Man O' Schwarz
West Sixth Brewing Company

Toasty, smoky and gently roasty, the Germans had this whole dark beer thing figured out. All the flavor of darkness is rolled into a lighter, drier and daringly refreshing session.

Above its dark brown appearance, seemingly black through the center, lies a dry toffee and caramel-sweetened scent. With hints of char, coffee and cocoa, the beer heads into taste of carbonized grain sugars, faint caramel and breadiness.

And over the course of the middle palate, its charred taste turns nutty, caramel-like and softly of sorghum- resulting in the toasty flavors more commonly found in coffee. But with the robust taste of charred toast, baker's chocolate, walnut and burnt sugar, the session remains robust in taste, just not in texture.

Trailing with dry and toasted sweetness, the roasted balance is lightly spicy from hops and more so from the roast-derived astringency. The beer's textures are shy of ashy, but hinges on chalk with a coffee leading edge.