Burlingame
North Park Beer Company

 

Canned on 10/29/2023; consumed on 2/27/2024

Pours a black body with distant mahogany hues and capped with multiple fingers of creamy, dark khaki foam; good head retention leaves a choppy layer of cap, modest, frothy collar, and ample, soapy lacing coating the walls of the glass.

Aromas of heavy yet well-tempered roast open, with minerality interwoven and a light yeast aspect evolved over the middle into a spotty milk chocolate presence on the back end of the bouquet.

Taste shows burnt coffee and subtle minerality, with a flaky char over the mid-palate guiding to notes of fresh cacao light into the finish.

Mouthfeel brings a medium-light body and a moderate fluff of carbonation; a roasty build advances across an otherwise creamy mid-palate, yielding a dry back end and slightly bittering swallow.

Firm roast supported by ample minerality and wisps of a light, contrasting sweetness, this dark lager sees competently executed basic elements form a milder yet still quaffable take on the style.

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Czech Dark Lager
Glass: North Park 16-oz. Willi Becher glass
Price: $16.00 for a 4-pack
From: North Park Beer Company in North Park (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: Jan. 5, 2022
Consumed: Jan. 7, 2022
Misc.: Canned on Dec. 20, 2021

Snuck over to North Park to pick up my BA Macaroons Before Dying beer and a couple other 4-packs. Grabbed one of these for myself. North Park’s website called it “Rich, dark, and malty, Burlingame is our Czech-style Black Lager that offers flavors of toasted bread, bittersweet chocolate, and a prominent roasted note. We named it after the Burlingame historic district in North Park, which is known for its variety of characterful homes built in many popular architectural styles from the early 1900s. We think our Burlingame beer is also quite characterful in that it has many flavors in common with stouts and porters, but with the clean and refined finish you would find in an exceptionally well-crafted lager.”

Poured a very dark, almost pitch-black color with 2-to-3 fingers of khaki-tan frothy head. Pretty calm underneath with just a few bubbles near the top of the glass. Below average foggy lacing. Decent retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled toasty malts, toasted brown bread, cocoa, hints of mocha, chocolate, semi-char roast, herbal and bitter roasty malts. Not quite as good from the can. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted about as good as the nose. In order got toasted brown bread, cocoa, mocha, bitter chocolate, semi-char roast, wheat cracker, herbal and semi-char wood. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Bitter, abrupt finish. (Feel - 4.25)

This was a solid lager. Glad I picked up a 4-pack. (Overall - 4.00)

4.00 | 90 | A-

 

on draft, in a shaker pint glass

black in color, opaque, off-white colored head. mild dark chocolate and espresso aroma. similar flavor, flavorful yet not over the top, appropriate for the style. well balanced, not too sweet. medium bodied, easy drinking.