Black Lager
Idaho Brewing Company

Review: 2434
Name: Black Lager
Brewery: Idaho Brewing Company
Location: Idaho Falls, ID
Style: Schwarzbier
ABV: 5%
Canned: 2025
Date: 27 June 2025
Schwarzbiers are among my top five summer beers; they have the vibe of a stout but are not as heavy. My third beer from Idaho Brewing is sad, considering they are right down the road from me. I am using a Belcher glass and serving the beer at a temperature of 40 degrees. The pour created a frothy, foamy, creamy, two-fingered head with above-average retention. The somewhat slow dissipation left bits of lacing on the glass. The color is dark brown with reddish mahogany hues, charting at SRM 24, and semi-opaque. The appearance of the beer is above average for this style.
Nosing the glass, I detect dark roasted malts, light phenols, breadiness, caramel, anise, medium roasted coffee, chocolate, floral esters, pine resin, and herbal notes.
Sipping the beer, I taste chocolate, earthiness, light char, dark roasted malts, a floral bouquet, pine resin, herbal notes, medium-roasted coffee, caramel, light malt sweetness, and anise.
The mouthfeel is astringent, finishing crisp and dry. The body is light and has medium carbonation.
Final Thought: I enjoyed this black lager; I appreciated the hop profile, which was not overbearing but balanced well with the malt bill. The beer did have some char notes, but they were not assertive or bitter. Overall, this is a delightful beer that I wouldn't mind having a few glasses of at the brewery, perhaps while enjoying the sunset sometime this summer.

 

Taster at Eruption. Brown pour, spotty head and lacing. Aroma is toasty malts, sweet. Taste is sweet with the roast coming out a bit more, burnt toast.

Pours a clear brownish black with a finger and a half of head that settles to a thin cap with plenty of lacing. Aroma of roasted malt and molasses. Taste follows nose. Very nice.

A very solid offering from an Idaho brewery I know very little about; pours nearly opaque in the glass, dark brown with red highlights and a khaki-colored head. Roasted malty grains, mild coffee and dark fruits, cacao nibs, licorice, mild earthy hoppiness and present malt sweetness, good roast presence, medium-bodied, smooth finish.

very solid take on the style here, simple and well executed with some decent hoppiness to it. a nice shiny rich dark brown color with just a little light coming in and nice clarity, short tan head on top from the keg. it smells more roasty than german to me on the malt side, but with some noble hop spiciness too. smooth and milk chocolate forward, with just a little bit of sweetness in the grain, mostly in the center, before the bready german lager yeast rises up at the end to lead the flavor along with the roast, and dry this right out. its got some body but is light enough to drink, i appreciate the low alcohol and the tidy ferment, and i think this is quite professional in terms of execution. perhaps on the upper limit of hops for the style, bitter at the end with the hops and the roast, a light hint of pine, kind of wintery to me, love the flavor. maybe just a little light on carbonation, but i dont mind in this style as long as its not flat. nicely done overall, this is among their best beers i have had so far!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Per the menu:

"Light coffee and roast flavor with a smooth long finish. Light on body, but not on flavor. Noble Tettnang hops give a slightly spicy hop character. Three time Gold Medal winner."

Easily the best beer sampled. Dark, roasty and easy-drinking.