Schwarzbier
Powderhaus Brewing Company

one of their many new releases for their impressive oktoberfest even this past weekend. unfortunately, this was my least favorite of the new beers, its sweet for the style, not as obviously lagered as i want these to be, and without the darkest roasted grain elements, which leave it kind of middling in a dark amber or brown ale range on the grain side, not real european to me either in terms of malt or yeast, so it leaves a little bit to be desired, especially for an oktoberfest celebration, but not a bad brew overall, just off the mark a little and a one and done for me with all the residual sweetness. it doesnt hold much head, lets some light in, and has a brown sugar and maple kind of nose and taste, a little caramelized grain character, some stickiness to me, no real roastiness at all, and some bitterness would be appreciated for balance. i keep looking for a darker note, some earthiness or a coffee type hit, but it never comes, and the sweetness lingers long for me after the swallow, this seems weighty and filling because of that too. finally, it doesnt have much carbonation, and just seems a little underdone, maybe too safe from a recipe standpoint too, but like it needed more time in the tank to dry out and carbonate up. mediocre unfortunately, but their other new ones this weekend were great and this didnt diminish my enjoyment of their even in the least. still love these guys even if this one is lackluster...