Schwarzbier
Wooly Pig Farm Brewery

A bit light-colored for the style.

My least favorite offering from my recent visit to Wooly. The Schwarzbier does have an interesting pretzel salt note that I like.

12 oz bottle shared and gently poured with advocates July 19, 2025.
L: Pours black with a 1/4" light khaki head that recedes to skin and edge foam, low carbo, random spotty lacing.
S: Yeasty brown bread, caramelized toasted malts, chocolate, raisins, a subtle woody note.
T: Chocolate, yeast, a hint of wood smoke, brown bread, a distant coffee note, caramelized malts, very gently bittersweet.
F: Smooth medium to med-light bodied mouthfeel with a medium length finish that is very gently dry.
O: Exceptional taste with a very comfortable feel. Wonderful balance and very easy drinking. This beer would compliment an array of cuisines. It isn't thin like many other Schwarzbiers and is outstanding in its style.

Seductively dark with a thick rocky khaki head. Smell is roasted malt light coffee light smoke. Very pleasant. Taste is almost cold brew coffee but less bitterness. Lager smooth. Feel is amazingly full for 4.4%. The best black lager I ever had. Not much of a dark beer guy but this is welcome anytime.

 

6/16/23 Friday afternoon visit to the Wooly Pig establishment.

Taste ends in a musty (not good ending) that is present in the building itself. Leah and I are not lager fans, but there just is something off on this one.

 

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with a couple of inches of off-white head. The nose is fantastic. A touch of smoke, roasted malts, slight coffee, tar, dark German bread.

The taste follows the nose, and is really a fantastic example of the style. I see why the ratings are high on this one! Roasted malts, charred wood, bread, oak, dark chocolate. Mild bitterness. Super smooth and nicely integrated. Great sipper!

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a roasted malt aftertaste. Great beer.

Thanks to beergoot for this one, as part of his NBS BIF #16 hits. 16.9oz bottle poured into 16oz Willi Becher. Poured a clear, but very dark, deep brown color with an inch+ of khaki head that had very good retention and no lacing.

The aroma was, as expected, malt dominant with some roast upfront. A basic grain scent supplied the foundation, and just some light floral hops as well. Fairly similar on the tongue with the roast being a touch stronger.

The body was typical for the style; light, smooth, and had a pleasingly dry finish. Drinkability was good, I could easily knock back a few more of these. Overall, a solid and enjoyable take on the style. Certainly worth grabbing if you see it.

500mL undated bottle poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 4.4% ABV 28 IBU 11.7°P per the very informative label. The beer pours dark brown with little light penetration and light brown head. The head recedes to an uneven cap and leaves a web of lacing. The aroma is mild, slightly sweet, slightly roasty, slightly smokey with bakers chocolate as the biggest single note. The taste is a kiss of bittersweet roasted malt with toasted malt and a little tang following quickly behind. Chocolate, coffee, caramel, bread and smoke all show up. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, excellent. Artfully crafted with a ton of complexity at only 4.4%.

 

I am trying this beer off the tapper at the brewery as part of a five sample flight. It poured an opaque dark with off white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had subtle roast and chocolate notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with subtle roast and dark chocolate presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer.

Bottle from the brewery variety pack.
Pours a dark brown, nearly black color with nice off white head.
Aroma has dark chocolate notes.
Taste is malty sweet with toasted bready notes.
Medium body with a pleasing level of carbonation.
Very much enjoyed this one.

 

Dark brown to black with a very tall creamy tan foam head settling like melting ice cream to a thick blanket.

This is way more chocolatey and tobacco-esque than any schwarzbier I've had before, while also maintaining an impressive drinkability. The savory toasted malt is well paired with herbal hops, while still behaving like a mild lager, accented by notes of nuts and less so of fresh baked bread.

The medium body has a mildly soft froth and finishes cleanly semi-dry. This brew is really nice with nothing off or unpleasant about it whatsoever. I really dig it.

---

Over the years, this beer has not only stood the test of time, but slowly risen above its counterparts at the brewery. While Rustic Helles and Rye Dunkel are incredible in their own right, the stellar consistency of their Schwarz has elevated it to my favorite of not only their lineup, but probably one of the best I've had of the style anywhere. Here in 2025 I'm significantly increasing my rating from my original 4.46.

500ml chubby bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours black in color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that reduces to a ring around the edge

S- plenty of chocolate alt with some charred aroma, burnt coffee, spicy German hops

T- light on the palate initially before turning into notes of chocolate malt, char and herbal coffee. The finish gives some herbal and spicy hops with more char on the linger

M- medium-light body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a crisp finish

Bottle:
Pours medium brown and though the depths of a glass bring about more darkness, the edges refract and shine the same brown light of the pour. Head is a creamy froth of straight beige. The bubbles cling to the glass and struggle a tad to keep hold, but a few do.

Nose is a slightly sweetened coffee, leaning a tad on the roasted coffee. The guidelines here say hops should drive the bitterness more than the roasting, and the nose here seems to teeter between a general floral Noble hop and roast to that end.

Taste and feel hit dead on the dark lager style: somewhat floral with a lighter, cleaner, slightly watery feel. They flavors fill out with a heavy toast leaning towards a roasted malt. There’s a hint of dark molasses sweetness, as if someone threw no more than a drop in the bottle. The hops seem to sit back and let this highly enjoyable taste play out, providing just a little neutral to wooden bitterness in back.

A very enjoyable beer, with a little extra roasted malt boldness than the classics might have. At under 5%, the flavors shine and the feel is relatively strong. I very much enjoyed this American version of a German dark lager.

From the fatty bottle in a snifter via Bluejacket! Cheers!
This solid schwarzbier pours a dark brownish black with
a nice head of off white foam that settles to a thick ring,
thin cola highlights, and sports some decent lacing. Nose of
subtle coffee, subtle cocoa, and light char. Flavors nail the
style with dark cocoa and subtle char with mild smooth
coffee and light notes of dark bread and subtle cola.
Nice mouth feel; medium light body, medium soft
carbonation that offers some nice lift, and a roasted
balanced finish.

A solid brew from a new to me brewery.

Nice!

Cheers

500 ml bottle, 4-pack carrier has a bottled on date of JUN 13 2019 stamped on it. Purchased at the brewery last weekend after having a half liter of it there. Served in a mug (they serve it in one at Wooly Pig), the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half tan head that stuck around for a long time. Good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like burnt/charred malt, dark chocolate, coffee, and some woodiness. The taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but there's also the addition of some sweetness from a dark bready flavor. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's smooth and very easy to drink with a good amount of carbonation. I think this is a good Schwarzbier, wish Wooly Pig was closer because I'd buy this a lot if it was readily available closer to me. Also recommend stopping at the brewery if you're in the area, lots of good German style brews there to try!

Picked up a four-pack of 500mL bottles at the brewery. Reviewed 4/15/19.
Undated bottles but the carrier is stamped “APR 09 2019”. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.
Body – Dark brown, opaque. When held to the light, it appears translucent and garnet.
Head – Large (Maximum 9.7 cm, aggressive center pour), light tan, medium density, average retention, diminishing to a 12 mm cap and ring.
Lacing – Good. Wide bands of tiny to small bubbles.
First pour – Medium brown, clear.
Aroma – 4 – Dark chocolate, scorched coffee, and a hint of smoke.
Flavor – 4 – Chocolate is the predominant flavor with a bit of smoke but less smoky than the average German rauchbier. No alcohol (4.4 % ABV), no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 4.25 – Everything comes together in this brew – even the palate enhances the nuances of aroma and the taste – the best schwarzbier I’ve had outside of Germany!