Schwarzbier
Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei

Had this vom Fass.

Dark roasted malts with a touch of chocolate. No noticeable bitterness. Very, very smooth and a tad creamy. Mouthfeel is medium-light. Very nice and quite easy to drink. Sorta reminds one of a German version of Guinness or Murphy's (and w/o the nitrogen). Low(er) ABV is welcome - one can enjoy more than one at a time.

 

 

 

 

 

Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei

Schwarzbier

Dark baker's chocolate malt upfront, root beer, chalky earthiness and Rollo's candies. Light and smooth but a bit thin.

3.30

 

Pours massive, lightly cream colored head, pitch black underneath. sticky lacing, smooth slightly sweet malt taste, clean dry finish. love revisiting this, and the price point is a homerun. would love to try on tap.

A: Black beer with a white head. This beer is too ark to se through but it is not cloudy.

S: Hints of coffee are in the aroma.

T: The taste of this consists of roasty notes with a nutty finish. Similar to a standard stout.

MF: Despite the color this beer has a light body. It has the flavor of a ark beer but is light an refreshing.

O: very nice beer. Especially if you enjoy the flavor of darker brews but also want something that is light bodied.

 

Roasted notes but not overpowering, no noticable bitterness. Tried in a bottle in Cologne.

Very good Schwarzbier! Almost mead-like sweetness to go with malty oats/barley. Decent carbonation but slightly weak. 500ml can, 4pk, very reasonable price as of 12-6-2022 of $8 USD

 

 

Appearance: Pours a black, nearly completely black color with a strong and massive light tan head that lingers. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong aromas of barley and grains upfront. Roasted wheat and oats. Not overly so. Then clean. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of barley and oats. Roasted grains before a light chocolate and coffee flavor. Finishes dry and clean. (4.00)

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation. A soft, fluffy and smooth mouthfeel and a clean, dry finish. (4.50)

Overall: A wonderfully authentic Schwarzbier here. Nice barley and grain flavors with a light roast. Hints of chocolate and coffee but mild. The greatness of this beer comes from the soft, malty mouthfeel. Fluffy, soft, and smooth from the malted grains. Incredibly drinkable which gives this one the authenticity of a true German Schwarzbier. (Rating: 4.12)

Appearance: Pours a black, nearly completely black color with a strong and massive light tan head that lingers. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong aromas of barley and grains upfront. Roasted wheat and oats. Not overly so. Then clean. (4.00)

Flavor: Strong flavors of barley and oats. Roasted grains before a light chocolate and coffee flavor. Finishes dry and clean. (4.00)

Feel: Medium-bodied, strong carbonation. A soft, fluffy and smooth mouthfeel and a clean, dry finish. (4.50)

Compared to BlackStack Required Reading 1/2023: Pours similar, milder head. Stronger aromas. More dark grains, black German malt. More flavors overall.

Compared to Bahaus/Hammerheart Schwarzbear 1/2023: Pours similar, stronger head. Milder aromas. More dark grains, black German malt. Less smokey and meaty.

Compared to Steel Toe Schwarzbier 3/2023: Pours slightly lighter, milder aromas. More German bread and yeast. Less dark chocolate and roast. Lighter, cleaner, and less roasted

Overall: A wonderfully authentic Schwarzbier here. Nice barley and grain flavors with a light roast. Hints of chocolate and coffee but mild. The greatness of this beer comes from the soft, malty mouthfeel. Fluffy, soft, and smooth from the malted grains. Incredibly drinkable which gives this one the authenticity of a true German Schwarzbier. (Rating: 4.12)

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 500 mL bottle into a Pilsner glass.

The beer pours nearly black with a few ruby highlights when held up to the light. An aggressive pour yields one to two fingers worth of tan head that slowly recedes into a thin cap.

The nose is comprised mainly of bready malts, with just a mild roastiness. There is also a mild grassy hop aroma that is barely noticeable.

The flavor is light and bready with subtle notes of roasted grains and coffee. No discernable hop presence. Medium/light bodied and moderately carbonated, the beer finishes dry.

Overall, this is a very nice beer. A great example of the style

 

 

0.5L on tap. Beautiful chocolate brown body with ample carbonation and a fluffy off-tan head. Caramel, light roast and coffee, some impressions of dark fruit, malty, toasty, roasted, sweet, smooth, and delicious.

 

Dark lager beer with strong color and incredible smell, notes of toasted malt, caramel and a bit of coffee... taste is a balance between sweet and bitter, not much body, which makes it very drinkable.

Very nice representation of a schwarzbier. Great roasted malt and grain flavors. Approaching a burned toast taste, but in a good way. Smell is amazing.

 

Another handsome black lager. Balanced between the cozy malt sweetness and the snap of hop bitterness. Kind of a comfort beer to be honest.

Had on Viking cruise. Very good black lager. Will look for this in the states

 

Finally cracked open a 500mL Kostritzer Schwarzbier, pouring a very dark brown, even clear black body. Ruby hues shine through the light, more dark ruby than a Guinness or a stout, but darker than even the most roasted dark lagers and ales. A finger and a half tan head appears and slowly recedes over a few minutes leaving a very spotty cap.

Unique aromas befitting the Schwarzbiers mix between a stout, dark amber ale, and similar beers. Not deeply roasted or burnt aromas here, pleasantly malty and bready grains are present. Slight grassy, noble hop bitterness is present as well.

If you served this beer to someone who hates stouts and dark beers, they’d try to refuse on appearance alone yet be very surprised by the pleasantly light palate. Noble hop bitterness is present forward, no roasted bitterness, but pleasant coffee notes dance well with the hops. A toasted, bready cereal malt backbone lies throughout the beer

Light in body, slightly less than moderate carbonation of tightly packed small bubbles, less prickly and more smooth, fairly creamy. Lightly bittersweet at the beginning, a mild finish that is bready and grainy.

Very enjoyable beer. I’d love to try a more fuller bodied Schwarzbier, but this is more refreshing than you’d think. Recommended for winter by most folks, I think this beer would be fine year round. Excellent beer for a super large, popular offering

The beer pours a solid black with an off white head that quickly dissipates and leaves just the slightest lace as the beer is consumed. The smell is surprisingly light, but full of roasted malted barley. The taste is pure roasted barley malt. It is roasted to perfection with no acrid after taste. There are just nice layers of bitterness. The feel is correct for the style, enough to break up the bitter, but not prickly on the tongue. Overall this is a very good black lager, that is quite drinkable and the ABV allows for more than one.