Krušovice Cerne | Královský Pivovar Krušovice a.s.

3.18/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

For a schwarzbier...wheres the flavor? I can't make out any thing special or descriptive. Low grain front. Low hop finish. Drinking a beer tea. Drink it if you want something easy and unoffensive.

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1.71/5  rDev -52.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

The beer had strong taste and smell after over-roasted malt. Rough, somewhat acidic taste, burnt smell. Barely drinkable. I only had it once but I'm not giving it another chance. This is something the brewer has to spot and it can't be sold like that.

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3.34/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

-dark, dark, yet clear pour from bottle. Very little visible carbonation, but a fine effervescence is present. The aroma and flavors are thin, but pleasant. They include toasty, bready malt and a hint of coffee. The malt profile is not rich and hop influence is almost absent. I have had these for years after soccer matches (favored by certain opponents). The brew is very consistent.

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3.27/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Can shared by Dan tonight, thanks!
Dark brown with a smallish off white head. Caramel and light chocolate notes against some bready earthy hops. Not horrible.

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4.02/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Not a bad appearance of the bottle! The pleasant smell of beer, a nice dark color! Taste just like, normal quality beer !!! I would recommend it to friends !!!

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2.91/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

L:
-pours a very dark brown with ruby tinges and a medium,foamy,beige head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-slight chocolate,licorice,spicy,black bread,herbal,caramel
T:
-cola,black bread,licorice,slight coffee,slight chocolate,nutty
-finishes dry
F:
-medium carbonation
-light,watery body
O:
Average.If youre looking for a widely available czech black lager, go with the "Budvar (Czechvar) Dark"

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3.54/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very dark mahogany brown with little light transmission, and a half finger, light brown head that dissipates slowly to patches, leaving light lacing. Aroma of mild sweet toasted malt, nuts and a hint of cocoa. Flavor is light toasted malt with a hint of char, nuts, cocoa, slight dry mineral, especially in the finish, which has a mild hop bitterness. Light to medium bodied. A pleasant light schwarzbier with suggestions of a quite nice toasted malt component. Too light flavored to really get the full benefit of the malt. Starts semi-sweet and finishes drier, with a somewhat stark mild char and hop finish, probably due to the light body. Another light bodied beer that hints at something bigger. Mild and pleasant, but nothing exciting. This version at 4.4%, so perhaps a bit more robust than the older one.

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3.73/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

L: The color is really black, so black i couldn't see anything through it. Head is 2-3 fingers tall, looks thick, but diappears quick without lacing.
S: Caramel, raisins, metal (!?).
T: Rhy bread crust. A bit sour and bitter finish.
F: Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation.
O: Nice. I like there's no sweetness, but the taste is weak.

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4.25/5  rDev +19%

12/19/12 On tap at Rattle n Hum, NYC.

Schwarzbier is new to me so I wasn't sure what to expect. A few clicks & I found this on the BeerMenus brewers page: "Simmer for you genuine Czech beer – let our proper KRUŠOVICKÁ ten or twelve! They taste like the time".

To this point I thought CERN was all about particle colliders, but one lives & learns.

Worse off than I was, I stick my nose in the mug & get a definite wisp of smoked something or other...a particle perhaps.

Knowing I'm on my own as far as the tripping brewers are concerned (go to the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Friinealkoholickepivo & see who's in charge) I'm getting worried. Instinct kicks in & I realize I'm actually in very safe hands.

This stuff has class. Hard to define but attractive nonetheless. Neither sweet nor bitter, polite body & ABV. They've been at it since 1581 (if you believe Wikiwhatsit) & I'd say they're on to something. Let's hope Heineken leaves well enough alone.

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3.83/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottled served in a Lager glass.

A: Nice bottle art. Black bottle with a black tinfoil around the neck. Pours a very dark amber to brown color forming a big bubbled tan head. Low retention and only few thin lacings left in the glass

S: Quite roasty and biscuity. Strong notes of roasted malts. Notes of toffee and flowery hops

T: Follows the nose. Strong notes of roasted malts. Quite dry, crispy and biscuity. Notes of chocolate biscuit. Light bitterness and a bit earthy too

M: Very light and watery body. Medium carbonation. Roasted and earthy aftertaste

O: Smooth and easydrinking. Nice Schwarzbier

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4.03/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

The beer comes in a dark color with a bit of reddish in the light with a brown head.

The aroma has a wonderful deep toasty malt with some roast qualities along with those Czech spicy and grassy hops. A lager yeast, a light coffee.

The flavor has a clean nutty toasted malt with some light chocolate and coffee. A toasty bread of whole wheat, even a light fruit quality of apple skin and light raisin. A clean lager quality with some spicy Czech grassy hops in the finish. A very clean beer with a medium minus mouthfeel, but still with substantive malt quality.

The beer is wonderfully flavorful with pilsner qualities on the finish, but still contains full malt qualities.

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3.56/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Black color with ruby highlights producing a one finger thick head with good retention and leaving laces.
Faint, but nice predominant aroma of creamy chocolate and grains.
Flavor of spices, creamy chocolate, roasted malt, cola, licorice, minerals and finishing with earthy and herbal hop bitterness. Dry and bitter aftertaste.
Light to medium body with good carbonation.
Smooth Black Lager and very easy to drink, not cloying at all. Decent not awesome. I bet this 4.4% abv version is better than the lower abv one.

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3.92/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

everything about this beer is lovely. on tap, always from what i gather, at sobo 151 on broadway, a really great place to watch hockey games. dark brown in color but letting light through in a dark cherry red glow. over an inch of thick course tan foam stays on top and doesnt go anywhere. nose is subdued, sweeter dark malt and european lager yeast, clean and light, im surprised it comes in under 4% abv, but i guess it makes sense, ive been drinking liters all night and feel pretty straight. a great accompaniment to traditional czech dishes, but also awesome as a standalone, or a stand in for a meal for that matter. full bodied but still clean drinking and not real filling. some dried fruit notes in among the dark malt trees, a nice autumnal cornucopia, malt driven but not unhopped. a delightful beer i look forward to revisiting again soon. one of the better imports going right now, semi macro at that.

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3.07/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

S: roasted malt, coffee

A: black w/ tan head

T: light, nice roasted/coffee flavor, creamy mouthfeel, light body, metallic (copper) note on finish

O: great example of a black lager, nice malt flavor with a light body. very easy to drink, would be a good session bier even though its dark in color.

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3.25/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Look: Pours with a fizzy, thick off-white (brown hue) average size head, relatively fast retention, mostly diminishing. Leaves good amount of lacing. Medium carbonation. Clear, light body, looks like coca-cola.

Smell: Light roast, light sweetness, some chocolate, cappuccino, some subtle earthy notes, a bit stuffy.

Taste: Very easy and light sweet caramel, roasty, nutty middle goes into light roastiness with mild hop bitterness in the after taste. A bit missing, but not that bad.

Mouthfeel: Light, silky, dry, but crisp and pleasant medium carbonation - lifts up the whole beer. Bit watery still.

Overall: Light. But offers enough to stay interesting and very drinkable. Good easy roasted beer.

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3.47/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottled and purchased from bargain supermarket B&Ms Superior beering quality for advanced quenching of thirst the best way to get the best way to get the best way

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1.36/5  rDev -61.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Tastes like the foil wrap that covers the neck and cap. I don't want to be too much of a naysayer, so I'll use a filler here: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't make it past the third sip. Drink, drank, drunk.... dumped!

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3.52/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Aug 2013. Acquired recently from a B&M store for a rock-bottom price. The labelling has a classy Czech character....

Poured into a straight pint glass. A dark reddish-brown hue that appears black unless held to the light. Good carbonation. Yields a large head of creamy beige foam that lasts for a while before slowly reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of roasted malt with hints of brown sugar/mild molasses, grain, coffee, subtle chocolate and faint yeast. Slightly sweet, with a metallic twinge lurking in the background.

Tastes of dark malt with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of roasted grain, coffee, molasses, faint chocolate, a hint of liquorice, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Undertones of harsh cardboard and a weak metallic twang. Well attenuated, followed by a restrained bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and lightly tingly, with spritzy carbonation and decent body for the style. Mildly astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of roasted malt, subtle bitterness and faint molasses.

Pretty good - uncomplicated yet it has a satisfying wholesomeness to it. Looks the part, while the aroma and flavour emphasise the roasted malt and faint sweetness that belong to this beer style. Some faint off-notes don't spoil it too much. Decent body. Not mind-blowing but very drinkable. At the price I paid for it I could see myself grabbing some more - worth sampling if you come across it.

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3.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Very dark, almost black body; good head; dissipates quickly; but good lacing

Aroma: malt, coffee-like

Taste: malty, creamy, bitter, dry finish; good balance

Remarks: Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; please disregard those scores

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4.35/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Krusovice Cerna has a very thick, foamy, beige head, a good amount of lacing left behind, and a clear, yet dark, ruby-brown appearance. The aroma is of dark-roasted malt, brown bread crust, sweetness, and even coffee. Taste is of the same, with just a touch of hop bitterness at the end. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and Krusovice Cerna finishes crisp, refreshing, and highly drinkable. Overall, this is a delicious and tasty beer.

RJT

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3.56/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Looks like a stout, superior dark brownish black with a thin body. Head is a very light tan that rose to maybe 1/2" off the body.

Smell: Light malty sugars, almost bock like but it is then again light.

Taste: Molasses come off light, little sweet but still lightly bitter. Honestly it feels like the only thing missing is dessert.

Mouth: Medium carbonation, lightly sweet after-taste.

Overall: Good beer but not exactly great. I have had Schwarzbiers before and didn't even know this was one till I started taking my first sip. Not a hard beer to drink and pretty easy to like, grab a glass...Salud!

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3.13/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is mainly of dark roasted malt. Taste is much the same with a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer that is fairly one dimensional in the aroma and flavor.

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3.15/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Serving type: 500 ml bottle. The “BORN ON DATE” is “23.03.2012.”

Appearance: Poured into a flute. The color is medium brown with dark ruby tones. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated quickly to leave a layer of buttery lacing.

Smell: Dark and toasted malts, caramel, molasses, grassy hops (it has that fresh cut hay smell), apple, plum, fig, and prune. Very crisp and nutty. It is also on the sweet side.

Taste: It is almost reminiscent of canned nitro stout. It mostly mirrors the aroma but the smells are much more pronounced. Dark and toasted malts, grassy hops, nutmeg, cocoa, caramel, and dark fruit. Leaves a nice bitterness lingering in the mouth for a second or two after each sip.

Drinkability: It is a million times better on tap (surprise, surprise). Out of the bottle, though, it is what I would expect from a Czech schwarzbier.

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3.12/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of the Wednesday Night Trivia crew was recently over in the Czech Republic for work and brought back some CANs for me. Once again, it pays to advertise and my thanks to Rod Shenk for the gift(s).

From the CAN: This is very loose translation due to the wording on the CAN being muddy at best - "Krušovice jsoudiky polozeidealni his address for quality beer. Best of Saaz hops pramentou Křivoklátsko vodumaji namely in the vicinity. ie beer at home here already since 1581." If I get hold of a bottle, I have a feeling the label may be easier to read.

The Crack revealed a CAN filled to the brim with beer and the Glug produced some VERY fast-dissipating deep-tan head that ended up as mere wisps. Color was a deep, dark cola-brown that allowed ZERO light penetration. Even the white bits was black! Nose smelled of coffee, tar, dark chocolate and even a slight metallic tang. Mouthfeel was medium and it had a molasses-like sharpness on the tongue that may have accounted for the metallic smell. It actually tasted much better than it smelled, with a licorice/anise flavor coupled with molasses in the mouth. I liked that it was not sweet at all and coupled with its low ABV, this could be a good session beer. I may not personally want more than a couple/few, but it does remain a CANdidate.

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3.46/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A dark, nutty brown looking beer with a medium, finger sized head that is a brownish-white in colour and has a bubbly look to it. The retention is about average.

A muted, nutty aroma at the start along with a little bit of dark malts and some toasted bread too. There is also a faint coffee aroma too.

Light roasted malts and a little bit of toasted bread hit you straight away with this one but don't overpower you. There is some dark, chocolate malt like flavours in the middle and a hint of coffee too.

Smooth and light with a mild fizz to it and solid carbonation and there is a touch of bitterness right at the end too. It is a pretty basic beer on the palate but a good one.

This one is a very nice beer, particularly for a relatively low strength dark lager. It was very simliar to a lot of the nicer dark lagers I tried whilst in Slovakia last year and it a beer that I will most likely good back to every now and again.

The 1001 Beers Blog:
http?//abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

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