I don't think that I've had many black lagers. I have probably had more of them than some other, more obscure styles, but I note the lack of black lager in my life mostly because I tend to like them a lot. They are heavier than a regular lager, but they're not so heavy as to become a porter or the like. I've never heard of this brewery, and it is straight from Germany. Is that a good thing? I suspect it is. I respect the German purity law, and so does this brew. The one notable thing I would say about the bottle is the fact that this is 11.2 ounces. I don't know when a 12 ounce bottle became passé, but I want my extra 6/10 of an ounce.
First sip is dark and smoky, but somehow it manages to be relatively light. It's as if you took a good, solid lager and filtered it through a bunch of grates that had been used to hold firewood for years. Maybe you even submerged those grates for a while and filtered out any particulates. The result is a malty beverage that delights in its depths and its surprisingly bright shallows. It's a good sip, but will it translate to a gulp?
Tip-in is very, very minor carbonation with sweet malt abutting smoky fluid that contains hints of both chocolate and coffee. The middle sends carbonation into the mouth a little firmer, but it never gets to a full buzz as the sweet and almost thick beverage flows quietly yet resolutely down the gullet. The finish is smoky with tinges of earth, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Bottom Line: Simple and complex. It's a great combination.
4.0/5
