Saint Arnold Santo - Saint Arnold Brewing Company

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.38/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked this beer up at the "new" Spec's on 1960 and Cutten road. I am always behind the curve on the new Saint Arnold offerings out there and picked this up before I even realized that it was from SA. It is an unusual goal, to produce a black Koelsch, but I commend the innovation nonetheless. Let's review this one properly:

Appearance: Poured into my glass stein a clear brownish color with a small creamy head of light tan bubbles. Earlier bottles had a lasting head, but this one faded to a small ring within about 30 seconds. There is a little bit of lacing left on the glass after drinking the beer. I am going to score it a little higher on the appearance as other beers in this six-pack were notable on how long they held the head.

Aroma: The aroma reminds me of brown malt in that it is a little chocolaty with some earthy notes mixed in. I am getting some sweet toasty notes in here that seem Munich derived, and maybe there a little bit of dark Munich in here too? The yeast is muted as it should be for the style, but the Koelsch fruity characteristics are getting buried in the malts, so you could call this a "black Pilsner" for all I care and it would still fit the bill. The aroma is moving slightly toward Coffee as it warms a bit and there are no hops really noticeable at all except as a very subtle floral component.

Taste: There is a little bit of the subtle fruit in the flavor that would kick it out of the lager category. The overall presentation is a little thin like you would expect from a Koelsch, but the dark malts are adding a bit of acidity that sets in on the back of the throat and is playing with the carbonation and light hops to dry out the finish quite a bit. There is no alcohol noticeable anywhere in here.

Opinion: Overall this is a pretty decent beer. It has enough character that it sets itself apart a bit in the craft-beer market so that it might lead a Lawnmower drinker to try different beers. That said, the beer lacks the complexity that I would like to put it in the outstanding category. Even a black Koelsch should showcase some of the fruity aspects of the yeast while still having good head retention and more of a sweet aspect to the dark malts, so maybe this would have just necessitated taking out the very dark malts for some dark crystal and fermenting it a tad warmer. This may have brought it a little closer in, but regardless, it is a pretty good attempt at something that doesn't exist.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 00:54:40 | More by SkeeterHawk

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2.5/5  rDev -24%

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3/5  rDev -8.8%

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3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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2/5  rDev -39.2%

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3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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2.75/5  rDev -16.4%

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2.25/5  rDev -31.6%

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4/5  rDev +21.6%

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3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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4/5  rDev +21.6%

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2.75/5  rDev -16.4%

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3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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4/5  rDev +21.6%

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3/5  rDev -8.8%

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3/5  rDev -8.8%

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4/5  rDev +21.6%

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3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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California

3.75/5  rDev +14%

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3/5  rDev -8.8%

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4/5  rDev +21.6%

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3.75/5  rDev +14%

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Lee17

Texas

3.86/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A great black lager. Very full taste, hearty without a strong bite. Slight roasty flavor, yet surprisingly smooth and easy to drink. A great beer to have with chips and guacamole, or while barbequing steaks out back. I will buy this again to enjoy on a Friday or Saturday night.

Serving type: bottle

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Texas

3.5/5  rDev +6.4%

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