Dark Lager Tasting (May 13-15)

Ok, time to post. Beautiful day here in NJ. Drinking a local brewery Magnify No Limit. This is a Schwartzbier lager, 4.9%. Magnify has become kind of an IPA factory, plus desert stouts and thick sweet sour beers. Not my favorite so when they release things like a dark lager, I make it a point to buy. This one pours thick and black, like a stout. Aroma is of dark chocolate malts. Taste is almost smoky, chocolate, malty, delicious. Mouthfeel is very thick, especially for a 4.9% beer. Overall a great beer. Cheers!

 

That's a truly outstanding beer! I re-ordered it several times after the Lager Fest.

 

My next choice for the Black Lager Tasting is Köstritzer Schwarzbier. I've had this on draft a few times, but never from a bottle or can



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.

 

@meanmutt After I saw your post, I had to get me one of those on my way back from West Side. It will probably not happen today but I having this soon!

 

West Side...nice. You were in my neck of the woods.

Cheers!

 

It's really encouraging to see so much variety from US craft brewers. I would be curious to see all the entries pinned on a map. I suspect plenty would be in the Midwest.

 

Dos Equis Ambar Especial



Bright, clear color of deep orange marmalade with gold highlights. Very attractive with white cap that quickly fades.

Pleasant sweet malt forward aroma backed by caramel, toffee, light toast and a hint of spicy hops.

Taste of clean, caramely malt without any rough edges or roast malt bitterness. It is designed to be popular and in that I think it succeeds. Malty Vienna style with just enough hop presence to keep things interesting. It taste good and makes friends easily.

Perhaps at it's best accompanying food but works as a stand alone as well.

 

Luke, I Am Your Lager from Grainworks Brewing in West Chester OH (just north of Cincinnati). They call it an "Imperial" Black Lager. ABV 5.7% per print on can.
Got this single 12oz from Jungle Jim's with a canned date of 04/20/2022
Dark brown, almost black color, with a finger thick khaki head, fair retention.
Good malty character with nice chocolate notes.
Body light to medium with moderate carbonation.
I like it!

Please excuse the profanity on the glass, it was a gift for my birthday last year

Prost BA's!

 

Cloudy? Really?

 

I’m my experience most German beers do hold up very well. I think they may know their way around lager

 

I often use the term 'meaty' to describe smoked beers that smell like smoked meats (e.g., bacon, ham, smoked sausage, etc.) and I am personally not a fan of this 'type' of smoky flavor. I have heard/read that sometimes as the beer ages this sort of aspect can get 'enhanced'.

When a smoked beer has a nice campfire quality to it, those are the sorts of smoked beers I enjoy drinking.

Cheers!

 

Von Trapp Vienna Lager

I decided to stay with Von Trapp for this afternoon's beer. This time, though, I went with their Vienna Lager, another one from of theirs that I haven't had before.

I found the beer to be a tad more dry and more bitter than other Vienna Lagers than I have had. But it is a solid brew nonetheless.


12 oz can
Glass: 0.4L Mug
Temp at Pour: Mid 54.4 F (I may ahve t
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 33

Look:
Clear golden-hued copper with a 3-finger off white pillowy head. The head dissipates quickly to a spotty and inconsistent cover.

Smell:
Lightly toasted grains and sweet doughy bread. There is a very light honey note along with a mild citrus and lemony one.

Taste:
Similar to the nose, with an added floral hop bite that while noticeable is not overly strong. The bitterness lingers on into a dry finish, making one want another sip.

Feel:
Crisp and dry. Body is between medium and light.

Overall:
A nice, easy-drinking beer. The bitterness is a tad higher than I am used to in a Vienna Lager, but it isn't too much and it dries things out nicely.

 

Dark Lager from Karrikin in Cincinnati
Pitch black color and a massive brown head that dissipates rather quickly.
Aroma of dark chocolate. Taste follows suit with roasted malts and a slightly bitter finish.
Light body with ample carbonation.

 

@Snowcrash000 -- are you using the term "cloudy" correctly? In a beer, cloudy means it's hazy with unfiltered or unsettled proteins or yeast and you can't see through it -- even with a flashlight.

Hefeweizen is cloudy, Schwarzbier shouldn't be. Dark, maybe opaque in color from dark malts, but it should be clear.

 

Okay man, but cloudy doesn't really fit. Just sayin', I was sort'a confused that a good German lager wouldn't be clear.

 

A little late to the party, just under the wire.
Praga Dark Lager by Prvni Budejovichy Pivovar Samson of scenic Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. That was a mouthfull.
A well made Euro Dark Lager with lots of roasted malt. I'm liking this beer more than I thought I might. Cheers.


3.69/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by Amendm from Florida

An easy pour from an 11.2-oz. bottle released a fat finger of creamy tan foam with long retention and blotches of lacing.
Clear chestnut brown body with reddish brown highlights.

Roasted malt greets the nose with dark bread, baked apples and figs. Faint herbal/floral hops with a hint of baking spice.

Semi-sweet with medium-low bitterness, roasted character leads the taste. The taste matches the smell except that the hops are much more noticeable. The finish is fast, but I wouldn't say crisp. The roasted malt taste lingers as hop bitterness rises to a bit above average.

Medium light bodies with soft, plentiful carbonation. Not as mass produced in flavor as I guessed, lots of malty goodness with a rich and balanced feel. Matches style guideline very well. Session-able easy drinker.

 

Oh, goody. I was not aware the Bruery did dark lagers. Using their beer finder I see it should be available at the Slavic Shop about 5 miles away. I have always been curious about this place. I now have a good reason to check it out.