Schwarzbier
BJ's Restaurants & Brewery

This beer almost gets to a black color, it is a deep dark brown color and shows a brilliantly clear chocolate color when held up to the light. It is topped by a thin, light brown colored head that quickly disappears. The aroma is malt focused and definitely leaning towards the dark side of the spectrum. Notes of chocolate are initially most noticeably, but roast notes come to the fore as time passes.

The beer tastes nice, sharp and roasty up front. It begins to pick up a rich malt dept towards the middle and it finishes with a tingle on the tongue that is a combination of hops and carbonation. Chocolate notes move to an espresso finish where a bit of roasted grain acidity is noticeable as well. This is quite rich, almost more than I would expect from a typical Schwarzbier, in fact that may be the point. This is a rich tipple that just asks to be contemplated and it is quite tasty to boot.