Schell's Stag Series: Cave Aged Barrel Aged Lager
August Schell Brewing Company

Starts with a familiar dark lager aroma of slight yeast and darker malt but the complexity comes in time with the smoke and slight wood showing.
Appealing dark head that is quite dense. Very dark body with rich garnet highlights. Nice looking. Very clear. Dark dripping lacing.
A lager of great complexity. Almost ale like in it's heavy feels but still the lager cleanliness shows. Somewhat rich but nothing near cloy. Smoke throughout but very with any excess. Only hints of any whisky and no apparent vanilla., but some wood notes. Along with a clean dark malt there are hints of fruit. This dries quite heavily and lays on the tongue a good long time, but nothing with hops, this is all malt driven.
Big enough at 7.7% but no apparent alcohol in the flavor, but just a tough of warmth in the gut.
Some have noted the similarity to Chimney Sweep, but this has much more going on and is ultimately more satisfying and frankly less rich and easier to have more than one. The smoke would drive this to be very nice with grilled meat, but I'm afraid the other enjoyable flavors would be lost. One of the best lagers I've ever had.
Let this warm up to ale temps and it gets even better!

 

I'm gonna cut through all the BS here. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 12 oz pint glass. Dark as hell. Freakin' nose is cherry bitter coffee chocolate and leathery. The flavor is the same. An absolutely perfect winter warmer for nights like this when it is -10 in MN without the wind chill. I don't give anything a straight-up 5, but this is DAMN CLOSE!! ENJOY!!

A delicious dark lager. Great winter beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Pours dark brown. Black in the glass. Small off white head. Smells nutty and chocolatey with a touch of oak and maybe whiskey if I really convince myself. Unmistakable lager yeast aromas make it a little fruity, maybe? Tastes of bitter chocolate and nutty malts. Some hop bitterness. Bready finish, but very little barrel. Just a bit of whiskey in the aftertaste. Medium heavy. Well carbonated. Unexpectedly good. Barrel is subtle but the base beer is very well made.