Czech Dark Lager
Northbound Brewpub

well made and somewhat distinctive take on the style that really checks all the boxes for me, my first beer from these guys in ages. this is pretty deep in color, reddish edges i guess but mostly brown, some creaminess to the head is nice, and its rather roasty in the nose and taste, a little deeper on the grain than most of the old world examples of the style go, some good bitterness from the malt, but still with good balance overall. some neat dried fruitiness in the aroma and flavor, some richness in the center, toffee and fig and raisin and like good trail mix or granola or something, chocolate included, but then the old worldy lager yeast comes in and cleans it all up, not much sweetness left at the end, and even though this has some body, it stays pretty drinkable because of the swiftness of the back end and the good carbonation. the yeast gives it some european authenticity, the grain is a little different than i think is common, more to it, structure and depth and flavor, but it works. relatively light on the hops but some balancing bitterness is there and i think the proportions of this overall are neat. ive never thought these guys got enough credit for quality beer across the board, good to check back in with their liquid, still excellent!