Crna Kraljica
Pivovara Medvedgrad

Can. Almost black with an extra thick billowy light tan head.
A rich malty aroma. Toasted bread with a touch of liquorice.
A well balanced flavour with a dark caramel taste and a mild bitter finish.
Quite a light body with a bit of dryness.
A good representation of the style.

Canned in a little stubbie 330ml crafty craft can and delivered as part of The Balkans Beer52 package
Pours a jet black body with huge tan head
Aroma is caramel creme
Flavour is blackjack chews and different views

 

Copenhagen 14/12 2022. 50 cl bottle from Meny, Nordens Plads, Frb. F. Pen drawing of a grumpy Princess and her Hawk on the somber label.

Pours clear dark brown with a mid-sized off.white head. Red hue. Settles as thin patch of foam unable of covering the surface of the beer. No lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a sweet, toasted and malty odor mingling with a grainy, sour quality. Brown sugar, a bit burnt. Caramel and toffee. Light whiff of sour grains.

Low carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, a bit greasy, almost flat texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a rather strong sweetness followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a notable sweet undertone. Lingers for while. Finish is semi-dry.

Decent Schwarzbier - and not entirely with our bitter bite.

 

 

 

500mL bottle
L: cola colored body with a creamy beige head
S: roast, chocolate
T: roasted barley, dark chocolate, caramel, grain, anise
F: medium body, moderate carbonation, balanced finish with roast and anise lingering
O: good Schwarzbier

500ml Bottle with the best by date left blank
dark brown (almost black in low light) body. Dark amber/copper when held to the beer light. Very nice head, tall, fluffy ,very fine, persistent and and leaves plenty of lacing.
Smell: roasted malt, grain
Taste: roasted malt. Grain. A little spice that is a mix of pumpernickel, Dark fruit and maybe a hint of dry chocolate and caramel. Smooth and somewhat bitter. It's more bitter towards the finish.
feel: is a little on the thin side. But is makes it easy drinking.
This bottle seems rather fresh.
A solid beer.

I am trying this beer off the tapper at the Ul. Ivana Tkalcica location as part of a seven sample flight. It poured a clear dark amber with thin white head that did not leave any lace. The scent had nice grain notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with dark roast malt presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

"Black Queen" - A simple solid schwarzbier - roasty dark malt profile, mildly bitter with some char, earthy, grainy hops - moderately carbonated, smooth, and light-bodied, but I treated it as something of a sipper - I think I've been drinking it for an hour now - lol...

A schwartzbier that is definitely more malty than US-brewes ones and therefore closer to the originals. Nonetheless there is a satisfying bitter (coffee-like) aftertaste.

Pours a coca cola brown color. Opaque when in the glass, but not particularly dark. Around the edges and when being poured its see-through. Thick, velvety tan head forms on the beer then steadily dissolves. Aroma has notes of barley, dark malts, light dark fruity notes and a touch of pumpernickel bread.

Taste follows the nose with notes of malty, bready notes, rye, pumpernickel, a light spice, with hints of powdered cocoa and dark fruit. Not much in the way of a hop presence on the back end. Feel is smooth, light, easy drinking with moderate carbonation.

Overall its a solid, good beer. Its labelled a schwarzbier, but its kind of this hybrid shcwarzbier - dunkel. Solid beer thats worth picking up if you are a fan of the style.

Kraljica improved as it warmed. While it has average Looks among schwarzbiers, Smells became maltier as the bottle progressed. Tastes also improved, with the roasted malts emerging with perhaps some coffee; a nice drying sensation at the finish. While initially a bit prickly, bubbles were more cleansing. I give lots of OA Hugs for this being the first craft beer I've had from Croatia.

I went on Medvedgrad's website and they did have an English button (upper right corner), but not every page had English. The site could use an update and some improvement. But for a 25 year old brewery, it reminded me how much marketing plays a role in U.S. culture and brewing. But, Medvedgrad pushes a lot of similar buttons with local ingredients, dedication to traditional methods and giving back to the community. So, they get good Hugs.