Half Acre Magnus Schwarzbier

Brewed by Half Acre Brewery
Style: Schwarzbier
Chicago, Illinois USA

On tap at the Hopleaf. They had the alcohol listed as 7.9% Pours a brown black with a beige head. I wasn’t expecting too much here, as most schwarzbiers end up disappointing. Touch of roasted malts, nuts, brown sugar, and bakers chocolate. Flavors were similar with herbal hops that give it a fresh bite. This is what I want most schwarzbiers to taste like. I think I’m underestimating this brewery too much based on a few bad batches of over ale, everything else has been surprisingly solid. The hops that are subtle but tasty can be quickly lost in a short amount of time with their brews. That said, pick up a bottle of this soon.

Bomber from Sams/Binnys in Clybourn. Pours a dark shade of amber with a creamy tan head. Smells of toasted malt and licorice. Tastes of further malt, faint hops, baker’s cocoa, caramel, and vanilla. Are these house characteristics? Nice.

22 oz bottle of this that I picked up @ Binny’s next to Goose. Pours dark brown with tan head. Aroma of roast with slight hops. Roasted malt with chocolate flavor, decent brew. I still need to get to their place.

aroma is of licorice, light java and general roast. appearance is opaque center with caramelized edges. flavor is of licorice, strong vanilla that even overwhelms the present cocoa. touch of bitterness lingers on the center of the palate. lightly oily mouthfeel. pleasant beer with very well hidden ABV.

22oz bottle. Pours a clear but very dark reddish dark brown with a medium foamy slightly creamy beige head. Aroma is fruity, lager yeast, some cookie dough, light roast, hint of hops, smells somewhat English. Flavor follows, off-dry, weird mix of cookie dough, fruity sweetness, bit of ashy roast, quicker finish leaving some ashiness behind with a vacant aftertaste. Doesn’t seem like 7%. Actually, as I drink the alcohol numbs the flavors a bit. Medium bodied, glassy, larger carbonation, thin feeling.

Draft at Half Acre. Pours a deep brown/black, fairly clarified. Nose is roasty and pretty clean with some nice herbal noble hops present. On taste, rich and roasty with a chocolate backing and noticable bitterness from hops, though not much hop flavor. Pretty decent Schwarzbier. Nice.