3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours a mostly opaque dark mahogany with a thin, wispy-lacing light tan head. Aroma of sweet toasty dark caramel and roasted malt with a touch of noble hops and dark chocolate. Body starts fairly full and semi-sweet with a good roasty dark malty flavor balanced with subtle bittering hops before a drier, smooth finish. Pretty true to style and very drinkable.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Radek’s bottle. I rally like the style. Not much roast,it is there, dark with a cape of a light brown head. Average mouthfeel. A good lager, you can drink a litre of his and if not share it with others.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
My Bottom Line:
Roasted and toasted cereals conjure up a creamy mouthfeel for this honest and very friendly Schwarzbier.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the dark brown.
-A discreet roasted malt and hop duo produce amenable bitterness.
-Some caramel sweetness is perceived in the flavor profile.
-The body is crisp and nourishing, a very drinkable vehicle.
-Overall, this might not be very complex, but it’s simplicity exemplifies the virtues of pure goodness.
Bottle.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bomber. Pours deep blackish brown with off-tan head. Nose is dark malt, cacao, Wheaties, pumpernickle bread. Tastes malty, with cacao, rye, slight oak and hops. Medium palate. Solid, and a style I see far too little of these days.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours dark brown with a white head. Smells of light chocolate, bananas, fuity. Tastes of roasted malt, brown sugar, some nice rich chocolatey hints. Excellent!
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Objectively speaking:
660mL from Half Time. Confident, aromatic and charming, friendly dark lager.
I like:
Focused on the dark malt character, neglecting the fruits, but doing so well at chocolate, roasted grains and soft toffee whispers that you just want to take it as it is and drink a lot of it. Remarkably drinkable for a lager of this bulk. Strinking a fine balance between sweet and dry. Just a touch of soft balancing hops.
I dislike:
Nothing of note here.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle 650 ml
Appearance: black , dark , mild haze , some brown hints , light fizzy top.2+
Nose: honey up front , brown malts , bit oily nose. Not very swarz like. 6-
Flavor/Palate : Lighter , soft , silky feel. Roasty character appears with time. Quiet drinkable. To creamy wity its softness too be proper for style , skip that and you will like it.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle. Pours a deep dark black to brown with a large creamy tan head. Sweet light cocoa, dark old fruit, plums, faintest hint of grain. I’m surprised at how good this smells since a number of their other beers really broke down over time, and this smells… tasty. Medium bodied, a bit of plastic and old cardboard finally do show up, but only after a soft bit of vanilla and toffee. Finishes with a bit more old cardboard and a soft grainy bitterness. Better than expected given the age.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: JAN 18, 2009 Bottle (22oz). Shared by blankboy with me, garthicus and GregClow. Deep clear ruby with a smallish fizzy-creamy tan head. Oily, roasty malt aroma, hints of light peat and/or smoke, quite nutty. The taste - lovely - smooth and somewhat light, but a terrific balance of dry smoke, light creamy/minty bitterness and tame near-burnt roast malt. Average of body, slick, only mildly carbonated, with a whisper of astringency from the smokiness - only a medium-length finish to this one, but overall a solid, solid effort, very drinkable.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
In short: A very hoppy Schwarzbier. Very good.
How: Tap at Vermont Brewers Festival 2008
The look: Black body topped by a small tan ring
In long: Malt and yeast profile is smooth and round reminded me a lot of Czech Republic Tmavys. Roastiness kept to a minimum, light burnt toast flavour, hints of chocolate, raisins, light molasses. But where this one stood out is in the hopping department. Dry grassy noble hops and fruity American style hops. Some lemony touches too. Long bitter finish with a light tartness. Not a very tasty beer but man could I drink pint after pint of this thing. This is an above average Schwarzbier adapted for the hop-loving American. The day of hoppy double cheeseburger is coming.
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