Schwarzbier
Salmon River Brewery

a well made and true to style dark german lager, neat to see some more ambitious stuff on the draft list this time through, my second or third time in this cool little lakeside brewery, but first in awhile. deep reddish brown in color, not quite black, but we are sitting outside on a sunny day and the light comes right in, so it doesnt look as dark as most, average tan head on it, some moderate ring lacing as it drinks. the nose does have the dark end of the malt apparent, bitterness, light smoke, black coffee, a pleasant complexion with the obviously european lager yeast, smells tidy, well lagered, and to me also very approachable, on the dry side and somewhat light for a dark beer. the flavor is right there too, roasty all the way through but not as intense as some, only medium in body, and with some cool middle malt layers from raisin to chestnut to toffee, earthy and autumnal, and with a familiar german lager yeast profile that gets more expressive as it warms a little. drinkable and smooth in feel, sort of drawn out and a little bit creamy even, and relatively dry on the swallow. hints of baking chocolate, tree bark, and espresso crema. solid take on the style, good to see some new stuff on the beer menu, this is nice for the impending fall weather too...