The Arnold Schwarzbier
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

 

2L growler from the Century Park location, they of the tendency to just comp me one of these when I ask for a howler fill - hey, I'm not complaining. Always nice to try one of Gunther's Oliver Square German series, or whatever it is they're called. Not sure how this one differs from his Black Knight Schwarzbier effort from a few years back now.

This beer pours a clear, dark red-brick brown colour, with three fingers of puffy, chunky, and somewhat creamy beige head, which leaves some streaky and spackled lace around the glass as it lazily subsides. Not exactly 'schwarz', but still pretty enough.

It smells of grainy and bready smoked pale malt, singed apples and pears, a touch of earthy yeast, more free-agent ashiness, a minor black licorice sweetness, and some plain leafy, weedy, and floral noble hop bitters. The taste is gently toasted pale malt, a bit of biscuity toffee, bittersweet and nutty cocoa powder, muddled bruised pome fruit, a hint of waning black Twizzlers, and more gentle leafy, earthy, and floral green hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly tame in its at times barely palpable frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and actually quite smooth, the attendant smokiness not really seeming all that interested in being the fall guy here. It finishes off-dry, the lingering roasted caramel, mixed baked fruitiness, and ephemeral nutty chocolate thing presiding.

Overall, a rather pleasant and easy to put back (it had better be!) version of the style - not too smoky (but it's definitely there), and with a host of other genial and well-met flavour points. Ah, what the hell - this is the stuff you challenge the titular strongman to a drinking contest with - stomach-filing, yes, but containing a sensible and session-preserving ABV - or so I hope.