Black Lager | Bootlegger's Brewery

3.81/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light black (if that makes sense) with brown hues. Finger of off white head. Minimal lacing. Head dies down to a ring of foam.

The only thing I get in the nose is maybe some light coffee.

Tastes of light chocolate, light smokey roast flavors, some coffee, very clean and straight forward.

Kind of acidic with a bunch of carbonation. Light bodied. Pretty refreshing.

A solid schwarzbier.

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3.42/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood I,

A: Pours a dark brown with a light white head. Some lace.

S: Definite roast, dark chocolate, hint of sugar cane.

T: Dark chocolate, with a hint of burnt malt. Some molasses mid-way.

M: Fairly smooth, frothy, light-bodied, overall, thin finish.

O: Not a bad schwarzbier, definitely in the East German tradition, worth a try.

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3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Bootlegger's

A: The pour is dark brown in color with a big off-white head.

S: Slightly acidic, as nearly all schwarzbiers seem to be, but a nice roastiness. Lots of coffee aromas and a pronounced earthiness. Light notes of chocolate, dark chocolate to be precise.

T: A very nice roast and coffee flavor with a surprising creamy smoothness. Lots of dark chocolate flavor and even a bit if milk chocolate. A mild bitterness to the beer and fairly subtle hop flavor.

M: Medium in body with a medium to high carbonation.

O: A Schwarzbier is not a terribly well done style a lot of the time, so it was nice to have a pretty good one.

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