Schwarzbier
Traugott Simon

Pours a cloudy, deep mahogany coloration with a reddish sheen when held up to the light and a small, creamy head. Smells of doughy, slightly roasted and caramelly malt and hints of chocolate and a certain mineral note. Taste is a poor balance of doughy, slightly roasted and caramelly malt and hints of grassy hops and chocolate, but dominated by an unpleasant, mineral, slightly metallic character. Finishes with a medium bitterness and that mineral, metallic character lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

While I didn't exactly have high hopes for the this, it managed to fall short of those expectations by quite a bit, although having this right after two much better examples of the style probably didn't help. It just almost completely lacks a proper, distinct roastiness, the hallmark of the style, and some depth of character, except for a little chocolate, while that unpleasant, minreal, metallic character is way to dominant here. It's not undrinkable, but why drink it when much better examples of the style are so widely available? I guess it's cheap, but can't really remember what I paid for it.

Privatbrauerei Iserlohn GmbH “Traugott Simon Schwarzbier”
,5L brown glass bottle coded “Mindestens haltbar bis: 18.04.22 H A L203”. Sampled on 2.10.21
€,69 @ Trinkgut, Beckum, DE

Look: Clear dark mahogany brown body beneath an average-sized head of tan colored foam. Good head retention and lacing.
Smell: Clean. Bready dark malt with a light suggestions of chocolate.
Taste: The flavor follows the aroma with the addition of a very light edge of roastiness, some background herbal hops, and a stiff bitterness that balances it. Dry, short lingering finish.
Feel: Medium bodied and gently crisp with a fine-bubbled, seemingly natural, standard carbonation level.
Overall: A fairly basic schwarzbier that’s well brewed and serviceable.