Wiseacre has been consistently average or above, and their best beer was the epitome of what I look for in a pilsner. When it comes to these black lagers, I'm not sure I've had enough to really know what to look for, but I know what I like in a beer, and these are similar to a stout in many ways, and goodness knows I love those. So, let's see what this Tennessee brewery has offer.
A schwazbier is a black a beer by definition of the term, and this one mostly pulls it off. It is a very clear beer in the center, and photons can get through to let you see the red hue that fills the black void. There was so little head that I could fit the entire beer into the glass in the first try, and that head doesn't stick around long, leaving only a lily pad of bubbles in the middle. The aroma is light coffee and chocolate with roasted grains. This is what you really get in the lager rather than a stout (which is technically an ale) - malt heaviness.
First sip is sweet added to the coffee and chocolate like someone has tried to cut the bitterness of them with an all natural sweetener that is a sugar or agave replacement. The sweetness is not mixing well with the flavors that it's trying to diminish, and the result is an uneven experience. I'm not sure that I out right dislike this, but this is not going to quickly become one of my favorites.
Tip-in is an almost tart fruit peel mixed with the off-center sweetness that is laying on top of light coffee and chocolate. The middle becomes watered-down, but coffee and chocolate are still ruling the roost. The finish includes earth with the toasted malts before the strange sweetness comes back for a swansong and we get fruit rinds for the trail off. It gets much better as it gets a little warmth in it.
Bottom Line: Not bold enough to be offensive.
2.5/5