Cerveza Negra
Xicha Brewing

Pours a dark walnut brown with little light transmission in the glass and one finger light khaki head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma is dark bready malt, mild molasses, dark bread and cocoa. Flavor is bready malt, dark bread, cocoa, mixed nuts; mild grassy hops and a slight astringency in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. A pleasant Mexican style dark lager that hits all the expected flavor points of the style with a good malt depth. Mouth feel is better than average for the style. My second brew from this small brewery and another one that was well done. I'll stop in here again when I'm near Salem. These guys charmed me right away on my last pass through this city; very few breweries there had cans or crowlers and I used up my glass growlers long before I even got to all the breweries. I walked in here to see a cooler filled with their cans: I was a fan before even trying the beer.

 

Look: Almost black on the pour and deep ruby red when held to light with a nice-looking tan head that pillows up and slowly craters, leaving awesome lacing behind
Aroma: Freshly baked brown bread, light chocolate notes, caramel, wafts of earthiness, and a nutty note as well
Taste: Starts off with rich bready malt and a ton of it. Layers of bread, toasted bread, raw dough, and lightly toasted grains all in the mix and slowly joined by waves of chocolate, caramel, and a nice nuttiness. Earthy hops in the background but present throughout and closes with more bread
Mouthfeel: Full, very clean throughout, smooth, medium-high carbonation, and finishes smooth, soft, and clean
Overall: This is really good stuff. I love a good Dunkel lager and this is a very tasty and well-made example of one throughout – awesome malt profile, great feel, balanced, and ridiculously easy to drink. Highly recommended

Unknown age bottle poured into a pint glass. Really nice thick soapy 1 finger head, not too much carbonation, and a beautiful crystal clear mahogany color. The aroma is subtle but gives more as you go, peppery lager, and a touch of grass and corn. The taste is fantastic, crisp and strong in the funky grass notes, Mexican style lager corn touches, and a finish on some light, and distinctly bitter but fruity, dark malt. This brew also has a more full and robust body than I am used to in most lagers, not thin in the slightest, just right I would say.

This is a well done take on dark lager... the style is in my opinion notoriously hard to do justice, and this was an excellent brew as my first beer from Xicha. Give this one a try for sure!