Ten Crowns
Off Color Brewing
- From:
- Off Color Brewing
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Czech Dark Lager
Ranked #7 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 92
Ranked #5,613 - Avg:
- 4.2 | pDev: 5.24%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 17
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 14, 2026
- Added:
- Mar 03, 2022
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
92
Outstanding
92
Outstanding
Our iteration of a Czech-style Dark Lager celebrates the long winter months transitioning into spring. Warm, full-bodied, and richly malted with inviting aromas of fresh baked cookies, raisin bread, and just a hint of dark fudge followed by a spicy, earthy note from traditional noble hopping to dry the palate and ready you for the next sip. We kept going back to lengthy walks in Old Town/Stare Mesto in Prague. Cobblestone clicking of shoes, quiet echoes off low walls, and old lanterns. Zigzag streets with tight corners; maze-like. Cold, but soft and romantic. Medieval and magical and so steeped in history that it is indifferent to you and the fleeting present. Perhaps the quietness is the most striking and somehow this leads one almost inextricably into the welcome embrace of one of the many Czech pubs. Most of which in Prague are found in the lower levels and basements of age-old buildings. Some flood happened hundreds of years ago and that’s just how they are. So you walk off the street down a flight or three with twists to a cavernous dwelling thick with cigarette smoke, joyous conversation, and fast poured 0.5Ls being whisked double-handfuls to wooden tables. Nowadays, the cigarette smoke is no longer a thing, but the sense of coziness and ample stocks of rich lager remain. Czech currency is “Koruna” or “Crown” in English and beers cost 19-35 Czk. 10, 20, and 50 pieces are the best to carry and there’s no better feeling than putting down a few coins for a pivo and losing oneself in this charming din searching for the bottom of your Tübinger of Tmavý lager.
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Reviewed by Qbert from Illinois
3.83/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Very dark brown with a thick tan head. Aroma is chocolate, dark bread, and a hint of root beer. Taste is similar with the chocolate more muted and some hops in the finish. Body is somewhat thin. This is a solid but not outstanding take on the style.
Dec 16, 2025
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana
4.33/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Poured into a glass, the can produced a black lager with a friendly amount of bubbles topping the glass.
Smell - The nose was lightly bitter with notes on chocolate, coffee and hops.
Taste - At the front, I noted dark chocolate. It was not overly sweet, and perhaps a little dry. The profile was bready, bringing to mind a dark Eastern European bread. There was just a touch of hops bitterness. Light coffee notes came with the finish.
Mouthfeel - The beer was bubbly with a fairly light body.
Overall - This was a fantastic example of the style.
Feb 02, 2025Smell - The nose was lightly bitter with notes on chocolate, coffee and hops.
Taste - At the front, I noted dark chocolate. It was not overly sweet, and perhaps a little dry. The profile was bready, bringing to mind a dark Eastern European bread. There was just a touch of hops bitterness. Light coffee notes came with the finish.
Mouthfeel - The beer was bubbly with a fairly light body.
Overall - This was a fantastic example of the style.
Reviewed by ChicagoJ from Illinois
4.28/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.28/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12/28/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Was comped a single can on November 16, 2024 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge via rewards points. This beer retails for $2.89 plus tax, refrigerated upon returning home before opening this afternoon. 16 oz, canned 10/29/24. 5.5% ABV Czech Style Dark Lager. Malts: Pilsner, Dark Munich, CaraMunich, Chocolate, Huskless Roasted Barley. Hops: Sterling, Tettnang. Secret Measurement: liter/person. Brewed and canned by Off Color Brewing, Chicago, Illinois.
Appearance: Initial 1/2 can pour into a large mug yields a dark brown near black base, creamy tan white head which lingers for several minutes before yielding soapy lacing. Looks like a root beer float. 4.5
Aroma: Dark chocolate, bakers chocolate and caramel malt lead. Not getting much beyond that, but enjoying what the medium strength aroma is yielding. 4.0
Taste: Consistent leads with the aroma, though much stronger and the added benefit of freshly baked and still warm chocolate cookies into the mix. Really nice. 4.25
Mouthfeel: Drinks light and easy, perhaps a bit below the 5.5% ABV. Sweet flavors contained by the hops, leading to a nice balance, mild dryness, and a chocolate chip caramel cookie finish. 4.5
Overall: Not experienced enough beyond a few local offering to determine how close this offering is to international offerings. That said, I am enjoying this more so than many of this style or other malt styles based on the appreciated hop balance that yields strong enjoyable flavors, but no excess sweetness. Thank you as always Off Color! 4.5
Dec 28, 2024Appearance: Initial 1/2 can pour into a large mug yields a dark brown near black base, creamy tan white head which lingers for several minutes before yielding soapy lacing. Looks like a root beer float. 4.5
Aroma: Dark chocolate, bakers chocolate and caramel malt lead. Not getting much beyond that, but enjoying what the medium strength aroma is yielding. 4.0
Taste: Consistent leads with the aroma, though much stronger and the added benefit of freshly baked and still warm chocolate cookies into the mix. Really nice. 4.25
Mouthfeel: Drinks light and easy, perhaps a bit below the 5.5% ABV. Sweet flavors contained by the hops, leading to a nice balance, mild dryness, and a chocolate chip caramel cookie finish. 4.5
Overall: Not experienced enough beyond a few local offering to determine how close this offering is to international offerings. That said, I am enjoying this more so than many of this style or other malt styles based on the appreciated hop balance that yields strong enjoyable flavors, but no excess sweetness. Thank you as always Off Color! 4.5
Rated by Noahflan
4.71/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.71/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Great malt and roasted flavor but with a clean finish. Mineral taste on the back end. One of the best dark lagers I’ve ever had. Very drinkable
Dec 07, 2024
Reviewed by kevanb from Illinois
3.98/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.98/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can, undated but assumed to be fresh, poured into a 16oz tumbler glass. Enjoyed on 12.02.2023, reviewed from Tasting Journal.
The beer pours a dark cola brown color, garnet and amber hues, bone colored head with excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is nice, toasted brown bread, rich and grainy, stone fruits, caramel, toffee, and earthy leather. The flavors are good, dark grains, toasted bread, stone fruits, light chocolate, earthy leather, sweet toffee and caramel with mineral water. The mouthfeel is good, coating, super smooth medium body, easy creamy finish.
Verdict: A nice CDL. Lots of substance, rich flavors but easy going and sessionable.
Aug 28, 2024The beer pours a dark cola brown color, garnet and amber hues, bone colored head with excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is nice, toasted brown bread, rich and grainy, stone fruits, caramel, toffee, and earthy leather. The flavors are good, dark grains, toasted bread, stone fruits, light chocolate, earthy leather, sweet toffee and caramel with mineral water. The mouthfeel is good, coating, super smooth medium body, easy creamy finish.
Verdict: A nice CDL. Lots of substance, rich flavors but easy going and sessionable.
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois
4.26/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.26/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16oz undated can poured into a pint glass shows a dark, mahogany brown body. When backlit, a muddy orangish, almost cola colored, body allows rising bubbles. A thin cap of brown bubbles is persistent and leaves sheets of lacing before falling back to the ring.
Dark, bitter chocolate aroma dominates with strong notes of roasted barley and the flavor matches.
Mouthfeel is a fuller leaning medium, nearly creamy, yet a drying finish, which anticipated the next drink.
Overall a much better than average example of the style.
Feb 17, 2024Dark, bitter chocolate aroma dominates with strong notes of roasted barley and the flavor matches.
Mouthfeel is a fuller leaning medium, nearly creamy, yet a drying finish, which anticipated the next drink.
Overall a much better than average example of the style.
Rated by stortore from Illinois
4/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had at Beer Under Glass 2023.
Jun 24, 2023
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.15/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
to me its almost impossible how good so many off color beers are, i swear they are at or near gold standard for me in like a half dozen styles or more, and this is another one, downright shockingly impressive, so good, perfect cap to a long work week this week. one of the rare off color brews with no frills, just a classic dark lager from what i can tell, no esoteric malts, crazy yeasts, or interesting processes, just a dark lager as the czechs do, and the execution is second to none! quite dark from the as always cleverly labeled pint can, some of these run brown, this runs closer to black, and does have deeper roasted grain complexity than many in this style, not sure if thats an american adaptation or not, but its one of the darker ones of these i have known, almost schwarzbier-esque in that way. there is surprisingly little bitterness in aroma or flavor from the dark grain, instead its neatly earthy with a light coffee note to it, kind of cozy without being sweet or strong, and a flavorful european lager yeast bringing the earthy aspects of the malt to the fore, this is really nuanced and subtly complex, but also weirdly refreshing for a dark beer like this, dry and bubbly and lighter bodied, really super drinkable. faint cola, licorice, espresso bean, and cigar notes, quite a lot of depth. this is delicious, i needed this, would love it on a side pull, but another underappreciated banger from off color. this is wonderful dark lager, frankly as good as it gets!
May 19, 2023
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon
3.86/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.86/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz can
Pours two big fingers of frothy brown head into my tumbler. Retention is average and the head fades within a minute or two. Lacing is very nice. Body is pitch black. Looks very nice.
Nose has some nice light roasted notes, with subtle chocolate. Earthiness comes out as it warms. Has a touch of sweetness to it, well balanced though. Not super big or complex until it warms, but it smells nice.
Flavor is similar, light roast, malty, some chocolate in the finish. Earthiness also comes to the flavor with time. Tastes decent.
Carbonation is on the higher side. Medium-light bodied. Just a touch of sweetness. Bitterness is low but there is a noticeable bitterness from the roasted malt. While it is well balanced, the carbonation keeps it more energetic than smooth - it drinks a little better out of the can in that regard. Still perfectly fine for the mouthfeel though.
Drinkability is nice.
Overall it’s a nice beer. Flirts between being chocolatey / sweet, and bitter / earthy. Balanced, but it does suffer from a lack of identity.
Apr 17, 2023Pours two big fingers of frothy brown head into my tumbler. Retention is average and the head fades within a minute or two. Lacing is very nice. Body is pitch black. Looks very nice.
Nose has some nice light roasted notes, with subtle chocolate. Earthiness comes out as it warms. Has a touch of sweetness to it, well balanced though. Not super big or complex until it warms, but it smells nice.
Flavor is similar, light roast, malty, some chocolate in the finish. Earthiness also comes to the flavor with time. Tastes decent.
Carbonation is on the higher side. Medium-light bodied. Just a touch of sweetness. Bitterness is low but there is a noticeable bitterness from the roasted malt. While it is well balanced, the carbonation keeps it more energetic than smooth - it drinks a little better out of the can in that regard. Still perfectly fine for the mouthfeel though.
Drinkability is nice.
Overall it’s a nice beer. Flirts between being chocolatey / sweet, and bitter / earthy. Balanced, but it does suffer from a lack of identity.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.59/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.59/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Had on lukr. Brownish black opaque pour with two fingers of dense and creamy light brown foam, plenty of lacing. Great roasted malt bringing out bittersweet chocolate, earth, rustic dark bread, hint of tobacco and a kiss of hop, impressive. Taste stars the roasted malts and rustic dark loaf, almost all the way to pumpernickel, but the other elements from the nose are there, chocolate is more cocoa and there is dried dark fruit on the finish. Feel is creamy, full, smooth, roasty and decently yeasty with the earthy hop kiss, so well balanced. One of the best CDL's out there in the states
Feb 11, 2023Reviewed by NeutroMan from Illinois
4.25/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can into a mug. Opaque very dark brown color with a rocky tan head. Sweet nutty roasted malt aroma. Taste follows: dark chocolate, sweet-but-not-too-sweet bready malt, mild bitterness. Rich, creamy mouthfeel yet very drinkable. A wonderful dark lager.
Jan 25, 2023Rated by JamesPatty
4.75/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
It’s basically perfect! Great balance.
Jan 01, 2023
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