Nightshine
Catskill Brewery

Pour looks fairly viscous for a 5% range Schwarz. We shall see if I’m right. It is sort of a black cherry hue. Huge beige colored soapy head that leaves some sticky lacing as it subsides.

Smells like dark cocoa powder, a bit of smoke bordering on coffee, and a slight nuttiness on top of a doughy/malty backdrop with lager yeast.

First sip is a lot of chocolaty cocoa then some of that nuttiness comes through. There is a nice amount of smoke and noticeable roast flavor in the middle along with the barley and it is rounded out with a pretty significant hoppiness. Some floral and citrus notes, but more of a bitterness than flavor. It is pretty creamy and lucious.

Definitely a solid medium body. I wouldn’t say it is too heavy, but definitely one of the bigger bodied Schwarz I have had. Would guess it to be a hair higher on ABV.

It definitely finishes dry and crisp. Fairly significant amount of resin.

I would say that it is just a bit Americanized as it touches on some Porter/Dry Stout attributes with more roasted flavor than many, and a significant hop profile, but it balances out any sweetness nicely. That being said, a lot of people call them “black pilsners” so this one would fit the bill. Curious if they used Hallertau and Noble hops or the American versions of them. My biggest critique from my experience is that it doesn’t drink quite as light as most even though it’s right in the optimal abv range. But that’s nitpicking. Damn fine Schwarz.

Pours a black color with a foamy tan head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of caramel and chocolate. Taste is tangy and sweet; no hoppy bitterness. Smooth and creamy.

 

Outstanding,
L: Brown-black body resolving into tan short head that lasts and laces.
S: Plenty! Black bread, oats, coffee, malt, toffee
T: The mix of sweet and bitter found in black lagers, smoke, coffee, bread'
Creamy ample. Mid - body, delicious, tasting above its ABV.

 

 

 

12/04/24 can @ home

 

 

It's a dark brown color with a light brown head. The coffee notes are present in the nose. The flavor is an uncomfortable sweetness instead of coffee or chocolate. The mouthfeel is light and doesn't hang around long.

 

 

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like creamy chocolate, roast, char, and coffee.

This is pretty, pretty nice. It’s maybe a little bit sweet and I’d want a little bit more hop character, but it’s still quite respectable. There’s a rich chocolatey and roasty malt character here for sure.

This is light bodied, creamy, and very drinkable.

This is pretty respectable – not top tier, but enjoyable all the same.

 

Pours a dark brown color. A modest sized head retains well and leaves a layer of film.

The nose is nice as it opens with sweet notes of chocolate and dark toasted bread. Hops aromas are earthy and with bright notes of lemon.

Well balanced with notes of biscuit, dark toast and a light nutty/roasty quality providing the malt base. A smooth but assertive bitterness comes from the hops, which add earthy and woodsy flavors.

Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. The finish is dry with some crispness. The carbonation is moderate.

Overall a really solid and balanced Schwarzbier, and easy to drink. I would have again.

Pretty damn solid... Impressed actually... At Total Wine today, rep for Catskill was providing samples of their beers - I checked this out and also their pilsner - I really liked them both and bought a 4-pack of each... No canning date but (Robert) said it was canned 2-3 weeks ago...

Got char, got chocolate - drying finish... Light-feeling and amply carbonated... Has a brown roasty richness, too - great malts, earthy and herbal hops - mild charcoal bitterness, mild molasses sweetness... I'm sure being local (relatively speaking) and fresh plays a role, and sans any homerism (the Catskills are like, a country I visited once lol), this is an excellent black lager... Probably gets no distribution, but worth grabbing if you spot it and you like low abv black lagers (a great substitute for the absent black IPAs btw)...

L: pours dark black/brown with some red hue when held to light, pours dense tan head that resolves to a thin film but never leaves

S: bread, oats, coffee, malt, maybe toffee

T: pleasant coffee and bread along a mild hop background, mild bitterness at the end mixed with oats and smoke

F: medium body and carbonation. Somewhere in between a standard lager and porter. Not thick.

O: A really nice schwarz, medium body and carbonation but impressively full/complex brew for 5.5%