Keweenaw Widow Maker Black Ale

Brewed by Keweenaw Brewing Company
Style: Schwarzbier
Houghton, Michigan USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Poured a dark brownish black colour with a small light brown head. Aroma is semi sweet, dark roasted malts, brown sugar and coffee beans. Taste is pleasent, but very light on the palate. Initially taste is slightly metallicy, withhlavors of black licorice and smoke.

Small pour (approximately 3 oz.), on tap at Gitchee Gumee Brewfest in Superior, WI on 4-5-08. This was the eleventh of 12 beers that I rated (out of about 20 total beers that I tried). Listed as merely "Keweenaw Black Ale," so I’m not entirely sure it’s the same beer as "Widow Maker." That said, the description is similar to the one I remember from the festival. I don’t think this beer should be classified as a schwarzbier, which I think of as being a style of lager. Props to Keweenaw for canning (although I don’t think this particular beer is canned). Sweet, caramel aroma. Pours a dark brown with an amber hue. Small amount of beige head. Light flavors: Caramel, some tartness. Pleasant but simple taste. Smooth in the palate.

On tap at the brewery. Pours a mostly transparent, blackish color with transparent hues of tannic amber and a thin layer of quickly dissipating off-white soapy foam. Dark malt aroma with a metallic bite; somewhat toasty, but thin. Light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel. Not a whole lot of flavor going on here; this tasted like a bland blond ale with some black malt tannins leeched in for color purposes only. Not much malt depth or flavor, but lots of metallic bite. Astringent, dry finish. This batch is evidently missing the sweet character that previous batches had. That usually is a good thing for my palate, but in this case, I feel it just makes the husky grain astringencies and metallic flavors all the more degrading. I really wanted this to be good, but it wasn’t.

(GABF05) Crystal clear dark brown body with a tan head. Aroma is medium sweet, nutty, caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, nutty, caramel. Watery light-medium body with a bit of stickiness. A bit too sweet.

a rather thin malty schwarzbier, on draft at the brewery in houghton. worth seeking out because it’s the darkest beer they put out, but beers like this are not going to do what keweenaw wants to do, which is turn beer drinkers into craft beer aficionados. glad i tried it anyway!

UPDATED: AUG 19, 2005 Fruity malt aroma. Deep dark brown clear pour, with decent off-white head. Sugary, with a good hops profile. Finishes with a dry malty smack. Very peaty and earthy. After taste is a rough rich combo of earth and malt.