Dark Lager Tasting (May 13-15)

I was not planning on including a Vienna Lager style in my beers for this tasting, but since Schell’s Firebrick is one of the regular staples in my refrigerator (and, hence, was just sitting there), I just decided to include it. As an aside, I would have rather included Schell’s Dark – also classified as a Vienna Lager – due to its name, but I couldn’t find it in anything less than a 12 pack, and I wasn’t willing to buy that many.

Schell's Firebrick
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 24

The body is deep copper, clear, with good carbonation. The head is off-white, tall, but with only moderate retention. Nice looking lacing. This is a beautiful looker.

In the aroma I pick up a slightly toasty character with caramel, floral, and bread.

The flavor is rich for the ABV level. Malty with floral. Tastes of caramel and dark bread, slightly sweet. There is a low bitterness in the beginning and a stronger bitterness in the finish and aftertaste which serves to balance the overall malt-forward taste.

The body is moderately full and smooth with a slightly bitter finish. Nicely creamy on my tongue.

Overall, a very well-done to excellent Vienna lager.

L: 4.5 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.18

 

You're making me want one.

I gotta go beer shopping pretty soon to prepare for an anniversary weekend with my wife...

In fact, I might need a dark lager...

Hmm....

 

Darn it! Now I want on of those unfiltered Dunkels!

 

*drunk disclaimer*
Did this start?

 

Levante Brewing (West Chester, PA) - Cascadian Cryptid. Can label calls it a "German Style Schwarzbier".

Aroma is mild cocoa, toasted bread, earthy hops. Taste starts similar, but then more of a cola flavor, and has a bit of sweetness. Flavor has a bit of an odd finish, not sure if this staleness or not (no date on the can). Medium bodied. I took a chance on this one since there were only two Schwarzbiers at my local beer store, and it ends up a little disappointing after drinking the excellent previous beer I posted here.

 

You beat me to that one. Now I can't wait to try it! (I haven't had Von Trapp's Dunkel yet, but have a can in the fridge).

 

He must mean the unfiltered version. I should be posting a review of the filtered version this weekend. Or early next week, if the thread is still open.

 

Schlenkerla Fastenbier (or Lentbeer)


I saw that Rauchbiers were allowed in this thread, so why not go with a Schlenkerla?
We had rain today, and what goes with rain like a Rauchbier? Maybe an Islay or Island Single Malt, but this is about beer, not whisky.

This beer is definitely unfiltered and the yeast adds to body and I believe (but cannot prove) the flavor. It isn't as opaque as a hefeweizen nor some (other) Kellerbiers like Weihenstephan's 1516, aber es ist nicht klar.



16 oz can - brewed in Bamberg, canned in CT
Glass: 0.5L Mug
Temp at Pour: 50.2 F / 10.? C


Look:
Dark burnished copper that is slightly opaque and hazy. Initial 3-finger beige head that dissipates to a .25" consistent cover. Excellent lacing along the sides of the mug.

Smell:
Smokey and sweet (in a good way) with hints of salt. Some campfire. No discernable hops. Reminds me of sweet Lebanon style bologna. Sweet Lebanon-style deer bologna in particular (Lebanon as in Lebanon, PA)

Taste:
Follows the nose with more campfire. Bready malts and some toasted salted caramel. Some brown sugar notes. A light earthy hop bite presents itself. Smoke and earthy hops linger for some time as the malts slowly fade. Dries out at the end, making you want another sip. Nice.

Feel:
Slick and mouth-coating. Medium body that shades to the fuller side.

Overall:
A fantastic Rauchbier. Nicely balanced between the smoke, sweet/caramelly malts, and light hops. Very easy to drink for a Rauchbier. This one definitely lives up to its #1 ranking. This is one that I will try to keep on hand when possible.

 

Schlenkerla Fastenbier… one of my favorite liquids on the planet.

 

Kozel NA from Slovakia. Been a while since buying this last time, 500ml is generally a tiny bit too much for me. Well balanced, you have the malt and you have the bitterness, not too little of either. A bit more sweetness than in many beers. The can says it's authentic Czech taste, so now I know!



BTW, first time I have something else than the wall as a background, thanks for all the nice ones you've posted during the years! You can see leaves are already trying to come also up north.

 

Good morning BA!

Thanks a lot for all your efforts to organize this tasting

Had this beer last year for the first time and I really wanted to find another one for this tasting - succeeded!

Klosterbrauerei Andechs - Export Dunkel



Chestnut brown and absolutely clear. It's more reddish on the picture than it actually is.
2 finger ivory colored head with good retention.
Aroma is a nice balance between toasted dark bread, chocolate and some fruity elements of black cherries - nice!
Taste follows the nose with moderate carbonation and a soft mouthfeel. The dark bread flavors are quite dominant and I don't get much from the previously mentioned fruitiness.
Thin texture, a little bit too thin for my personal taste, but this beer knows how to shine with dark bready flavors and a long lasting aftertaste.
Poured at 7°C/44F. The warmer it gets the more do I smell and taste a hint of smoke that's rather on the campfire side.

Really good Dunkel!

Prost!

 

I had their cerny last fall and I loved it. It too had a touch of sweetness but well balanced and very drinkable and flavorful, all at 3.8%.

I haven’t found it since but the store does stock their lezak still. Which I also really enjoyed.

 

I love seeing the beers you and @Snowcrash000 post during these tastings, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that one over here.

 

Wow, Miller really has violated French Appellation laws concerning the word Champagne. It is a protected Burgundian Appellation. Oh, maybe there's a statute of limitation for legal action.....Anyway, the beer is pretty good but that slogan and its iconic history has really been excellent through the years.

 

Have you been seeing it every year -- maybe just draft? I haven't seen it in a few.

 

Never underestimate the power of the Schwartz!

Due to the generosity of a good friend for today’s NBW I have Tired Hands Trendler Schwarzbier.

I have had this beer in the past and below is how that beer was described:

“Trendler Schwarzbier is our Black Lager. Brewed with German Pilsner malt and Debittered Black Malt. Hopped entirely with Saaz personally selected by Jean in Germany last Fall. Brewed to honor and drink with Jean's grandfather, Joseph Trendler... that old son of a gun. Refreshingly stark notes of crisp malt, dried berries, black tea, and light toffee/toast. Man, we are so happy with this Schwarzbier and we thank you for digging into these delicate little numbers with us as we amplify our Lagerbier production.”

But for this version they decided to utilize Hersbrucker hops instead:

“Trendler Schwarzbier is our Black Lagerbier brewed with Pilsner malt, as well as a tasteful flurry of German specialty and dark malts. Hopped assertively with German Hersbrucker from our buddies in Bavaria, fermented with our house Lager yeast, and cold conditioned for four weeks. Extremely stark, restrained, and elegant, yet eminently crushable. Notes of black tea, medium toast, cinnamon raisin, Ethiopian coffee, and fertile earth. 5.5% abv.”

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Pours a very dark brown approaching black with a fluffy khaki colored head.

Aroma:

There is an interesting mix of malty aromas; a combination of dark bread, some roastiness and even a hint of chocolate.

Taste:

The flavors follow the nose with a combination of dark bread, some roasty flavor, some chocolate. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation and a pleasant off-dry finish.

Overall:

I really enjoyed drinking this beer!! It had a very pleasant mix of malty aromas/flavors. The highlight for this beer for me was what wasn’t there – the level of roasty was very subdued which is a quality that should exist for the Schwarzbier beer style in my opinion.

This beer has the quality that the Germans describe by the word süffig (drinkability).

Cheers!

 

@jonphisher Really appreciated!

Just to make things clear - I hope everyone knows that I'm not an expert in any fashion and a mostly well balanced (German) Dunkel can make it tough for me to detect the source of some flavors coming through.
I don't have 1% of the expertise of someone like @Snowcrash000 and you should know that!

Prost!