Bohemian Black Lager - Spoetzl Brewery

makersmarkers

Texas

3.6/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A year or two ago, my local package store had a special price for this particular brew from the good folks at Shiner, and I went home with two cases. My college roommate and I went through them in time and with no complaints, but it wasn't compelling enough for me to buy again. And now, many beers and many attempts at calibrating and refining my pallete later, I'm drinking Shiner Bohemian Black Lager once again.

This particular bottle came from a case of Shiner's Family Reunion variety pack and was poured into a double-walled Bodum glass. This is the first time I've actually seen the beer itself! Those two cases we put away so long ago were drank straight from the bottle. It is a dark brew, the color of cold-brewed coffee. It immediately formed a thin tan head which quickly vanished. No lacing whatsoever. Lifting the glass to my nose, I smell malt and a faint suggestion of caramel and sweet chocolate.

I am surprised by the taste. There's a lot going on here: caramel is the most prominent flavor, but there's also strong notes of bourbon with all of its corn sweetness and kick. Sweet pumpernickel bread. Pine bitterness from the hops is present but mild. Crisp, dry finish with lingering notes of carbonization from the roasted malt, ash, or smoke. This beer is light on the tongue, sessionable and very drinkable with moderate carbonation.

I'm looking forward to tasting this beer again as I work through the case, and I will certainly buy it again someday. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 02:45:10 | More by makersmarkers

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.49/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a mug. Pours a light black with a small brown head that dissipates very quickly. Smells of dark roasted grain, maybe a touch of coffee, but with sweet sugar. Tastes of dark roasted grain, slight caramel or chocolate taste. Beer is slightly under carbonated, but still goes down for its light body. Overall, a slightly above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 03:46:01 | More by cyclonece09

Drew966

Florida

3.29/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager pours a reddish brown with a thick tan head from a brown twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is a bit grainy and a bit malty. The flavor is mild, mostly malty and kind of a one note type thing, being that there doesn't seem to be any complexity to the flavor. Pleasant enough, but there are better examples of they style out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 21:25:12 | More by Drew966

Billolick

New York

3.29/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle, part ofthe newly arrived Shiner mix 12 pack box.

Pours near black, darker tan head that stays a spell. Leaving moderate strands of stick.

Nose is mildly of dark malts and a hint of coffee.

Dark malts, some dusty dark chocolate and some cola and thats about it. On the thin and watery side. Nothing special going on here as seems to be the case with all the shiner brews. Almost craft beer. One and done..

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 00:54:38 | More by Billolick

Bockrules

New Mexico

3.91/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

poured from the bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a used motor oil black with garnet highlights when held up to the light. Streams of small bubbles rush to the creamy, dense, two-finger, tan head. Head stays intact all the way down the glass, the behind a lush wall of sticky lacing on the bottom half of the glass.

S - A hint of maybe crystal and chocolate malt upon opening the bottle with light, earthy hop notes. More chocolate notes emerge once in the glass.

T - A bit of chocolate malt upfront. The body is slightly roasted chocolate on a background of sweet crystal (?) malt with enough earthy hop notes to balance everything out. A little bit of chocolate and bitterness as the beer passes over the tongue leads to a sticky dark chocolate and earthy hop finish.

M - Medium bodied with enough carbonation to keep the beer lively and slightly creamy. Quite good actually.

Having reviewed the other 5 varieties that came in the Shiner variety pack I bought last year, and coming up with several scores in the low 3's, I wasn't expecting much. Turns out I saved the best for last, as this beer turns out to a gorgeous, solidly tasting brew. It is by no means complex, but the chocolate notes and hops are dolled out in the right proportions and the mouthfeel is pretty creamy. I don't know if the year of cellering helped, but I would gladly buy a six of this to find out.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 06:07:59 | More by Bockrules

Gmann

New York

3.03/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a cola like brown color with a moderate sized bubble khaki head that settles into a solid ring.

The aroma is sweet mostly from a grainy scent. There is some steely caramel notes; fairly strong metallic aroma. No real roast aroma.

The taste is quite grainy and seems to have an adjunct type flavor. There is a slight chalky roast flavor in the finish but other than that you would think that this is a macro lager. Some caramel sweetness. On par with the Guinness black lager.

The beer has a light body with fizzy carbonation. It drinks very easy and the slight roast bitterness doesn't impede the drinkability. Nice balance on the palate for a brew that you can pound back.

The beer doesn't taste bad but really not much of a schwarzbier. An introduction to what roasted malt tastes like.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 18:27:16 | More by Gmann

mjurney

Texas

3.91/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Black color, ruby red highlight. Thick frothy head.

Aroma:
It's very mild, roasted malts, some sweetness, a little chocolate.

Taste:
Malty, brown bread, roasted, caramel sweetness, some coffee. Hop bitterness is mild. Finish is crisp and semi-dry. Body is light-medium, silky, crisp.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 22:53:54 | More by mjurney

kshizzle101

Washington

3.41/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass

A - pitch black with a 3 inch off-white head which goes away rather quickly. minimal lacing

S - roasted malts, chocolate, slight caramel, slight hops

T - burst of chocolate up front followed by caramel and roasted malts. slight hop note at the end. light on flavor

M - medium bodied, good carb

Overall - not worth your time or money, you could do much better for the same style beer at the same price. this is at least drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:36:49 | More by kshizzle101

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a nice coffee color, not totally pitch black but close enough, finger head with very little lacing.
S - Smells very good, chocolate and coffee roasted malts, and lager yeast with some euro hop scents.
T - Taste falls a little short, but for a black lager its still refreshing, you get some bite from the hops and the dark malty texture.
M - Smooth like a lager should be, with the roasts lasting a while.
O - A good and very drinkable black lager, not too complex, but decent.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 17:49:50 | More by Omnium

StJamesGate

New York

3.51/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Black that's garnet in light and loose tan froth.
Flinty grain and ashy roast on the nose - light. A touch of sugary licorice, too.
Sweet licorice twists, a sweet roasty hit and mild grassy hops.
Camp coffee finish and tingly linger.
Thin, crisp, round.

Watery, too sugary and not enough bite, from hops and roast both. But hey, it's Shiner, so this is made for easy sunshine drinking. A great gateway lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:38:47 | More by StJamesGate

steveh

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Hadn't tried this, but Spoetzl continues to surprise me with their specialty brews and I had a taste for something dark and smooth.

Since Spoetzl is calling this a "Bohemian" Black Lager, I thought I'd review with a lean more toward Ron Pattinson's description of a Bohemian rather than just following the Schwarzbier definition.

From Ron:
11-12º dark - Tmavý Ležák (Lagerbier). 4.5-5% ABV. Vary quite widely in flavour from very sweet beers similar to Austrian Doppelmalz to dry, roasty beers more akin to a Schwarzbier. Mostly only have a quite subdued hop character.

A -- Deep, dark black -- but clear enough to see vague ruby highlights. Tan head that settles rather quickly, but revives well.

S -- Smooth, roasted malts -- coffee-like in character. Some mild breadiness sneaking through - also some vague DMS with warming.

T -- Roasted character up front with some vague graininess. Roasted characters blend into a lightly sweet breadiness that quickly gives way to a bitter finish. Aftertaste is a good blend of roasted malts and mildly sweet bread crust.

M -- Mouthfeel is smooth with a light-medium body. Maybe the lightest astringency from the roasted malts. Finishes dry.

O -- Not a Munich Dunkel by any means, but a smooth beer with roasted character. This is a great textbook of style in the Schwarzbier category -- whether German or Bohemian. Big flavor at 4.9% Spoetzl surprises yet again.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 21:31:39 | More by steveh

Estescj2002

4.65/5  rDev +34%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Ok I'm Sorry but this is be best black lager I have ever drank in the U.S. I have been to 21 countries and have tasted a lot of beer. But without a doubt this beer is smooth and satisfying; it taste just like a few beers in Ireland I had!!! I live in Madison, Alabama and we can not buy it around here, I have to drive north for about two hours to get it and its worth the trip!!! I wish I could find it closer!! I guess why I like it do much is because it reminds me of a true taste outside the U.S.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 03:31:34 | More by Estescj2002

Immortale25

Florida

3.61/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Florida Beer Co. tapered glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a 1/2 inch light tan head that retains a bit before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a light strip of surface foam. Slippery lacing slides down the glass.

S- Crisp, refined lager aroma with some faint roasted malt. Slight note of chocolate.

T- Subtle roasted malt flavor with a hint of smoke and chocolate. Mild hop taste creates some balance. Alcohol is barely noticeable thus providing high drinkability.

M- Such a light body for a beer as dark as this. Feel is a tad chalky and dry. Medium carbonation.

O- Decent for a Shiner product but I've definitely had better schwarzbiers.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 02:23:48 | More by Immortale25

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.3/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very dark chestnut brown with a thin light brown head that dissipates to a thick ring around the glass and light lacing. Aroma of toasted and light bready malt, hint of chocolate. Flavor is attenuated toasted malt with hints of coffee and grassy hops. Light bodied. I got hopeful as I poured this, because it looks pretty good, but this is really light flavored, almost tastes watered down. Too bad because the basic components seem nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:57:00 | More by LiquidAmber

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This pours a dark brown color with a beige colored head. The aroma has some sweet malts to it, but that’s about it. The taste is simple and perhaps weaker than expected. There is a taste of chocolate and roasted malts but it is weak. Overall this is a very sweet, easy drinking taste that is smooth refreshing. Could use a little more boldness, but that’s just me.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 03:35:55 | More by Lemke10

AzImbiber

3.43/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I went from bottle to gut, no glass. Bought on sale at local grocer.

Unsure what "shwarzbier" actually means, as labeled (I should look it up..). This beer is definitely a try at a darker lager. Smells great: chocolate, coffee, citrus. Better than all the other Shiner products, in my opinion, since this beer actually seems to have discernible alcohol content.

Finishes quite nice with the low sour tones on back of tongue. Goes down thin in spots. Thin means sometimes you taste through to the base. I think I taste corn syrup. Let me put it this way--with Sam Adams I know what I'm getting; I can abide. Shiner's Black has that welcoming aromatic smell, after prying the cap off, and a great mouthful. And another great mouthful. Sam is the same way, but the heaviness is streamlined for usage, meaning there's a crispness and lightness that Shiner's Dark doesn't have. My comparison here is simply about enjoyable consumption and nothing else. No real carbonation or chatty head here with Shiner'S Dark...just the meat...and the meat is workable but not a lager-lover's dream...

Objective as I can get. I drink lighter lager for fun but dark is a treat. If it's as low as 4.99 go for it. If 5.99 or more, no.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 03:37:52 | More by AzImbiber

MattSweatshirt

Texas

3.08/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dumped really hard into a big ol mug generating a hefty off white head on a dark bodied beer with orange and amber highlights at the bottom. Berry nice looking.

Mild aroma of roasty toasty coffee, caramel, and some hop character.

Flavor is mild as well. Basically that roasted malt coffee flavor. Nice but I want more like I get in a Schwärzla or Köstritzer.

Light watery body with a touch of prickly carbonation.

One of my favs as far as the Shiner lineup is concerned.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 00:17:49 | More by MattSweatshirt

babayaga

2.76/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

From a 12 oz bottle into a pilsner glass.

Appearance- Pours with a decent off-white head, body is black with a bit of ruby showing.

Aroma- Slight roasty malts, that's about it.

Flavor- Coffee, light bread, slight bitterness. A ~woody component. Maybe licorice. Short finish.

Mouthfeel- Watery, moderate carbonation.

I've only had two schwarzbier, and this is my least favorite of the two.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 18:22:08 | More by babayaga

TCMike

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a glass it produced a 1 finger, creamy head. The beer color is a very dark brown.

The aroma was of roasted malts, and bread.

The taste was similar but with a hint of chocolate, lager yeast taste, and a slight hop bitterness on the end, ( which quickly faded). Medium mouth-feel, a low-medium carbonation.

This is a very good, and easy drinking beer. Got as part of the family pack. I need to find a store that sells it in it's own packaging, because I want more.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 22:28:11 | More by TCMike

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into pint glass.

A- Very dark brown, almost black. Had 2 finger head that went away quick. Left some lacing on the glass
S- roasty malts, cocoa, hint of coffee and caramel
T-roasted malts with a hint of chocolate.. then some dark malts and a coffee bitterness
M- a little thin body. high carbonation
O- Was better then I thought it would be. Would buy again if I saw a six pack by itself and not part of the SHINER family reunion variety pack. Didn't care for half the beers in there.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 18:41:08 | More by Damian74Shensky

John1985

Tennessee

3.3/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured black with little head. Mild aroma, flavor is all upfront with some black patent malt flavor that eased in the middle to no aftertaste on the end. Mildly interesting for a near craft beer. Inoffensive and easy to drink. Not sure I would want more then one but would be a good choice if only BMC was available.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:56:47 | More by John1985

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Nice looking, good light brown head and lace, nearly black, slightly auburn brown clear color.

Aroma is light but slightly roasty, with a little cocoa and burnt malts.

The burnt malts are more prevalent in the flavor, along with a nice roasty component, a little cocoa and coffee.

Could be a little thicker, body is light and a bit watery, but carbonation is ample.

Overall it's a pretty decent beer. While spoetzl hasn't produced any world class beers that I've tried, their beers aren't bad, and aren't too expensive. Plus it's locally produced here.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 17:20:50 | More by AlCaponeJunior

jadpsu

Georgia

3.1/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Purchased in Laurel MS at the Corner Market..
Pours a near black, with a tan head that barely lasted a New York minute. Smell comes in with some black licorice, and some cocoa beans.
Taste picks up some burnt malts and little else.
Mouthfeel is thin, with very little body. Was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 23:35:53 | More by jadpsu

mactrail

California

3.05/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark golden brown rather than black in the glass. The head comes up a dark beige but does not last too well. The body is best described as watery.

A slight sweetness on the lips. A hint of walnuts but not much malty taste. Some scorched oatmeal and flax seed flavors. Rather dry and dirty after some sipping. Inoffensive but it could certainly use a touch of crispness. Kind of a drier version of the Shiner Bock.

This just seems to be barely more interesting than any flabby lager. From the 12 oz bottle purchased at Pinkie's in San Angelo.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 03:26:26 | More by mactrail

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Solid black. Darker than Sam Adams version of this style. Thick lacing on the top of the glass.

Smell: Faint minerals and coffee.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Very faint coffee and minerals...same as smell. It's rather smooth and velvety, but flattens out in the finish.

Overall Drinkability: I've only had a few Schwarzbiers, but I definitely like them. This one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 00:48:53 | More by tjsdomer2