Faust Schwarzviertler Dunkel

Brewed by Brauhaus Faust zu Miltenberg
Style: Dunkel/Tmavý
Miltenberg am Main, Germany

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Today’s contestant is their Schwartzviertler Dunkel. [As an aside, I noticed Brauerei Faust finally updated their website to acknowledge the existence of their specialty beers, as well as having their own online shop now, where you can get their "Rare Beers" from them cheaper than from Biershop Bayern.] On the back label: Fiery, dark beer specialty with selective special malts. Roast malts aromatic with light smokey caramel and bitter chocolate notes. Full-bodied drink with a dry finish. I’m not so wild about the statement of ingredients which lists hop extracts. I don’t care what other breweries, craft or otherwise, use, but to me this is selling out for profit. Also notice the best buy date is July 3, 2013, only 6 months from now. Let’s see if their hype stands up to reality. I read about it the Schwarzviertler Dunkel in this month’s Brew Your Own, which doesn’t have an online link, yet, but probably will after their next month’s issue comes out. All I could find is their blurb for the article: The Faust Brewery in Miltenberg, Germany brews a “shady” dark lager, similar to a dunkel, but employing some unusual techniques and ingredients. They published a recipe for this beer, which some dude with a blog tried his hand at brewing, and he posts the recipe for 5 gals: 20 ounces Munich Malt 9 ounces Smoked Malt 3 ounces Carafa III Malt 6.6 pound Munich liquid malt extract 1 ounce Perle hops (8.9% alpha acid) White Labs 833 German Bock Yeast In the BYO article, they say the name Schwarzviertler comes from the fact that is the name of the neighborhood brewery, which sits under sandstone cliff, not allowing the sun to get in, hence the "shady" above. Schwarz = black, Viertel = neighborhood/quarter, so Schwarzviertler = someone/thing who comes from the "black neighborhood." In Miltenberg, which I’ve visited a few times over the years, and is only 50 minutes by car from FfM, this basically is a picturesque, narrow road of old, 400 or less years old, Fachwerkhaüser, or half-timbered houses, about a mile long. Now let’s drink this beer. The color is dark brown amber with lots of red tints. The color is not as dark as I expected, but it’s fun to look through. Aroma is full of malts, Müncher and Pils malts with caramel and a little hops. The taste... wow! Malty with Pils taste but so much more. A tiny hint of smoke and some sweet, somewhat chocolatey aftertaste. Bitterness is there, not so much from hops, but it’s still there. It’s not too thin, either. It’s got a great mouth-feel, giving a cozy, lovely feel over the tongue. Overall, a lovely, very complex beer. The only disappointment is that my girlfriend likes this beer so much that I have to open another bottle just to finish this taste-test. Again, wow... it’s sweet, with light chocolate hints, malts and a bit of smoke, but not the majority taste, with just enough hop bitterness to balance it well. It doesn’t taste at all like a Pils at all, but it doesn’t taste like like an ale, but really close. I love this beer and I hope everyone gets to chance to drink it. The regular beers from Faust may not be world beaters, but the Schwarzviertler is a really unique beer. It’s worth ordering or finding a bottle and experiencing this wonderful beer.

UPDATED: MAY 8, 2013 Serving: from bottle--purchased at Allendörfer. Aroma: lightly malty. Appearance: large, frothy, light-brown, initial head with fair lacing and fully diminishing longevity. Clear, red body. Taste: lightly sweet, initial flavor and moderately sweet, caramel/chocolate/roasty finish with average duration. Palate: medium body, watery texture and lively carbonation. Overall: very good. Great taste. ------ from tap at Brauereigaststätte Schlappeseppel. Aroma: lightly malty with strong, cherry overtones. Appearance: average-sized, frothy, off-white, initial head with fair lacing and fully diminishing longevity. Clear, dark-red body. Taste: moderately sweet, malty, initial flavor and lightly sweet, cherry finish with short duration. Palate: light-to-medium body, oily texture and soft carbonation. Overall: It tasted much better from the tap. Really unique, complex flavor and outstanding palate.

Bottled@omhper. Deep ambery brown colour, small off-white head. Aroma is nutty, a bit grassy and some slight toasted notes. Flavour is toffee and some mild wooden and caramelly notes.

Don’t worry everyone, I have alternative arrangements, you can make sure I’m at the Old Mo afterwards. I’ll be good for Wednesday, promise. Dark, the missus liked it. Love the Faust labels, so strong. I have a Faust glass too to drink it in, which is nice.

Bottled, from biershop-bayern.de. Clear nut brown, creamy head. Aroma of coffee with cream. Mid sweet with medium body and well rounded mouthfeel. Slight grainy malt, gentle and fruity. Low bitterness. Mild and pleasant.

Bottle from Cotteridge Wines, Birmingham. Rather a pleasurable Dunkel: some nut, some brown bread, some gestures towards a green leaf spruce bush sour edge. Dry in the right places. Full, yet smooth.

I’ve tasted many a dunkel that have blown me away This wasn’t one. It’s a solid effort . But middle of the road for a very good genre. No strong dark flavours you would associate with this type of beer. Mild bread , yeast and chocolate. Not bad though.

Poured a dark amber color with a head that disappeared . Caramel and roastedness on the nose. Flavor was full body, with caramel, nutty, and bready notes.

50cl bottle. Brown colour with a nice and good formation of an off-white head, creamy, frothy, large. Aroma is nutty, sweet, malty and slightly caramelish. Flavour is slightly sweet, notes of dry fruits, moderate bready and a final slightly caramelish with notes of toasty malts. Carbonation is medium. Body is medium.