Dark Satin
Taylor Brewing Company

This is not what I would call a well-balanced beer, but that does not work against the Dark Satin. It has a very smooth mouthfeel and super-malty taste that is kept in check by a just noticeable hoppiness. A subtle yet pleasing aroma and a color so dark light cannot escape it. Shit, I'm going to pick up a growler right now for the playoff game.

A: Dark copper color has nice clarity and minimal carbonation. A tiny cream cap has nice retention and leaves a fair amount of lace.

S: Toast, toffee and lemongrass pretty much sum things up. Not complex, but pleasant enough.

T: Starts with a bittersweet toffe flavor followed by a lemon bitterness that provides just enough bitterness to balance the malts. Things get acidic in the finish, but not enough to detract too terribly much.

M: The body is a bit syrupy and could stand a bit more carbonation.

D: Of the beers I had here, this was the best. That's not saying much given the undrinkable nature of the Maibock. This is a decent enough effort, but doesn't leave me interested enough to want another.

A - Deep amber brown almost to the point of blackness. When held to the light, it's more garnet in color. The head is small and white, and remains at a little cap for the duration of the beer.

S - This one is a bit funky and strange to my nose. It's very slightly hoppy, and really malty in a weird almost powdery way. I can appreciate some nice toffee and some sour chemical-type notes.

T - Sour, tangy, sweet, and way off-kilter. This tastes strange and really weird to me. It tastes a little bit like rootbeer candy that has been in someone's pocket all day in the summer. Not good.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a good neutral finish. A chemical based aftertaste ruins this one for me.

D - Bad. This is way, way off base for a dunkle, and pretty far out there for a beer of any sort.

Presentation: Arrived in a standard pint glass. Described as a German dunkel with a soft yet solid and very complex multi-malt palate.

Appearance: 1/2 inch off white head that settles very quickly to almost nothing. A few islands and a ring. Beer is medium red/brown color and clear.

Smell: Nothing, absolutely nothing. Most likely due to smoke filled bar.

Taste: Decent carbonation bite upfront followed by mellow malt flavor. Hints of butterscotch. Low bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Higher than average carbonation, too high in my opinion. Average body.

Drinkability: Nothing special. Very little flavor, almost watered down.

I had this one at the Lombard location, but I saw that it was a guest tap from their Middleton, WI location. Beer was served in a standard pint glass and it was nice coco brown with a fluffy tan head. Some lacing was evident as I drank the beer.

The nose was of lightly smoked malt with a sublet background of hops. Some faint hints of chocolate.

Beer was on the sweeter end of the spectrum, but there was just enough hops to add some balance. There was a bit of roasted taste and more than a hint of caramel & toffee.

Nice soft mouthfeel, but due to the sweetness, I could not see having more than one or two at a setting. Still an enjoyable change of pace beer.