Kaiserdom German Dark Lager

Brewed by Kaiserdom Privatbrauerei
Style: Schwarzbier
Bamberg-Gaustadt, Germany

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Clear ruby brownish with medium beige head. Lacing. Aroma..roasted malts, caramel, coffee, bread, cardboard Sweetish. Smooth and quite dry. This one was quite decent. Thou I am disappointed in kaiserdom

1.0 L big ass can bought at Park N’ Shop Superstore in Fanling.

Clear opaque black colour; One finger head and beige foam which fades in 40 seconds; Small sticky lacing and notable carbonation; Aroma of black coffee, roasted malt and dark chocolate. Taste of roasty dark malt, black coffee, light toffee, dark chocolate, nuts, slight metallic (inoffensive), and hint of citrus / grass; Light body, watery with smooth milky palate; Taste profile is prominently roasted dark malt and black coffee, with light touch dark chocolate, all underlined by thin body yet sharp, milky palate throughout; Hoppiness is no smell, very light in citrus taste and barely detectable bitterness. No finish. Barely dry after taste, very easy and slightly creamy to mouth.

Comments: A typical Schwarz with smell, taste and mouth feel all on a mute side and in pretty low dose. A bit too watery for me, yet it was made up by pretty nice creaminess and good roastiness. Very quaffable if a bit too ordinary.

0,5L bottle. Light grain and hop aroma. Light smoky caramel. Little musty. Usual. Nothing special.

Feb 2012 - Not bad, very mild, slight maltiness - not much to dislike but not unique or particularly tasty either

500ml bottle from local supermarket. Almost black, with a (quickly dissipating) large frothy head. Strong malt aroma and flavour, with some roasting. Creamy texture, soft carbonation.

Bottled 0,50L Dark impenetrable color, very deep aspect with a nice and elegant creamy nut head of long persistance. Very roast aroma, notes of braced malt and wood, ash, cask. Prickly and lively taste, very bitter palate with notes of roast resin and braced malt, long bitter final.

500ml bottle. Jet black-ruby colour, foamy beige head leaving some lacing and aroma of roast malt & chocolate. Taste is sweetish dark malt, caramel, raisins, chocolate, with an underlying earthy dry bitterness. Light bodied with soft carbonation. Quite OK.

After reading the several reviews on this particular brew, its safe to say that the overall oppinioins towards Kaiserdom Dark is of "meh, not bad, better than a Stella". Far be it for me to disagree with the general consensus, obviously this beer is not the finest example of the style available, and I would concur in light of offerings such as Kostritzer, Krombacher Dark and a particularly cheeky number brewed by a English lager specialist called Calvors. So, what can be said about Kaiserdom Dark? I may be biased seeing as I am rapidly developing a penchant for the Dark Side in my beers of choice, but I honestly believe Kaiserdom is still a solid schwarz. Is it black as night when poured? Check. Does it have a decently foaming head with lingering lacing? According to the remnants in my Kostritzer latte glass, check (although by some form of thermodynamics, or possibly coincidence, the colder it is, the poorer the overall effect). Aesthetically speaking, Kaiserdom Dark is just as un-bashfully sexy looking in glass wear as all schwarzbiers. Moving on to olfactory proceedings, on first cracking and pouring Kaiserdom Dark, there is a definite hint of roasted malts on the nose, more assertive coffee elements present if the beer is served slightly warmer than traditional pils temperatures. There is also some liquorice hints and and the suggestion of some form of chemical astringency from the bottle...glass detergent sealed during the crown capping perhaps? Have imbibed a fair few of these in the past with no astringent smells, hence the detergent theory. So, all well if a little muted so far, what about in the taste? I find that kaiserdom is a rather well rounded beer, with a highly pleasant , if somewhat understated blend of coffee and molasses on the front, liquorice and very, very subtle smoked notes on the middle (more evident if you intake air as you would tasting wine), finishing with a subtle, choppy bitterness and almost a slightly sweet-and-sour note which strangely enough lends to a surprisingly refreshing taste experience. In terms of body, Kaiserdom Dark has a carbonation level typical for the style, giving a rocky refreshing counterpoint to the predominantly sweet roasted molasses, however the medium-to-thin body may be off putting in the extreme to stout fans. Overall? I genuinely do very much like Kaiserdom Dark. It is the beer I would gladly see on draft in pubs and instantly make it one of my trusty go-to beers with no reservations, however when racked against Czech dunkels such as Budvar or Bernard Dark or more refined schwarzbiers such as Kostritzer, I can understand the apathy on this board. As a go-to safe bet beer however, a winning act once again in my books. Happy supping!

Very dark body, small head. Aroma has a littlebit scent of chocolate and honey. Taste is a little to plain for me, watery. Not much personality in this beer.

Bottle. Very dark brown body. Large tan head with excellent retention. Nose: smells cheap. Lots of caramel, but also notes of chocolate, red fruit, smoky and roast flavours. Some alcohol. Taste: very bitter. Dirty finish.