Fred's Black Lager
Great Northern Brewing Co.

 

Dark ruby appearance. Thin light brown head leaves adequate lace in droopy rings. This beer has got a heavy coffee aroma. It's like smelling spent coffee grains. Burnt malt. Char. Tobacco. Cocoa. Man, I really like this aroma. The taste is just a slight bit astringent. Not nearly as nice as the nose. But it's got some of the same characteristics... blackened malt, tobacco juice, smoke and coffee bean. But there's also a slight sourness. Lemon juice like. Acetic acid maybe. It is very slight, but it keeps this beer from being very good in my opinion.

Thanks for the Schwarzbier Budgood1. I always love trying new shwarzbiers...

Pours a brown with reddish tints...nose is big-time coffee beans...coffeee grounds....java...espresso...I fell like I'm in a damn coffee house....full aroma I guess you could say....flavor isn't quite as strong...has a bit of roasted malt...and then the coffee grounds secondary...body is medium... watery...

Interesting beer...not a porter for sure, but really not a schwartzbier either...kind of a cross between a coffee porter and a michelob dark....

Worth trying...thanks to Budgood1 for setting me up with this brew that is nowhere to be found in Minnesota...

pours out a nearly opaque dark brown colour, with ruby hues when held up to the light. i don't think i've seen a lager so dark in colour. a very thin tan head head appears and dies quickly, leaving ample lace. roasty, toasty nose. the taste profile is interesting...dark roasted malts bordering on bitter give way to obvious wooden notes. fruity hints bounce around to tease. hop bitterness melds nicely into the malt bitterness. while the overall profile doesn't blow one away...it's unique for an american made lager. medium to fullbodied; more satisfying than refreshing...ample bodied with a nice mouthfeel. very drinkable.

This well-bodied malty black bier reminds me of a porter with clean finish. It possesses a nice roasted malt character and light bright hop representation. This is a very satisfying brew.