Bernard Cerne - Bernard Family Brewery

chinchill

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml swing top bottle purchased and consumed in Czech Republic. Bottle dated with both production date [7 Oct. 2011] and lot #. Unpasteurized.

Appearance: deep dark reddish mahogany, nearly black, with near creamy tan head that has good retention.

Aroma: plenty of dark roasted malt with notes of vanilla and caramel.

Taste: A rich dark malty flavor, with a clear coffee note and hints of chocolate and caramel. Sweet at the tart, and mildly bitter at the finish. Long-lasting aftertaste featuring roasted malt with traces of spicy hops.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied; good carbonation; some dryness in the finish.

O - One of the best, and tastiest Czech dark lagers.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 20:56:34 | More by chinchill

jooj8

Slovenia

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

03-05-2013 19:49:49 | More by jooj8

abcdefghijkyle

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

10-24-2012 21:53:16 | More by abcdefghijkyle

warpedrevolution

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.9%

08-15-2012 21:28:06 | More by warpedrevolution

aztraz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

05-04-2012 16:11:25 | More by aztraz

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours really dark brown with hues of red. Tan medium large head leaves decent lacings.

S: Dark roasted malts, some sweetness. Some vanilla and honey. Faint coffee.

T: Dark malts, roasted. Vanilla and honey. Coffee and chocolate. Some faint dark dried dark fruits.

M: Medium body with medium carbonation. Long roasted, "dark" aftertaste.

O: A pretty nice dark lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 18:10:02 | More by Sunnanek

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Discovered this in my garage - I bought it a while back and stashed it away...

A 500ml swing-top bottle with a BB of July 2011, so it's rather out of date. Hopefully hasn't deteriorated. ABV is stated as 5.1%, and the label mentions that it is unpasteurised.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A very dark brown with ruby highlights. Produces a good head of light-brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding. Aroma of rich, dark malt with notes of burnt grain, coffee, cocoa, dried fruit and earthy yeast. Possesses a slightly vinous quality.

Tastes of dark malt with a dry, bitter finish. Notes of roasted grain and earthy, fruity yeast, accompanied by hints of coffee, cocoa, dried fruit and stewed hops. Mouthfeel is thick and smooth with tingly carbonation. Quite astringent - dries the palate. Aftertaste of bitter roasted malt.

Nice - a well-crafted dark lager. Rich and smooth. A blend of subtle flavours give it a rounded character. Czech quality at it's finest - definitely worth your time.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 00:34:20 | More by jazzyjeff13

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had a pint of this somewhere in Poland. From notes.

A - Poured a deep ruby colour but definately not black. No visible carbonation. Two finger tan head. Decent retention but no lacing.

S - Honey, sweet dark malts.

T - Dark malts, sweet honey and then just lot's more honey. Honey seemeed to come out floral and mixed well with the bready dark malt character.

M - Dry finish with a medium body and medium carbonation.

O/D - Nothing overly interesting. Flavourful but maybe too sweet. I didn't mind it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2011 22:49:52 | More by tbeckett

CampusCrew

Florida

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance: deep dark brown, lackig had retention

smell: big coffee, dark, carmael, chocolate

taste: Coffee, carmelized malt, dark rich flavors, great, malt backbone

mouthfeel: medium bodied but heavy for style, good carbonation

drinkability: well balanced, equally drinkable lager.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2011 15:50:42 | More by CampusCrew

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very dark amber (near black) in color. It poured with a two finger high beige head that slowly faded down into a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are aromas of light roasted malts in the nose.
T: There are notes of roasted malts in the taste.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and very sweet and creamy on the palate. A light amount of carbonation is perceptible.
D: The beer is very easy to drink and is also quite sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2010 03:51:15 | More by metter98

drpimento

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured with a nice foamy, frothy, somewhat thick, light tan head taht mostly lasts and a little lace. Color is a very nice clear dark cherry. Nose is super nice: dark, toasty, roasty malts, a little cocoa, toffee, and the barest hint of dark, ripe fruit. Flavor is like aroma but sweetness comes out a bit more, but just barely. Subtlely delicious. Body is ok and carbonation is maybe just a bit fizzy. Finish is like flavor and slowly tapers to a medium to long duration. Session.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2010 22:20:36 | More by drpimento

kkipple

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Found this bottle in my cellar, not sure from whence it came, Brawley's perhaps?

A. Attractive, 2 finger tall, dense, light tan head atop a fizzy, clear, copper-dark brew. Enough commas for ya? Good retention, some lace. Not bad!

S. Surprisingly hoppy, although I'm not sure what I was expecting... smells Euro and dark, which is vague, but also dry and malty with hints of molasses and black bread.

T. Lightly roasted characterful malts, bits of coffee and maybe honey, a slight metallic bite, peanuts ( ? ), fairly well attenuated, some sweetness remains. Easy, slightly burnt, farmish and European. Decent drinking.

M / D. Middling carbonation, slightly dry. A lingering singed black bread finish and nuttiness round it off. Hmmm.

I enjoyed Bernard Cerne mildly, but it's fairly simple and isn't anything to write home about. An average European dark lager that is undoubtedly better at the source. Would pair with a pork and cabbage based dish, in quantity.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2010 21:44:32 | More by kkipple

atis

Finland

4.3/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 ml swing top bottle from Lithuania

It has 5.1% ABV and design is slightly different, e.g. fonts of the name. Pours very dark brown, almost black with large and dense brownish head that keeps for a while and suddenly fades, leaving patches on the top. Aroma is rich dried fruit, hints of sugary caramel and what seems like occasional scent of roasted.

Taste is sweet caramel-like dried fruit, raisins, licorice, bits of spicy hops and log lasting slightly bittery citrus aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light-medium with moderate carbonation.

Overall, one of the best dark lagers I have tried. I think even the best.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2009 20:39:09 | More by atis

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a smallish, ivory-colored head.

Smell: A welcome chocolaty nose with notes of simple syrup layered over golden raisins with a background hint of roast malt.

Taste: Sweet dark maltiness imparts tastes of dark caramel and cocoa powder. Again, there's just a very minor roast character. Raisin fruitiness. Light touch of licorice. Mild herbal, spicy hops and bitterness. Additional chocolate flavor on the drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: As it's flavorful yet remains light and relatively low in alcohol, for once, the idea of a Weekend at Bernie's doesn't sound so bad. Quite a nice dark lager, actually. I'll admit to being a bit hesitant towards these odd imports from remote places in Eastern Europe, but I'll cheerfully try any other Bernard products in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 21:25:21 | More by ChainGangGuy

barleyman

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the brown glass 1/2 liter engraved swingtop bottle. Color is quite dark for a lager. Dark reddish brown color leaving small amounts of lace. Smell is of malt, slightly medicinal. Malt flavor is properly balanced with slight hop, raisin and clove on the tongue. Mouthfeel is proper for a dark lager. Drinkability is pretty good for a dark beer. To be honest, I purchased these to get the swingtop bottles, I'm a homebrewer! Empty swingtop bottles cost almost as much as filled ones, so, relax and hoist a beer!

Just a thought,

barleyman

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 00:22:55 | More by barleyman

Quej

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Quite dark and almost opaque with some reddish highlights and lots of visible carbonation.
S - Smells burnt and black. Lots of roasty notes and sweet dark malty goodness.
T - Tastes very sweet, lots of fruitiness, with molasses, toffee and even a bit of anice. Strong flavour and a long aftertaste of bitter coffee.
M - Perhaps a bit over carbonated, and rather heavy bodied.
D - The heaviness and strength of flavour make it a bit hard to drink a lot of.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 20:13:30 | More by Quej

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Good initial head that dies to nothing; ruby brown color when light shines through.

Dark toast aroma; strong dark molasses aroma

The burnt molasses is the main flavor--very sweet with burnt biscuity mouthfeel. Light alcohol warmth. It is a little too coyly sweet for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 02:05:15 | More by smcolw

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Flip-top 500ml brown bottle with an ABV of 5.1%, like others on here, not sure if this is the same beer, no Cerne on my bottle, but Dark is. A bit more expensive than other Czech beers, was it worth it?

The best before date is 31st Jan 2009, drank Nov 2008, with strong English Cheddar cheese and Celery salt (try it, its fantastic with any beer).

Poured into Gordon Thistle shapped glass twice so I could see the colour and head better.

The deepest ruby red you are ever going to see, looks coal black until you hold it up to a strong light. The large tan head soon turned into a weaker covering and then a wispy half covering and a collar.

The aroma was of richness, toasted or burnt malted barely, good for a lager, even a dark one. I often stuggle to pick up smells from lagers, this was a whole lot beter.

My portfolio of Dark lagers is growing and this one is towards the top of my list so far. It has some body and a presance many fail to reach. The burnt maltiness comes through in the taste, but there isn't a dry, burnt feel to the beer, it is well balanced and easy to drink.

Glad I had it, and yes, it was worth the extra wonga.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 14:43:18 | More by BlackHaddock

GreenCard

Oregon

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: deep mahogany, almost opaque, thick layer of spongey tan foam, good head retention

Aroma: sweet maltiness (almost like a milk stout), molasses, light brown sugar, hint of chocolate

Flavor: medium sweetness with hints of cola, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, prunes, and dark brown sugar; finishes semisweet with a scorched caramel aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, soft carbonation, smooth and silky texture

Other comments: This is one of the better dark lagers I've tried. Well worth a try or two or three or four...

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2008 16:21:36 | More by GreenCard

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Coming in a swing-top 500ml brown bottle, 5.1%abv. Something on the back label particularly attracts my attention: "Micro-filtered, non-pasteurised and enriched with yeast by the Bernard Family Brewery" - Does it translate as a bottle-conditioned beer in some way? I really have no idea. BB 07/12/08, served chilled in a weizen glass.

A: superbly lasting thick khaki-hued froth; deeply dark brown body with a mildly hissing carbonation. Looking fabulous.
S: the profound flow of roasted malts abounds, hinting at sweet nuts, chocolates, coffee beans, dried dark berryfruits, while grassy hops, a focused touch of lager-sourness and loads of hop resins provide all the crucial stimulation at the back... Smelling as deep as lively.
T: soothingly effervescent on the texture, the initial dark malts come rather light, then followed by chewy black dates, a touch of walnuts, coffee-ish & chocolatey malts, and a clean palate of fruity tartness typical of a well lagered beer... A flow of quietly deepening herbal bitterness and more sour-bitterness from roasted malts creep down the tongue. Semi-chewy in the end...
M&D: the texture is soothing and clean, with a healthy amount of fizziness; the balance is reached between the relaxingly-light dark malts and herbal bitter hops, on top of a consistent input of tart dark-fruitiness. All in all, this is yet another good quality Czech Cerne, medium-bodied, almost a bit like a porter for a lager...

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2008 00:57:51 | More by wl0307

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml swingtop bottle bought from Tescos...

Poured a very deep dark mahogany brown. Dirty mocha head poured thick and meringue like then faded very slowly to light wispy covering... very light lacing...

Aroma - Strong toasted bread, lightly roasted milk chocolate maltiness, some smokiness, toffee, leathery and woody notes, treacle sweetness, burnt nuttiness, buttery, some dark fruit notes (dates and figs)..

Taste - Nice roasted caramel malts, peppery hop bitterness, light coffee, chocolate, liquorice, some rich sticky fig and date fruitiness, metallic notes, toasted malty bread, molasses sweetness, light spiciness...

Feel - Pretty rich and smooth with just a little sharpness underneath... medium bodied.. extremely quaffable - i could happily drink this all evening..

Overall - A superb example of what a lager can be... definitely recommended...

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2008 11:19:59 | More by mdagnew

valgalder

New York

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brought this home from the Czech since this brewery doesn’t export to the United States. I’ve had their Celebration lager many times in the Czech as it was one of the best Pils you can get, but for some reason I didn’t get to try this one while I was there but I brought home a bottle for later.

Pours to a nice near black color with a good creamy head. Smell of sweet malts detected but not a whole lot more. It has a good medium body to it, but like any good dark lagers are very easy drinking. Packs a lot of flavor, of toasty malts, coffee and caramel notes. Very creamy and smooth with a nice hop finish! Perfect balance. Nothing too complex but it’s not supposed to be. This is a nice straight forward easy drinking dark lager. Grab it if you have the chance.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2007 02:33:57 | More by valgalder

CzechThisOut

Texas

4.72/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours with a nice light brown head and a great nose of caramel and coffee. Wow! This one is complex. Caramel, coffee, honey and wheat. Feels great in the mount and goes down a little to good. Half liter bottle with a flip style resealable cap. ABV is actually 5.1% not 13%.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2007 13:54:05 | More by CzechThisOut

patto1ro

Netherlands

4.8/5  rDev +25%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Near black colour with a fine-beaded tan head; roast, chocolate and cream aroma; sweetish/bitterish taste with black chocolate, liquorice, toffee, cream and resin aromas; bitter finish with coffee, roast, toffee, pepper and burnt aromas.

A dark lager with a flavour profile somewhere between a Schwarzbier and Porter. One of the best Czech beers I've drunk for years and one that can stand up to the best in the world. Worth hunting for.

The 13% is the gravity in Plato, NOT the ABV. That´s 5.1%.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2006 09:47:53 | More by patto1ro

gnoff

Sweden

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle at Wojarski in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Nice bottle with a patent cork. Only Czech writings on the bottle.

Beautiful deep ruby red color, three finger thich rich creamy brown to beige head. Still very clear.
A little bit metallic scent, also from dark malts some roastiness. Refreshing smell.
Medium body and bitterness. A slight bit acid in the taste from dark malts brewed in soft water.
Very refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2006 20:49:40 | More by gnoff