Stowe Style - Tmavé Pivo
von Trapp Brewing

A: appears opaque and very dark brown, but if held to the light, it's crystal clear with really nice ruby highlights; 1 finger finely pored light brown head that receded to a wispy cap with a thin, tight collar; OK lacing;

S: highly roasted black coffee;

T: deeply roasted grain with a bit of coffee; toward the end, a touch of sweetness and hop spice; moderate bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: nicely done;

16oz can purchased off the shelf as a 4-pack for $10.99. Best By 04/22/23. It seems like this was released last winter; I purchased it at the end of June 2023. So it may be approximately 15 months old.

Look: It looks nice. It's a deep dark brown color with ruby notes and good clarity. There was a creamy two-finger light brown head that eventually dissipated to a thin layer.

Smell: Nice dark roasty notes along with a bit of charcoal. Notes of coffee and baker's chocolate along with subtle hop presence on the finish. Subtle licorice note. Nutty with dark walnuts. A bit of creaminess on the nose also.

Taste: It's very smooth and pleasant. Lots of roasted malt, nutty notes, and coffee with a subtle sweetness, mild to medium bitterness, and overall dry finish. I think that the bitterness is achieved by a combination of both roasted malts and hops. I like how there is a charcoal dryness on the finish that almost reminds me of a smoked porter (however, I'm not sure how traditional that is). Overall, it's tasty but I wish that it had a bit more depth of flavor and complexity. Definitely easy to drink and enjoyable though.

Feel: It's medium minus to medium bodied. I think that it's appropriate for its weight at 4.5% ABV.

Overall: It's tasty, but I wonder how accurate this is to the style and how it compares to other Tmave Pivos. I'm also curious how the collaboration took place with this beer; I know nothing about Counter Weight Brewing. I'm no expert on this style, but to me this one seems more similar to a lighter Baltic Porter than a Czech Dark Lager....and maybe they are more similar than I realize? I look forward to trying more beers from this style and figuring out which ones I like the most.

Gem clear, very dark copper with dark mahogany to garnet highlights. 1" of light khaki froth slowly fades to a thin blanket, leaving dense patches of lace on an antique pilsner glass.

Strong fresh baked wheat bread gives way to sweet malt, then roasted malt. Wet coffee grinds and carraway add punctuation while light smoke smolders in the background.

The malt flavor is through the roof, rich and roasted with a sweet backside. The wheat bread carries forward, dark toasted now. Bitterness is offset by sweetness and caraway. The finish is strong, holding for a long time. Warmth brings out peanut skins and light smoke.

A medium body with a slick texture and mild astringency. Alcohol seems more present than 4.5% suggests. Ample carbonation to cleanse the palate after each sip.

This is the first Czech Dark Larger I have formally reviewed, so it is difficult to say how it stacks-up to the style. Regardless, it has a ton of flavor and exudes Old World character.

Poured from 16oz can into dimpled mug. Looks deep, dark mahogany color with a tan head that falls to a cap. No light comes through the glass. Aroma is roasted malt, brown bread, some earthy hops. Taste is roasted barley up front, some brown bread and earthy hops kick in in the middle, coffee, cocoa and more roasty malt in the finish. A bit of generic fruitiness filters in as it warms up. Feel is lighter than it looks, low carbonation level, but nowhere near flat. A bit dry in the finish, but not totally clean in the aftertaste. Overall, this is a tasty beer. Not totally off-base from a dunkle. I'd drink this again.

Drank out of the can, coffee on the nose. Some chocolate and anise in terms of flavor. The hop character is herbal but not in the spicy way. I did not get the smokey note that others did. This isn't Trosten after all. It was good, but something about it made it feel like it would've been better fresh.

From the pint can, it pours a clear brown color with a nice light brown head that slowly reduces to a thin layer. The nose gets roasted malts with some coffee. The mouth gets roasted malts with some smokey notes that linger.

Good head production and decent retention.

Very roasty and fruity nose, with notes of pumpernickel, toast, prune, chocolate, coffee, and grape.

Flavor follows. It's a touch thin at times, not being the most rich or smooth of the style, but it's very good. Tasting notes include prune, light char, toast, Baker's chocolate, and raisin.

16 oz can. Pours brown with tall, long-lasting, foamy, beige head. Aroma is of toasted malt and grassy hops. Body is medium and slightly crisp. Taste of bready and toasted malt, toffee and herbal hops. Finish is long and very dry. Very nice brew.

Best by 2023/04/22, apparently just got to this in time
Pours a very large frothy 3+ finger tan head with great retention, a bit of lacing, very dark brown almost black color

Nose fair roast and coffee, dark chocolate cocoa, baking spices, a little nougat, a bit of burnt marshmallow, very light smokey note

Taste brings roasted malt again, a little roasty slight burnt like notes, burnt marshmallow again, a little cocoa dark chocolate, coffee, baking spices, nougat but not sweet light bitter spicy hop note, dry finish, med bitterness for the style

Mouth is med bod, a bit soft lager like, med to lighter creamy carb

Overall a pretty nice Czech dark lager

Pours massive off white head into pilsner urquell .3l mug. great retention, great lacing. smells of roast sugars and bread, coffee. sweet, slightly bitter, dry finish which leaves me wanting more. After taste is a slightly roasted pretzel, hops bring out the saltiness to it. robust lager, would highly recommend.

 

On tap at The Village Tavern in Geneseo, NY.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like roasted malt, dried fruit, herbal hops, and lightly chocolatey sweetness.

It should be no surprise that Von Trapp hit all the right notes on this one. It’s got just enough sweetness, but mostly roasty and herbal bitterness, with a nice chocolate creaminess on the back end.

This is creamy, but crisp and clean, with a very nice drinkability.

This was a tasty little dark lager, and I’m happy to have found it on draft!

 

 

Appearance - dark brown body with tan head

Smell - toasted malts, roasted grains, cola

Taste - roasted malts, light chocolate, cola

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, toasted feel upfront, easy drinking

Overall - this is a nice beer, good flavor and easy drinking and refreshing. Certainly worth a try

Price Point - $10.99/ 4 pack 16 oz cans

 

on draft, served in nonic pint glass

black in color, thin cream colored head. Nice roasty malt flavor in the aroma and taste. dry finish. medium bodied.

Good one!!! I visited the brewery this summer and had a Dunkel. Was very surprised to see this beer in Total WIne, Chesapeake VA. Poured from a 16 oz can into an Amstel mug, this beer has a black color with plenty of reddish notes coming through. There was a medium sized frothy khaki colored head with good retention and some spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma and taste feature toasted, bready malt that is slightly sweet. There is also a balancing mild bitterness/dankness that keeps he beer from being a boring, one dimensional malty brew. Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a touch of bitterness in the finish. A worthy session beer!!!