El Toro
Farmers Brewing Company

ive been fairly stoked on the limited amount of beer ive had from these guys so far, but this one isnt amazing, perhaps a bit of a line pour where i had it, less than fresh, but it has a weird sort of oxidation and sweetness to it, less well lagered to me than it could be, incomplete maybe, but with a lot of flavor in a style that can sometimes be a little basic, talking imports anyway, so at least this isnt that. not sure if this is trying to be a mexican dark or a euro dark lager, it has elements of both to me, a hybrid of sorts on the palate, and definitely a deeper color than a lot of these have, fully brown, not dark amber or brown tinted, actually brown, with a decent burlap colored head of tiny bubbles from the tap. the nose is sweet, brown sugar and molasses, soy sauce too though, an odd umami to it kind of heavying it, soil and minerality, dark bread, no real lager yeast able to come through all this, wort-like, leather, not unappealing, a touch stale is all. the flavor packs quite a bit of richness, bran and pumpernickel notes, maple, raisin and date fruitiness, no real lager crispness, and the ferment really isnt a factor here, even kind of adjuncty in how it presents. a little chewy and full, also a little broken down, cardboard at the end, thinning but still with plenty of body, long on the palate anyway, fine carbonation, i wish it were dried out just a bit more. some chocolate nuance in the grain, dry cocoa, like this isnt the sweet part, some roast there helping it lean away from the sweetness, quite a big of grain depth to this overall. i am eager to try this elsewhere, or preferably from the can, i think some better service or freshness would transform this a bit, and i will update this review as soon as i can have that experience. as it stands for now its one of the less impressive brews ive had from these guys, but not bad. sturdy for winter.

 

Nice, easy drinking, light bodied, dark lager.

From there web site:
nicely balanced dark lager with a deep amber color and a velvety taste. This brew offers a clean, crisp flavor. El Toro, a dark beer that is light on the palate, is ideal for unwinding during the autumn and winter months.