Style: Schwarzbier (Black Beer)
Location: Kulmbach, Germany
Alcohol Content: 4.9%
Price Range: Midrange
Ranking: 36
The Pour: Flip open the flip top lid and Voila'! A beautiful head, combined with a finely hopped aroma. I can already tell that this beer is going to be good! I used a Pilsner glass, so the beer wouldn't completely fit straight out of the bottle. After a "re-pour", the head stuck around long enough for me to say "Hey, it is still there".
The Drink: Imagine yourself in a small little Kneipe in Germany in the middle of winter. The local beer happens to be a dark concoction that looks like a porter, but tastes like a pilsner. You warm up to 3-4 of these on these cold winter nights, wondering where the time has gone. The schwarzbier immediately gave me that image. Fervently hopped, yet infused with a hint of roasted malt, this beer is very light and clean, whereas, at the same time, enables you to enjoy the robust characteristics of the hops and malt.
The Finish: I thoroughly enjoyed this brew. It was interesting, having had little experience with Schwarzbieren. Very complex notes hit throughout the drink. The complexity stemmed from the cleanliness of the finish, the release of little aftertaste (except for a small woody note), yet an explosion of flavor upon hitting the back of the mouth. Extremely interesting, and yes, extremely impressive. Me Like!
