Pilsner Nocturno
Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works

It was a very foamy pour that emptied the entire contents of a pint can into a clear glass liter mug. Apparently, this is a highly carbonated beer. The foam is beige and it rests on top of a dark chocolate brown liquid. It receded quickly, unevenly and unattractively, leaving irregular glass lacing. Its aroma seems true to its style. There's a Pilsner hopped quality, followed by some roasted malt. Even commercial lagers have more of sweet malt character than this, likely because of the roasting. It smells better hopped than many stouts and porters. It drinks lightly and the carbonation is not excessive for the mouthfeel. There's nothing bold about its taste. It's mild, even for a Pilsner, but the roasted malt adds an extra bitter layer not common in the style. Overall, the taste is pleasant, just not fully flavored. The mouthfeel is light, but right for the style and the amount of flavors and alcohol it carries. After the initial foamy pour, some nice glass lacing is left behind. It's worth a try and might make a nice session beer.

 

 

Taste versus description defies normalcy here. It has some roasted dark malt notes as would be proper in a black lager. I don't get much of a hop bite as an Italian pils would offer, however I get a green pepper flavor in this beer that I happen to like but is just strange. It could be be this 16oz can is a bit long in the tooth, but not by much. Interesting, quirky, different. Not anything like a black Italian pils should be in my estimation. However, all that being the case I gave slight knocks for a thin body with low carbonation. Sounds like a good idea as a brew but could use better execution

16oz can purchased off the shelf as a 4-pack for $14.49 plus tax. I never saw this beer before, and it looks new. Bottom of the can doesn't have a date, just says BATCH#76.

Look: It's a nice dark brown color. Looks like a nice cup of coffee. There was a finger or so of light brown head that quickly disintegrated. There's a steady steam of fine bubbles rising up the glass. Looks nice.

Smell: Interestingly, the top note that I get reminds me of an IPA or Black IPA - it has a very citrusy and earthy hop note. I'm getting notes of grapefruit and stone fruit. There's a bit of roasted malt character, dark chocolate, and coffee underneath but it's hard to find because the hop aroma is dominating, at least initially. Over time, I was able to get more of the malty notes on the nose.

Taste: Very tasty and very smooth. Nice balance of flavors. I've never heard of a Black Italian Stye Pilsner before. It definitely has some of the same characteristics that an Italian Pilsner has - hoppy, dry, and crisp. I had thought that this would be similar to a Czech Dark Lager but when I added it to the database I selected European Dark Lager since that is more general. I think that it is the right style categorization. This beer is a bit of an enigma - I think that it would be very challenging to figure out in a blind tasting. Up front, it's a bit malty and a bit hoppy. The finish is initially moderately bitter from hops but that hop bitterness doesn't hang around long and then there is a nice roasty flavor that lingers with notes of coffee, molasses, and licorice. Touch of acidity on the finish. Now I'm getting a grape juice note on the finish. It's very interesting. Quite a unique beer!

Feel: It's very smooth. Medium bodied. The carbonation is soft and at the appropriate level.

Overall: It's a very interesting beer and very well-made. I guess that this beer is appropriately categorized as a European Dark Lager or Schwarzbier. Given that it's not easy to describe a beer in a style that essentially doesn't exist, it's only fair to rate the beer on its own merit and not "rate it to style." I enjoyed this beer, it's quite delicious and surprisingly refreshing. Easy to drink and also complex.