Mönchshof Schwarzbier - Kulmbacher Brauerei AG

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Brauhaus Schmitz, Philly, PA

Poured into a 1/2 liter mug, a translucent dark brown with a nice off-white head. Big malts in the aroma, mild undertones of coffee and cocoa. General schwarzbier goodness in the taste: dark roasty malts, caramel and molasses, with light notes of tobacco and coffee providing a sense of bitterness to balance the overall smoothness and give a drier finish. Smooth, heavy-medium mouthfeel, and very easily drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2011 15:05:05 | More by Rifugium

DoubleJ

California

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This has been sitting in my fridge for weeks, and it's been overdue for a taste run. On to the beer:

Poured into a glass, it's a lighter black body with a creamy head. The smell brings out fudge and brownies, grain, and a little rust. This beer is a little sweeter than other's of this style, and that makes this a winner in my book, hinted with more fudge, and raisin notes.The bitterness is light on the palate and is lifted after a brief stay. This was almost like drinking a chocolate brownie shake. It's a damn smooth beer. I was even tempted to make a float out of the last half of this beer! I might save that experiment for another day.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2007 05:08:36 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The beer pours a winsome deep blood red color and the head is spumescent in texture, the color a light tan and the size portly, resultant lace is a fine sheet. The nose is dominated by the malts, sweet and fresh as with the start, top is skinny in feel, the finish has a pleasant hop spicy bite with the carbonation minimal and the aftertaste bitter and long lasting, a nice representative to the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2003 14:01:55 | More by Gusler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark mahogany color, flat tan head

S: Faint aroma of roasted malt and dried fruit (raisins).

T: Some smokiness and woody tones for flavor. Smooth roasted malt taste and bread in the start with a slight spicy fruitiness in the middle. Nice dark roasted malt and sweet chocolate lacing for a finish. nice overall per style.

M: medium bodied, creamy.

D: Good drinkability nice roasted flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 12:51:25 | More by beerthulhu

plaid75

New York

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep brown, almost black, hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a nice burnt grain with some light toffee sweetness.

The taste consisted of a burnt grain with elements of coffee and cocoa. A noteworthy toasted pumpernickle finish.

The mouthfeel was average with a dry finish.

Overall an enjoyable schwarzbier. Good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2007 16:36:31 | More by plaid75

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A solid white head that persist. A deep brown colour, bordering black. The aroma is like an eisbock, so full of malts! It carries the complex nuances of a barleywine or strong Belgian, with hints of raisons, figs, dark fruit and an abundance of dates. A good smoky (tobacco like) character of smoke. The body is thick and malty like a dopplebock with a good deal of roasted barley. The smoke character ties all the flavours together well. Fairly light bodied considering how much there is going on... really impressed.
Special thanks to Amanda at Goodbar for the sample!

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2007 17:45:01 | More by biegaman

Brad007

Vermont

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark brown, almost black color with minimal head. Aroma is rich and malty with some coffee overtones. Taste is very malty, very rich in flavor. Coffee overtones stick towards the back of the throat. Goes down very smooth. Second sip confirms much of the same. The aftertaste is nice and roasty. A very well-done schwarzbier. It mimics a porter/stout in many ways but never strays too far from the drinkability of a lager. Excellent.

The late Michael Jackson was right, as stated on the label of this beer. Definitely world-class in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2007 02:55:11 | More by Brad007

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured black with a thin head that faded rather quickly. The smell is very malty and dry and with a hint of powdery yeast at the end. The taste is smooth, light, chocolatey, powdery, and with slowly building bitterness on the finish, although this is fairly subtle. Quite a gentle beer. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. This beer is very easy drinking- the perfect brew to dispel the myth of strong dark brews for those too intimidated to try a dark beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 18:20:23 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew is a dark brown cola color with a medium thick beige head and fair lacing. Smoky aroma, with some roasted coffee and caramel. Medium-bodied and earthy with flavors of hops, toasted malt and smoke. The finish is carbonated and mildly bitter. All in all a decent Schwarz.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2005 23:49:51 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark muddy burnt orangy brown color with slivers of bright orange along the bottom and edges. Tall dark ivory head thats firm and pretty thick with good consistency of a whipped cream frothy look. Lacing in thick strings and large blobuels. Not much on the nose here, just an openness that has some light roasty tones and dryness to it. Some small phenol and sweet notes sneak in as it warms. Taste is mild with a roasted sweetness, has a dryish cocoa under tone and it survives a fairly sufficent descent throughout its tenure. Which menas it seems to last a good while eh. It has a very slight burntness gettting close to coffee with some heavy roasted nuts. A gentle but raw husky grassy finish helps out a bit and late effecting cocoa notes subside. Easy, clean feel, medium bodied, nice mild little sweetness and roasty tone. A good drinkin' beer. Not much for the nose but it makes up for it with a nice, easy going pace with flavors and body. On another note, I'll be keeping this bottle with the swing top stopper for the reason that it has three labels on it? Must of got stuck in the labeling machine or something, so that makes it unique and collectable in my book.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2004 22:33:11 | More by tavernjef

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a Keg Can. A rich brown in color with a massive foamy off white head. A bunch of lacing is notable.

Smells of bready malts.

A soulful, uplifting brew with some roasted malts and nutty notes. Bitterness is there just enough to balance. Smooth and simple/

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, carbonation is very low.

Drinkable brew from the heart of Germany. Good for extended sessions.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2010 18:27:11 | More by Stinkypuss

RoyalT

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - This is indeed black in color with a nice, black-white head that came up beautifully, showed great attention, and left a nice film on the inside of my glass.

Smell - This is rich and roasty with some spectabular malts mixed with coffee grounds and a slight sugary sweetness.

Taste - The aroma makes its way perfectly at the taste. The roasty character is less robust here but it is extremely balanced. The sugars are raw and again very light.

Mouthfeel - This was my favorite part of the beer. The roasty malts were so smooth and creamy almost like the character of root beer or a cream-based soda.

Drinkability - This light to medium-bodied bier went down extremely well. It is a rare and difficult style to master and they hit the nail on the head here.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 01:27:48 | More by RoyalT

avalon07

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pilsner glass. Had a dark brown color and a clear consistency. There was an inch and a half of creamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A very malty aroma - as you might expect - with some hops as well.

T: Tasted primarily of malt, with a strong (but not too strong) hops presence in the finish. Not a super-dynamic flavor, but very focused and true to its style.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: On the whole, this isn't a beer that will totally knock your socks off, but it is very drinkable, especially if you like schwarzbiers.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 14:26:42 | More by avalon07

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance- A one and a half finger head that turns into a foamy film at the end. Very translucent like dark brown color.

Smell- Only a hint of malt as well as hops, with malt being the dominate one.

Taste- The malt flavor was excellent with some hops in the middle to do some balancing, but then ended with the roasted malts and water.

Mouthfeel- Looks are deceicing, especially if you aren't familiar with schwarzbier. But something this dark is like a lager and can be consumed so easily. My palate was alight with a tasty roasted malt. Nothing overpowering though.

Drinkability- Excellent, I like anything dark in a beer, and this could turn into my regular beer of the day to drink when I want to forget the pain... just kidding. But definetly beckons the drinker to consume more.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2005 01:38:34 | More by scruffwhor

Tone

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark brown color. Great, 1 inch head of a pale tan color. Great retention and good lacing. Smells of earthy malt, hops, sweet malt, and yeast cleanliness. Fits the style of a Schwarzbier. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with a high carbonation level. Tastes of earthy malt up front, yeast cleanliness second, then the sweet malt and hop background come through, the finish is a bit sour/bitter with hints of roasted malt. Overall, not a bad schwarzbier, but I've had better - the hops aren't nearly as strong as the bottle claims.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 02:57:49 | More by Tone

cokes

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Dark burgundy in color, with a sizeable tan head which fades somewhat quickly to a skimming.
Deep sniffs produced very little in the aroma dept. Black malts are about the only thing to be notice. Maybe a touch of carmel sweetness.
Everything about the taste seems tentative. Starts with non-assertive carmel/toffee flavors, followed by timid black malts. Wimpy chocolate hues dance on the periphery, too afraid to enter. Finished with some passive hops, that don't add much character.
Body is similarily weak. Watery, and passive.
On a plus note, it is very simple to drink and not think about. There's nothing offensive here, just nothing memorable.

Afterword: I let this sit for about 30 minutes. Upon returning, some roasty tones settled into both the aroma and taste. There wasn't much beer left, so I'll have to stand by the ratings I posted. But it seems like a better bet at room temp...still pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2002 19:26:54 | More by cokes

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a cool 1pt .9oz bottle into hotel glasses. The bottle had the "Grolsch" type fastener on top, and made a satisfying pop when opened.

The appearance is burnt copper with spitty white head. The smell is mostly malt, hinting some roasted malt flavor.

The taste is not as rich or satisfying as I'd hoped, but it isn't really bad... It's a smooth malty lager, just a little bitter on the back end.

Decent mouthfeel and easy to pound.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2006 00:21:23 | More by TurdFurgison

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 mL fliptop bottle without a decipherable freshness code. Pours a medium brown color with a creamy tan head that shows some nice retention and lacing.

Roast, toast and sweet grains on the nose. A good mix of aromas and the profile is decently robust for the style. Has a nutty aspect to it that adds some depth and something other than various malts.

This is a superbly drinkable beer and a damn fine black lager. Plenty of flavor with a gentle carbonation, feels soft in the mouth. Roasty and chocolaty sweet malts are the main show, but also displays some heavy whipping cream and pecan flavors that are nice. I got a 5L mini-keg of this for less than twenty bucks back in January, excellent value and excellent beer...went quite fast split between 3 of us. Well worth a purchase.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 00:16:13 | More by twiggamortis420

bark

Sweden

3.63/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The colour is pitch-black; the three finger head is pale brown. Lots of lacing occurs.

The strong smell is malty, roasted and dry. Some grassy hop-notes. Hints of beef stock, dry wood, heavily roasted nuts and a touch of yeast. It is a bit raw.

The taste is medium dry with lots of roasted malts with a distinct note of roasted/fried nuts and a touch of black pepper. The mellow aftertaste got dry notes of minerals and pumpernickel bread with some sour-bitter notes. The bitterness is mild.

The carbonation is medium strong, the small bubbles are fresh. The liquid is light to medium smooth.

A bit too much minerals and sourish notes for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 07:01:03 | More by bark

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml swing-top bottle poured into an Imperial Pint. Number on the back but no date. World Classic rated by Michael Jackson.

A - Dark, almost black, mahogany color with a thick, large tan head with good retention. Started turning rocky and left lacing as it shrank in size.

S - Strong yeasty black malt aroma with little else behind the potency. The yeasty smell reminds me of the smell in the air around the Pabst brewery as a child. Caramel, chocolate, and toffee notes.

T - Bitter black malts with a touch of coffee and some caramel flavors that finish clean with a cocoa neutrality.

M - Begins bitter but ends dry and clean. Medium bodied with a neutral level of carbonation.

D - A delicious schwarzbier that is easily consumable!

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2009 01:41:05 | More by BeerFMAndy

francisweizen

Australia

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had this on tap and in the bottle in several Bay Area locations as well as back on the east coast. It's a good schwarz for sure, it's no death and taxes, but than what is? Nice bottle and a good pour a dark milky chocolate black with a small little off-white, coca head of foam that leaves some decent lace. Aromas are all chocolate malts, and a bit of roast with some nice German hoppage going on as well. Taste is quite good as well, roasty with some definate chocolate hints and a nice bready maltiness that is full of depth and character. The hops balance nicely, but don't have an in your face profile to them. Mouthfeel is creamy a and a bit burnt/acrid, in a good way. Drinkability is also very good. An A1 schwarz for sure!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2006 00:00:55 | More by francisweizen

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with about an inch and a half frothy head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The aroma isn't strong, but I can smell roasted malt, caramel and some chocolate. It tastes like roasted grain and bittersweet chocolate, but finishes bitter and a little bit acidic. Mouthfeel is light, and it's smooth and dry. Drinkability is good, I think it's nice and refreshing and it's easy to drink. It's a good Schwarzbier, I'd definitely buy it again. I think it would be a decent choice as a session beer too.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2007 23:54:12 | More by bluejacket74

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.68/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 3/16/08. On tap at Ebenezer's (served in a huge mug!!) Poured an opaque black with a thick white head. Taste of pizza dough, bock goodness. I've never had a schwarzbier before and this reminded me of a dopplebock. A good beer, nice and refreshing. Easy to drink. 6/4/7/4/14 (3.5/5)

Update 10/31/08: Had this from a bottle and it tasted similar to how I remember so I will not add any new comments, but I thought it deserved slightly better than a 3.5 so I upped the aroma by 1 point. Nice drinking swartzbier! 7/4/7/4/14 (3.6/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2008 02:14:50 | More by LilBeerDoctor

alexgash

Connecticut

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Love these swing top bottles...

Pours a dark cola brown with whiskey amber edges in the light. Two fingers of solid, dense, light-khaki head top it off.

Nose is toasted caramel rolls with molasses, cooked vegetables, light roastiness, faint leather, and some spicy hops. Very nice.

Spicy bitterness up front that gives way to roasted malt. Slightly nutty. Caramelly sweetness increases into the cookie-ish finish. Lingering vegetal hop notes. Nice. Medium-bodied with a remarkably soft, creamy feel. A great beer and by far the best schwarzbier I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2005 15:47:20 | More by alexgash

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

16.9 oz swag top bottle that made a nice 'pop gun' pop when opened, served in a large pilsner glass.

A - clear, dark brown color with a big fluffy head of tan foam that left a bunch of lacing.

S - roasted malty aroma with a hint of toffee sweetness.

T - sweet, dark roasted malt flavor is balanced with subtle hop bitterness for a dry finish.

M - light and refreshing.

D - great taste, light body and low abv help to make this an extremely drinkable brew.

Final Note: I know that at least one other reviewer said this, but I love the movie "Space Balls" so I'll say it anyway...

May The Schwarz Be With You!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 21:50:28 | More by JoeyBeerBelly