Schwarz
Heater Allen Brewing

SchwarzSchwarz
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Heater Allen Brewing
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Schwarzbier
Ranked #45
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
88
Ranked #14,693
Avg:
3.92 | pDev: 7.14%
Reviews:
32
Ratings:
75
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 25, 2023
Added:
Dec 13, 2007
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  5
1.013 BG, 4.6%, 30 IBU, 28 SRM
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cosmic-ray:
Photo of cosmic-ray
Rated by cosmic-ray from Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

May 05, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.87 by Wisconsin_IPA_Lover from Wisconsin

Aug 25, 2023
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned on 12/9/2022; consumed on 2/11/2023

Pours a motor-oil hue with subtle chestnut accents and topped with multiple fingers of densely soapy, pale beige foam; good head retention yields a thin, creamy layer of cap, large, frothy collar, and an even spread of chunky, webbed lacing strewn across the walls of the glass.

Aroma sees coffee roast into malt char, with a poignant yeast inflection a guiding foundation for nutty malt and black bread toast expressing steadily across the bouquet.

Taste offers coffee roast and a subtle minerality integrated upfront, while soft cocoa brings distant sweetness through the mid-palate and a deft malty char lingers.

Mouthfeel features a lighter body and moderate carbonation, dispersing fluffy textures through a wispy, bittering char over the mid-palate, resulting in a crisp dryness lingering into the finish.

Light yet potent roast sits atop an attenuated lager yeast foundation, an airy context easing bittersweetness along the palate with refined subtlety.
Feb 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Jul 26, 2022
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Packaged on 4/12/22 - consumed on 5/14/22 - poured from a tall-boy into my Moonlight shaped pint glass.

Chestnut body with a delicate wheat cap. Unfiltered, so poor clarity. Fine sandy lacing; average retention.

Restrained malt with notes of milk chocolate, toast, faint walnuts and coffee in the nose.

Moderate roast malt quality balanced in good measure by spicy/earthy hop bitterness. Cocoa, toast, and caramel, lead into a medium-dry finish with hints of earth and ceylon tea. Noble hop flavors persist along with some residual sweetness in the lengthy yet mild aftertaste. Neutral/clean yeast character.

Medium-light bodied, well carbonated, with a touch of astringency.

A decent domestic take on the style - though arguably a bit too heavy on the roast malt.
May 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.96 by heymikew from California

Dec 05, 2021
Photo of Sheppard
Reviewed by Sheppard from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a dark brown with tan head. A little hop florality on the nose, but only a little bit of roast. It's light and dry with roast and oat notes to go with a little bit of bitter chocolate. It's a nice Schwarzbier.
Nov 06, 2021
 
Rated: 3.93 by jakecattleco from California

Oct 24, 2021
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer pours the color of coke or root beer. The head subsides go just a ring around the edge of the glass, really no retention or lacing.

The beer itself is first and foremost tootsie roll chocolate for me. There is some minor hoppy notes and very pleasant subtle roast to this beer that really shines in the aftertastes. It may be cause of the color but I feel there is something that is reminding me of a good root beer as well.

Very nice creamy and soft mouthfeel. It is smooth drinking and clean on the finish. Light bodied with no bitterness but the roast plays tricks making me think it’s low bitter.

This is a very tasty and refreshing black lager. I’d gladly drink this one again.
Oct 10, 2021
 
Rated: 3.99 by InfernoBoss from California

May 16, 2021
 
Rated: 3.99 by dshansen1184 from Washington

May 11, 2021
 
Rated: 3.9 by BirdsandHops from Oregon

Apr 23, 2021
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
We have ourselves a good beer, BA. Delicate, smooth, and balanced like Richard Basehart in La Strada walking across a tight rope. I mean, I wouldn’t call this one perfect like said Fellini film, but overall it does the trick.
Feb 15, 2021
Photo of NickSMpls
Reviewed by NickSMpls from Washington

3.73/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Very dark pour, not quite opaque. Light head which fades to a skim coating. Light on the aroma. Taste is dry and lightly bittered. Roasted malt, some dark roast coffee are present but not dominating. Low carbonation.
Feb 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.51 by HaoleBoy from California

Dec 07, 2020
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - The beer was black in color with an off-white head crowning the top of the glass.

Smell - The roasted malts really jumped out in the aroma. The lager yeast was also noted.

Taste - At the front, or roasted malts which almost seemed like coffee. There was some bitterness and some sweetness in the profile before a dry finish. It just made me want to drink more.

Mouthfeel - carbonation was appropriate for the style with a dryness that left me wanting more.

Overall - This is a solid example of the style.
Oct 05, 2020
 
Rated: 4.02 by Sound_Explorer from Washington

Jun 21, 2020
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

3.99/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Jet black pour with a slight beige head that recedes leaving behind good lacing. Dark ruby red when held up to light
Aroma: Roasted barley, dark bread, some raisins, a little chocolate/chocolate malt – making my mouth water
Taste: Follows the nose pretty well but everything is much bolder. Roast and chocolate shine with the raisin notes meddling in the background. Nice, crisp finish – not too heavy at all and not too dry either
Mouthfeel: Solid. Light but not too much so – spot on carbonation and extremely high level of drinkability
Overall: I haven’t had this beer in some time though I drink Heater Allen stuff frequently and this is one of my favorite beer styles overall – glad they packaged it again. Everything is clicking with this one and IMO it is an extremely tasty, drinkable, and authentic take on a Schwarzbier. Super bomb – I need more of it and if you are into Schwarzbiers or want to dabble in a style you may not be familiar with but is very approachable – seek this out!
Jun 08, 2020
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16oz can

Pours a solid finger of tan head into my willi becher glass. Retention is average and the head fades within a minute or so. Initial lacing looks great. Body is pitch black, with some dark ruby hints when held up to the light.

Nose is roasted malt, bitter chocolate, faint caramel, light mineral. Very dry. Smells pretty decent, but having a little harder of a time pulling aromas out of this than I should.

Flavor is a little fuller. Hits at first with a surprisingly noticeable Munich malt sweetness, followed pretty quickly by an abrupt dryness in the finish. Not very roasty and not much chocolate. Certainly drier than a dunkel, but it has less roast and more Munich than I have come to expect from a schwarz, then again it has been a while. Nice transition from sweet to dry, but the flavors all together are somewhat one dimensional – It has malt and then dries out and there isn’t a lot else.

Mouthfeel is pretty nice. The body has a good medium weight to it for a lager. Carbonation is holding nicely at medium as well. Bitterness is pretty low. A little sweetness, but that is largely fleeting as it leans heavily towards dryness – that’s what lingers and that’s what you remember. All together good, but a little dry for my taste, it really dries your mouth out; aside from preference, this isn’t a cardinal sin, but it may be a little much for the style as well.

Drinkability is…ok, hard to drink to fast with how dry it is.

Appearance turned out pretty good. Lacing was a little webbed, but pretty solid down the glass.

Overall a fine beer but a little light on flavor, and pretty dry. Has the structure for a great schwarz, but doesn’t put enough of a supporting cast together.
May 17, 2020
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Pours a luscious toasty black with a creamy cap and some big bubbling. Boldly assertive roast aroma, hint of smoke perhaps? It’s a smooth drinker, light roast and a creamy finish. This is simply fantastic.
Dec 01, 2019
Schwarz from Heater Allen Brewing
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 75 ratings