Kodama
Separatist Beer Project / Separatist Bar + Bottle

 

 

 

Poured from 16 oz. can into Søle teku glass. It pours almost jet black with dark mahogany hues at the top of the glass, and a thin, ecru-colored head and soapy lacing. The nose is primarily roasty malt, nuts, and oak. I'm tasting a lot of oak up front with a nice malty backbone. I oak adds another dimension to the taste especially as the glass warms. Also, a hint of caramel emerges. It has a great mouth feel: pleasant carbonation and at only 4.5% ABV you can easily drink more than one. Schwarzbiers are somewhat rare and I applaud any brewer who will brew one - particularly when they add a nuance like oak fermenting.

 

On draft

Very dark brown in color, tan head. Aroma is a touch roasty, and I do pick up the oak a bit. But the taste is very nuttyy - heavy on pecan. I know this was oak aged, but weird flavor for a Black Lager. Miss for me.

This one pours a fairly dark black, with a small head, and a good little bit of lacing.

This one smells like fruity/estery lager yeast, light sweet chocolate, toasted bread, and tea.

This is an interesting beer. The oak lagering/fermenting adds a touch of toasty oak flavor, but it's barely there. There's a lot of dark fruitiness here, both from the malt and the yeast, probably. I wish it tasted a little more fuller bodied, but what's here is impressive and fairly unique for the style.

This is creamy, but a little too light bodied, with a soft level of carbonation.

I'm always digging new attempts at this style, and this is definitely a fun one.