Brenda's Wicked-Good Schwarzbier
Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Tall can poured into a pilsner glass, beer is brown-black and foamy. The lacing is all over even as the creamy, white head fades. I am getting the typical schwarz aroma - dark and malty. Yeasty, maybe a touch of wood and tobacco. The taste is also that of a schwarz. It's straight-up, no frills goodness. It is dark, malty, and smoky. The bitterness accompanying the smoke is a necessary compliment to the sweetness on the finish. There is a slight woodsy quality to go with the nuttier profile as well. This feels very smoker's lounge with a bite of dark chocolate to me; however, as I go on, I start to detect some raisin-y juice and vanilla underneath. Mid on body and feel, this is a very drinkable schwarzbier. The finish is definitely not as dry as some might expect, however.

16 ounce can, best by DEC 19 2025 stamped on the bottom of the can. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch of so tan head. Head retention and lacing are both pretty good. I like the aroma, the brew smells like roasted malt, dark chocolate, dark bread and coffee. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some vanilla and burnt/charred malt flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and easy to drink with a good amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good overall schwarzbier, wouldn't buying more of this one!

 

 

16oz can from Tavour. Dark brown pour with a creamy beige head. Light roasty aroma, notes of chocolate. Taste is roasty malts, dark chocolate. Very creamy, wonderful feel. Tasty AF.

 

Best by 12/19/25

A new Tavour box means a bunch of new Hoppin’ Frog beers. This one is as straightforward as it gets for them, just a no frills Schwarzbier, a style not often seen. Let’s crack it open and see what it’s all about

Pours a deep reddish brown with 3 fingers of frothy light tan head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

It’s not too busy in the nose, but it feels just right. I’m picking up on aromas of drip coffee, milk chocolate, brown sugar, raisin, dark toast, earthy hops, and light red grape

It’s a bit sweeter than I was expecting in taste but it’s still great. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting milk chocolate, dark bread, brown sugar, toffee, earthy hops, light black pepper, and vanilla. The swallow brings notes of light roast coffee, milk chocolate, red grape, roasted nuts, earthy hops, dark toast, and a touch of book leather

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes neutral with a balanced bitterness

This one is pretty damn good. Absolutely crushable

 

 

Poured a clear, dark brown color, opaque in the glass; thick, khaki colored head, dense and roundly sculpted, semi-creamy texture. Intense dark roasted grain and grain char aroma; cacao nibs; a hint of coconut and vanilla. Heavy, silky, rich mouthfeel; slick and slippery.

Wow! Yes! Definitely a wow! beer. An incredibly complex schwarzbier.

Pouring temperature: 44 °F; canning info: BEST BY DEC 19 2025
Source: Tavour

2023-04-29
16oz can served in a stemmed, slightly tulip-y glass from E9. Best by December 19 2025. Received from @ozzylizard in NBS BIF #17.

Pours black with a big, dense head that collapses moderately fast into a thick, fairly even skin. Head is a tan color, and it looks like there's ample carbonation sustaining that thick skin. Smell is roasty, burnt toast and bread yeast. Some nutty sweetness, a little molasses.

Taste is a bit sweeter than I expected -- lots of anise and a little molasses, nuttiness is toned down and the breadiness seems to be gone. I *might* get the barest of hints of grassiness.

Mouthfeel is smooth and light, a little watery. Overall, it's a pretty good beer -- for my personal taste, a bit dryer would be good. But if you like your schwarzbier a bit sweeter, this is probably a gem.

Brenda’s Wicked-Good Schwarzbier from Hoppin’ Frog, 16 oz can. Picked up at brewery 22/03/23. Reviewed 02/04/23 (Review 3062). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on can bottom “BEST BY DEC 19 2025”. Stored at 42 degrees at home. Served at 50.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.2 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, a beautiful translucent ruby shows in the thinner volumes, with the thickest part still opaque.
Head – Average (Maximum 4 cm, aggressive center pour), buff, high density, quickly receding to a three cm crown and thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Smells distinctly like toasted malt. No yeast, no hops. No ethanol (5.8 % ABV as marked on can) aroma.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins lightly sweet and malty. No hops, no yeast. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends with a light hop bitterness.
Palate – 4 – Medium; approaching creamy; soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 A well-balanced delightful schwarzbier, very tasty and drinkable.

Clear reddish dark brown with a level head of tan foam resting at a modest height.

Old world roasts of chopped wood, tobacco leaf and cacao pair with a light tang all amplified in flavor as Frog is wont to do, and here quite enjoyably, drinkably so.

The medium-light body has a mild to minimal carbonation and finishes paper dry.

It's fantastic to have a light and crushable dark beer here at the HoFro, merchant of extremes.