Spy Catcher
Brewery Faisan

this is outstanding, a robust and delicious take on the style, masterfully lagered, really impressive. darker looking in the glass than a lot of these, not black but a really rich deep brown, beautifully polished and high shine, with well over an inch of lasting off white head that rises well above the rim of the pils glass i poured it into, really a lovely specimen. the nose is malty and slightly concentrated and strong, some umami there with some bready heft, cocoa, molasses, dark brown sugar, pumpernickel bagel, real earthy, warming, but still with the old world lager back half that comes short of crisping it up but certainly lends some pace to this, love the contribution of the yeast, and this smells very fresh overall. the flavor is great, lots of malt heaviness right up front, dark dough, molasses and raisin, some body and immediate richness to me, but then its so quick to turn drier and more lager-like, clean by the middle, spritzy carbonation lightens it further. good high end cocoa powder, cola, slightly woody, and definitely european with the malt and yeast, authentic just more bold than what is common in this style space, super drinkable, a little wintery but good enough that id happily rip it even in high summer. the best of the beers ive had from these guys so far, these guys are doing some cool stuff, love the packaging on this one too! an absolutely fantastic example of the style.