Union Temno Pivo
Pivovarna Union

 

 

Pours very dark brown, small white head, fast to a sticky lace.
Smells mostly of roasted malts, with a tiny hint of smoke, a hint of coffee too and burnt sugar.
Taste begins very light and refreshing, with a nice acidity (not as big as coffee acidity tho) that counters the roasted malts (which are actually a bit rich, with a nice cereal feel). Faint milky chocolate, a touch of caramel, some dark spices and even fainter soft dark fruit, but there's a surprising complexity to this beer. A touch of earthy hops in the finish. Aftertaste of roasted malts, light coffee and caramel.
Light body, prickly carbonation. Very easy to drink.
Quite a surprise, there's quite a lot of flavour in this dark lager.

Pours a dark brown, almost black and clear. It's topped with a medium beige head and a not so good retention.
The aroma is pleasant - roasted malts, coffee and some caramel.
The taste starts sweet, followed by roasty (plus coffee) body, finishing with a nice bitterness.
Very drinkable and enjoyable.

 

 

 

Picked up at a gas station in eastern Croatia, I was thrilled to find a dark beer, any dark beer. Comes in a 33cl brown bottle with a dark label featuring a portrait of the guy after which the beer was named. Pours a dark cola brown under a thin 1/2 finger beige head that disappears as fast as a real cola head does, and disappears completely. The mild nose has an enticing intimation of caramel and roasted nuts, but is insufficiently strong to truly satisfy. The mouth is light and very prickly. The flavour is very (too) subdued. Caramel is the primary, and perhaps the only, taste sensation. There are no discernible hops until deep into the aftertaste. This brew is quite drinkable, particularly in warm weather, but it could be a lot better.

Drank in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland.
Clear, dark brown with burgandy chestnut accents, doesn't form a head at all, not even a ring of bubbles. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma is rich...vinous with strong dashes of prunes, raisins, wet malt husks and sweet dark malts. Mouthfeel is slick, yet spritzy with a wet finish and a surprisingly light body. Taste begins with some restrained earthy hops, fading into a warm, earthy dark malt profile with grape accents, yet it is not as sweet as I would have expected based on aroma. The finish is very nice...subtley woodsy, soft, husky, with a spritzy ring on the back of the tongue. The hops are delicately balanced. Complex, yet not overly rich...this makes an interesting soda-pop version of a barley wine.