out the malts. The feel is a bit thin and disappointing for the look but perhaps not for the style. Decent drinkability once the flavor settles into. Hard to switch to after stouts even the look is not terribly far off.