Schwarzbier
pFriem Family Brewers

16oz draft

Pours over a finger of tan head into a mug. Retention is very nice, and after a few minutes there is still a finger of head. Lacing is wonderful. Body is black with hues of brown. Looks great.

Nose is roasty, very faint chocolate, no coffee. Super clean, and extremely dry. Smells nice enough, a little dry for me, could benefit from a touch of bread.

Flavor is pretty similar. Very neutral and honestly flavorless for the first part of the palate, faint roast comes and goes, caramel and chocolate come out deep into the finish. Flavor is ok.

Carbonation is somewhat high, pretty minerally, which is most noticeable on the front end when the flavor is lacking. Maybe some carbonic acid? Paired with a mild bitterness, it makes for a moderately bitter beer. Dry but not bone dry, those hints of caramel help. Body is very light. Mouthfeel is ok, a little edgy at times.

Drinkability is fine.

Overall this is ok. Some might like this light, dry offering, but I've found traditional German examples to have far more depth.

 

Very dark with a foamy, tan head. Solid retention and lacing. Aroma is light, some herbal notes like anise, and hints of toasted malt and faint cocoa. The flavor follows suit. Very light, almost missing a little something, but still a decent beer. Low in alcohol for a dark beer, smooth and drinkable. I find it to be a great follow up beer for when you've had some higher percentage dark beers, & don't want to switch to a lighter ale.

definitely on the lighter side for the style, much more of a brown than a black in both color and flavor. a little thinner looking too, and a somewhat substantial proportion of chocolate to roast compared to what is customary. its well made beer like all of the stuff here is, but its one of the least exciting i have had from them. a basic simple grain base with just a little coffee roast to it and then lighter notes of raisin and cocoa, simple but interesting enough too i suppose, especially for a beer thats designed to be consumed in high volume. the light body helps with that, and there is a relative lack of bitterness here as well, but it just never gets all that exciting for me, and doesnt seem quite as classically german on the yeast either. a little boring on that side of things. nice and dry though, which i think is essential for the style and also really perfect for this particular beer, which is light to begin with. good carbonation and an easy glass to drink down, but i much prefer the wild and the hoppy stuff at pfriem.

edit: this seemed refined to a much higher degree than i remember when i had it again yesterday, some years later, the body seems fuller, there is a nice chestnut and raisin sort of organic earthy layer to the malt, and the beer is as smooth as can be, still highly drinkable, and now really a standout example of the style. loved it, where i only liked it before. raising a few scores, this really is great!