Dark Isle Black Lager

Formerly brewed at Dark Isle Brewery
Style: Schwarzbier
Hobart, Australia

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Not exactly what I was expecting, first the stubby was filled to the brim, colour was ok red/tawny with mainly lasting off-white head, aroma was of tart fruit which was still in the taste just not as pronounced, too sweet for the style. First thought was of rhubarb but partner thought it was more dried fruit. Drinkable but!!

kind of weird, herbaceous/medicinal aroma’s dark reddish/black colour. Weird sweetness like sugar candy/redskin, slight molasses with little in the way of dark lager characters. Disappointing.

Dark red/black in colour with a thin light tan head. Quite a fizzy mouthfeel, Very little of anything when it comes to flavour. Slight sweet maltiness. Thin to medium bodied, average carbonation.

UPDATED: AUG 2, 2007 Reddish black in colour. Light brown head at first but this rapidly diminishes to nothing.Light to medium body. Low carbonation. Tastes way too sweet with malty, burnt toffee, and molasses/treacle flavours. Desperately needs a shot of bittering hops. It doesn’t taste bad as such, it’s just too sickly sweet.

Sweet hop malt aroma with flowers. Dark brown black colour with poor head and lacing. Sweet malt flavour. Fizzy palate.

21 Nov 05 - Harsh medicinal sweet aroma. Dark brown-black colour, awful head and lacing. Harsh metallic medicinal flavours. thinnish mouthfeel and lingering metallic harsh medicinal taste.

C’mon Tassie! Got to do better than this. Dark brown tending to black...text book. Subtle nose, very faint candy, fruity notes but nothing else. Empty palate, too much fizz (get the drift on this house...see my other notes) and buggar all flavour coming through. Disappointing.

I initially found it pretty exciting to get home and find a bunch of new Aussie micros I’ve never tried, but after a while the reality that I’m back in Australia certainly set in. It’s gonna be a long time until I drink lambic from the barrel again...
Anyway, this one is nice and black and clear with red highlights. Head retention akin to soft drink. Burnt toast, chocolate marshmallow aroma is good for a schwarzbier, but it gets a bit weird with sultanas and a vinous oakiness which really reminds me of Oerbier Reserva. Thin body and fizzy and relatively light flavour of roasty schwarzbier character, but it’s mostly lightly sour and bitter like an oud bruin or something. I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to taste like that, but whatever has happened to it has made it quite interesting. Seems like the schwarzbier underneath would be pretty interesting too, if a little mild.

Dark reddish black, blackberry on the nose. Mild chocolate and burnt toast taste, still with some of that blackberry which is exaggerated by the sweetness. Reasonably thin palate and a stupidly short dry finish. I could have liked this beer, but it’s got no body to carry the flavours.

Bottled. Dark brown, clear, near no head. Vague fruity bubblegum aroma. Chocolatey and medium sweet with clean mouthfeel. Lightly roasty and medium bodied with some molasses taking up most of the space in the finish, reducing the bitterness into near nothingness.