Blacklist
The Napanee Beer Company

 

Appearance: Poured with a thumb of head that completely vanished before even the first quarter, thus no lace to speak of. The body is an opaque black which only up to direct light does it reveal the slightly hint of brown.

Smell: Dry dark chocolate with a mild caramel malt presence and a hint of smoke. Did require some warming up for it really to come out, but once it did, it was pretty good.

Taste: Light sweet caramel malt and a hint of mild dark chocolate start us out and hand off to a more dry smoke touch that builds well and gives a snap of plum at the end. I don't think the sweet and smoke play off each other quite as well as they should as there is something odd about it, but it works.

Mouthfeel: It has a very dry smoke note that persists into the aftertaste. The pro, is that it never lets anything else get out of control, as it is very clean and pleasant. The con, is that it's not exactly what I would call refreshing. The transitioning is done well and the carbonation is still there, but points get deducted for the lack of head.

Drinkability: On the lighter end of medium body, which I'd expect for a lager to be. It settles down exceptionally well and the quality if very good. The dryness of the beer is the final hurdle this beer just can't clear, as it hamstrings it a bit too much.

Final Thoughts: An all around decent beer, if it could tone down the dryness and produced some more head, this would be a great beer. Fix those two holes, and this one becomes an awesome beer. Thumbs up.

 

 

Tallboy purchased at Superstore; canned Oct 24 2018 and served slightly chilled. Compiled from notes.

Pours a dark mahogany-black hue; light has trouble penetrating the glass, though there are some burgundy-coloured highlights 'round the edges. One finger of rough, frothy tan-coloured head settles atop before gradually melting off over the next five minutes, give or take, leaving a full coat of lovely lace behind as it recedes. Very subtle aroma, to the point that there are not a lot of defining characteristics to speak of - burnt grains, light molasses and caramelized malt sweetness come through, with a hint of licorice.

Not much to complain about here, as this is a solid dark lager any way you slice it - not too sweet, not too bland, with an undercurrent of roasted grains that helps to counter the sugary qualities of the caramelized malts. Light suggestions of cocoa and char towards the finish, with licorice and herbal, grassy hops combining together with a malty-sweet finish, followed by a nearly bone dry aftertaste. Light-medium in body, with moderate carbonation levels that do a decent job of pricking the palate; the mouthfeel is smooth. Good drinkability, too - a couple cans of this would be alright by me on a cool January night.

Final Grade: 3.99, a high B+. Blacklist is actually one of the most accurate Ontario-brewed interpretations of a real schwarzbier that I've come across to date - not bad for my introduction to Napanee. I often find these dark lagers lean too sweet, but this one's dry back end really reminds me of Köstritzer (i.e. the authentic article), while its rich malt forefront is enough to keep me coming back for more. I tried this after a can of Junction's Black Lager (another domestic schwarz that I'm fond of) for comparison purposes, and they were neck and neck. Assuming you enjoy dark lagers (or German-style beer in general), this one is absolutely worth a try if you can find it.

 

 

Pours dark walnut, nearly black, with a short-lived moderate head. Some early lace and a thin ring. Ashy, slightly burnt smell over malt. Flavour of black licorice with the corresponding sweet/bitter thing going. Mimics a stout in a lot of ways, but less chocolate/coffee happening, more about licorice. Moderate body. Nicely drinkable.

 

Its deep cola brown body teeters on black. A dense, rocky tan head boasts good retention and leaves chunky legs of lace behind.

Dark semi-sweet chocolate with a dry, husky sweetness. Soft coffee beans and a light roast. A bit of caramel as well. Refined, malt forward, and more sweet than roasty.

Toasty upfront with hints of caramel and chocolate. The drier, roasted qualities come after and ease their way into the finish. A touch of dark fruit in the end as well.

This is highly quaffable. Medium-light body with a well rendered clean dryness. The finish is concise but not biting. Malt forward but balanced overall.

An enjoyable take on a classic style. It's got a good sense of balance with great drinkability. The malt character is straight shooting and pleasantly sweet. The only thing I couldn't shake is the husky/roasty character that I can't put my finger on. It almost strikes me as artificial. Nonetheless, a good beer.

 

Can from the LCBO for around $3. Solid.

 

Can - puts a clear dark brown lager with ruby highlights in the glass, large puffy tan cap lasts. Aroma of roasty-grain, toasty-breadiness, coffee, roast nuts some sweetness and earthy-grass undertones. Medium-full bodied but silken mouth feel. Flavor follows aroma with big roasty-toasty malts in front some roast hazel nut tones, malty almost approaching a sweet point then it turns bitter with a dry finish and charred astringence - a great Schwarz bier, satisfying and robust yet with all the roasty dryness of a Thuringer Schwarz bier - probably the best example I have has in Canadian craft brewers.

 

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a chalice. Purchased from the LCBO for around $3.20 CDN.

Appearance - Ominous black color, capped with a finger and a bit of light tan colored head. Good if not great head retention, loads of lacing surround the edges of the glass.

Smell - Dark and roasty, lots of coffee, some ash witha very faint caramel sweetness to keep things somewhat balanced.

Taste - Char, some roasty cofee, tobacco, very bitter but there's a split second when it becomes a sweet-ish caramel flavor. Complex, yet simple, bitter, but not quite past the point of being overdone.

Mouthfeel - As advertised, it finishes quite dry. Carbonation is medium, body is fairly light.

Overall - Blacklist is surely one of the better (if more bitter) black lager's on the market. Worth a try if that's your cup of tea and you're not looking for the most balanced black lager out there.