Operation Steingrabber
Call to Arms Brewing Company

not a bad beer, but it almost presents more as an american amber ale than a czech dark lager, which is not a compliment in this style. i almost thought the server poured the wrong beer at first, red more than brown or black, way lighter than anticipated, although the head is high and frothy and lasting and the beer looks excited to be in the glass. the aroma and flavor lack the grain depth i look for in the style, and the ferment seems incomplete in a genre i expect to be dry, this has a more american maltiness, deep caramelized richness instead of dry earthy toast and breadiness, cocoa, or roast, and the yeast, if its a lager strain at all, is subtle, less european and traditional, and less thorough in its work than i generally look for in these, the yeast should be more of a flavor contributor than it is. it hardly reads european at all on the malt side because of the sweetness, and this has a little more body than is common as well, so kind of a miss for me as a czech dark lager, but its smooth and hearty, sort of essentially autumnal too, and well crafted overall, better when thought of differently i reckon. good as a morning beer, on a hangover, has some of that nutritive heartiness, but its not what i had hoped to get, and this could use a little reworking if it wants to be more authentic to the czech dark lager. a rare miss for call to arms in my experience...

Poured from an undated 12oz can.

On the pour just under 1 finger of off white head formed on top of a deep dark brown-red body. Up to light it is mostly clear. Lacing does form, but not reliably.

Aroma is dark and sweet, but less toasty than I'd like. It seems like the dark malts are adding a sweet dried fruit flavor, which works for the fall season, but the malt comes off as very sweet and fruity as opposed to roasty.

Flavor is similar to the aroma, but adds a couple extra layers, including that slightly sweet roasted grain note I love in dark and amber lagers. Very yeasty, but in a traditional German lager sort of way. This beer works pretty well for what it is at the darkness it's at.

The feel is actually very drinkable and carries a nice dryness. The finish is quite long, but the malts aren't overwhelmingly syrupy by any means, which a lot of craft examples of the style fall victim to. Easy to drink with a nice autumny warm maltiness.

Overall this is a unique, but well executed Czech dark lager. A touch fruitier than I'd prefer but it works in this context.

Malty, sweet, but a thin mouthfeel leaves a bit of depth to be desired. This makes it pretty crushable, however. Overall, just a fine beer.

$9.89 USD per six pack of 12 fl oz cans.

"Dark Czech Lager." 5.3% ABV.

Bready malts dominate this tmavé, bringing notes of brown bread, dough, and crust but no toasty flavour. Amber malt sweetness. Caramelized amber malt sugars.

Hop profile isn't overt; I guess I get a hint of faintly herbal hop flavours when I really search but make no mistake - malts are the key emphasis here.

A drinkable stab at a tmavé, but it lacks the richness and depth of malt flavour found in the best expressions of the style.

C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

Look - mahogany brown with a tan head
Smell and taste - malty roasty
Feel - medium light body with a medium carbonation
Overall - lots of malts and pretty tasty

Bought two copies from Beer Drop.
Euro Darks are a rubric and harder to rate as peers because they range. But American crafters tend to make these as well as the Euro classics... and, of course, we innovate better. But Shirtless strikes me as close to the classics, balanced and, thus, not much forced innovation. Looks and Smells slightly above the average. Balance earns it high marks for Taste. Refreshing, yet it also improves as it warms.

A recent review suggested a name change for the beer was in the works. Good idea. While the brewer is using ridicule, that is hardly suitable punishment for a mass murderer.

For my micro-review of Call To Arms... I like how they learned the trade at Avery, one of Colorado's better second generation crafters. Avery and Call To Arms are hard to categorize, but the older begat the younger and crafting is the better for it. Denver has become an epicenter for begetting brewing culture.

A dark amber color with a thick tan head and some lace.
Sweet malt aroma.
Caramel and toffee taste.
Medium-bodied.

Love this beer (thankfully they are changing the name)! Dark Czech Lager with smooth finishes and not a super high ABV.

 

L:. Pours a dark amber red with a small tan head and thick lacing all around the glass.

S:. Sweet caramel and toasted malt, very little hop and aroma is a bit light.

T:. A touch of mango and passion fruit, with some toasted caramel, interesting taste and a little different.

F:. Lower carb medium body.

O:. An interesting lager that just misses the mark a bit.

 

A: Deep brown with a long lasting tight white head.
S: malt forward. Toffee and caramel.
T: malt and toffee. Slight hop bitterness.
M: medium bodied.
O: definitely quaffible.