Mönchshof Schwarzbier - Kulmbacher Brauerei AG

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got a bottle of this at my local place for 5.00

A - Greeted with a "pishhh" from the Grosh type swing top which locks in the freshness. A nice semi dark brown (lighter than expected) beer with a hefty inch of head.

S - Slight coffee and cocoa nips on the nose with a mild hint of burnt coal and leather.

T - MMM. Chocolate assault that easily rounds to a bitterness of coffee and malt in the finish. Really wanted more flavors but they are vivid and constant. Very nice.

M - I really appreciated that it drank like Guinness with less bitterness.

D - Man do Germans got this down! It was a surprise to find this much flavor in a beer but it might be able to use more smoke, but DON'T change a thing! A perfect brew! Shame it's 5.00 a bottle but one must pay an imported price for a great brew!

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 08:47:17 | More by DrDemento456

merlin48

Kentucky

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

Swingtop bottle pours a dark, but clear, body that has a mahogany tint when held to the light. A generous, beige head of tightly knit small bubbles eventually recedes into sheets and patches down the glass.

Aroma is inviting, with roasted malts and herbal, almost spicy, noble hops vying for your attention.

Mouthfeel is coating, but is dry and crisp.

Taste begins with a malt roastiness that is close to caramel. The hops presence lends an ideal balance with an assertive dryness. A peppery, spice note is picked up midway through, then a hint of chocolate toward the end. The finish is clean and dry.

Excellent drinkability for this smooth and well balanced Schwarzbier. A style worth looking into.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2004 20:42:40 | More by merlin48

Vancer

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Welp, according to style, this one is a winner – but somehow I’m just a little disappointed in it, starting with the pour. I mean, it had a nice deep and clear walnut hue – isn’t it suppose to be almost black? Laced the glass well.

Aroma of some deep roasted malts, good again. Then the quaff – a well balanced taste with proper malts, hints of charcoal and an earthy/leathery finish. OK again.

It was rich and creamy, tangy, well carbonated and had a nice lite body to it. One could drink these easily in the summer heat as a change-up from the Hefe’s and IPAs, or anytime in the winter.

*But final note, (self), it is a fairly expensive import. I would go for the NB 1554 before this – it’s more economical and, I think, better tasting and bodied.*

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2006 14:08:37 | More by Vancer

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

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

Poured a deep brown color with modest tannish head.
Smell is a fine combination of dark druits, toffee, and caramel.
Taste also shows caramel and dark fruit, along with some nice roasted malt.
Mouthfeel is full and creamy, and adds some bread-like notes.
A nice beer, but nothing great.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2006 23:34:46 | More by tgbljb

Jwale73

Rhode Island

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

1 pint, 9 fluid ounce bottle served in my MH Circus Boy Weizen glass (I need to pick up a pokal). Poured a translucent nut brown with red highlights when backlit. Fluffy three inch khaki-colored head dissipated slowly leaving behind a trail of sticky lacing. Light scents of malt and chocolate. Taste similar to nose, as well as the presence of some nuttiness and roasted flavors. Light in the mouth without feeling at all watery with a nice balance of effervescence, and a slight hops bitterness at the finish. Very tasty and drinkable brew, but the per bottle price limits its sessionability in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 21:07:37 | More by Jwale73

Gmann

New York

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very very dark brown color with a nice creamy white head that left plenty of clingy lacing on the glass. The aroma is of sweet caramel and fermented red grapes. The taste is of a watery milk chocolate, similar to Nestles Quik. There is also a raisin & carob presence. The roasted malt is very light and does not add much flavor to the brew. The feel is light with soft carbonation; finishes sweet and slightly sticky. A very average swarzbier. I was hoping for more of a roasted malt presence. I always question the freshness of these German brews that I get, perhaps this was on the older side. I still prefer the Sam Adams or Sprecher Schwarzbiers.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 05:17:06 | More by Gmann

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tasty bier; don't know why I didn't grab one while in Kulmbach a couple of years ago.... Very dark brown, though not nearly as dark as I had expected, what with the name and all (Schwarz...duh!). Huge creamy head, with lace all over the place. Nose was a mix of some malt and bitter chocolate....pleasing! Nice over the tongue, but I felt it was a tad thin. Roasted malt flavors mix with bitter chocolate, and there's a hint of hops in the dry finish. Not bad!!

overall: 4.05
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 4

136

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2002 12:54:23 | More by Bierman9

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

With a medium-sized, stable, creamy head, this beer has a dark, nearly black color. The taste is a robust coffee-like bitterness, sometimes like cooking chocolate….dry. Smell is roasted malts. Very nice bitter aftertaste. Little hop smell or character.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2002 19:27:55 | More by Suds

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance - pours a caramel ruby color, nearly two fingers of light mocha froth on top.

Aroma - rich roasted grain aroma, hints of coffee beans. Captivating!

Taste - lots of roasted character, I can almost taste the fire this malt was kilned from. A trace of sweetness on the leading edge, the swallow brings out a flood of roasted flavors once more, warming up this time with roasted coffee and perhaps a hint of chocolate. Good stuff.

Mouthfeel - slightly heavy, medium carbonation, a good solid beer body to this one.

Drinkability - great flavor, fine sessionability, and a reasonable price.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2007 19:33:28 | More by brewdlyhooked13

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks great poured into a tall weizen glass, as it presents a dark mahogany body and a large tan head, which dissipates to a film an leaves nice spots of lace behind. The nose is quite subtle, but has nice notes of caramel and lightly roasted notes, mixing in with a touch of tobacco. Likewise, the flavour is quite straightforward, with caramel, nut and cocoa flavours melding together into a pleasant whole. Quite simple, but nicely done, and it doesn't last long in my glass. Body is medium-light with a moderate carbonation.

This was a pleasant drink, though not really a memorable one. It's a well-constructed schwarz that I probably won't look for again.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 17:13:38 | More by bobsy

kmpitz2

Tennessee

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

Thanks to Luckysevens82.

The beer pours a deep mahagony-red color with a 2 finger head that falls to a nice quarter inch over the beer. The nose is toasty malt with a light caramel sweetness. Not what I was expecting. The flavor is a bit better. Some nice burnt notes with a bast of nutty roastyness. Not too shabby. The feel is moderate with a moderate carbonation. Overall, a drinkable beer. I like the flavor. It could be a bit darker for a schwarz.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2005 21:56:14 | More by kmpitz2

beerguy101

California

3.43/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Black color. Head is medium sized, white and foamy. Aroma is chocolate and toffee. A medium bodied schwarzbier. Malts are roasted and choclately with hints of toffee. Hops are slightly spicy, Nice subtle, milder tasting Schwartz. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2003 02:33:51 | More by beerguy101

Reidrover

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml Flip top. Beautiful dark mahogany beer, almost black, with a lovelly foamy,thick tan head. Dark malty aromas,little hopping .Creamy aroma also. Very nice semi-sweet dark malty flavour, a little sour,lactic even,dark chocolate hints in the back, slightly roasty, tiny amount of hop on the after taste. Very nice mouthfeel well carbonated. Overall an excellent black lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2008 21:01:25 | More by Reidrover

cjgator3

Florida

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

16.9oz flip top bottle. Pours black in color with mahogany hues when held up to the light. Aroma is clean with roasted malt and cocoa. The smell is really nice, there just isn't enough of it as it is too faint. Taste is delightfully smooth roasted malt, coffee and a faint taste of chocolate. The taste much like the aroma is good but it is lacking that extra punch. Overall, this is a good beer that would make for a great session with it's low ABV.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2006 02:12:57 | More by cjgator3

ADR

Pennsylvania

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

Intense, deep brown color with nice head. Low carbonation makes for intense creamy malt flavors, good nutiness and dry features. Hops are barely evident, some huskiness. Very good Dark Lager, longer-lasting flavor than many. Could use a tad more complexity, and a touch thin late in the profile...its a big brewery in Germany, wish it was easier to find here.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2002 11:28:36 | More by ADR

rarbring

Sweden

3.28/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer is red brown with a tan head leaving some lacing.

The smell has toasted malt and some chocolate aromas.

Initially rather sweet, brown syrup, some sour fruit notes, a slightly bitter finish.

Medium high carbonation, small lively bubbles, a medium body, rather refreshing.

An accessible beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 20:29:23 | More by rarbring

clayrock81

Virginia

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

Pours a dark brown body with a two-finger head and some good lacing. A strong smell of chocolate malt hit my nose for a sweet sensation. Smooth, really smooth and somewhat creamy. The malty taste is both coffeeish and chocolatey, with the beer passing over somewhat strong (medium-bodied) over the palete and has a good, dry backbite that contains some residual sweetnees and complements the beer and does not kill the tongue. I could have this again anytime.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2008 15:18:44 | More by clayrock81

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Steve, 500ml swing top into a tulip.

Fairly black in terms of body, tan head sits atop for quite some time. Great retention and lacing. Nose has chocolate, light hopping, some earthy qualities, slight roast and some sweeter almost caramel/molasses underneath. Taste has subtle chocolate/roast more pils hopping, some mineral quality to the water. Light bitterness in the finish. Light mouthfeel, lower medium carbonation. A very good schwarz, probably the truest schwarz I've had in the vein of the 'black pils' descriptor.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 22:09:20 | More by liamt07

Boto

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A suprise find at the CT River Brewers Festival.

This beer poured a very dark black color. There was a thick tan head along with it. There was a big malt sweetness to the nose. Nice hint of roastiness and chocolate in the aroma. Full bodied beer with a hint of chocolate to the taste. Not really sweet at all. This was excellent! It might be one of the best of this style.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2003 00:32:19 | More by Boto

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

25 oz brown bottle with a "ceramic" swing top, no date.

This schwarzbier poured a clear, deep garnet color with creamy, light brown, sudsy foam that settled slowly but clung to the glass a bit. The smell was malty with a touch of caramel and chocolate, but overall a rather modest aroma. The taste was malty: caramel, cocoa, with a hint of sweetness up front. There was a good balance of tangy hops in the background behind the malt, and a bit of hop bitterness came through in the finish. The mouthfeel was smooth and malty with medium body and modest carbonation. The malty flavors lingered briefly. This was an easy to quaff schwarzbier. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2005 04:58:29 | More by UncleJimbo

RBorsato

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tawny brown with mahogany tones and a low creamy tan head whcih leaves light bits of lace. Light sweet, roasty, and hoppy aroma. Rich roasty malt flavor balanced nicely by classic european noble hops. Light bitter chocolate finish and lingering aftertaste. Light-medium bodied with a light dry finish.

Per M.J. - B.C. book: Color 55 EBC, 12.5 Plato, 1050 O.G., 26 IBU.

(16.9 oz Swingtop)

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2003 14:15:45 | More by RBorsato

BretSikkink

Mexico

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

Dark brown with a topper of tanned but thin foam. Color is rich with copper lighting and otherwise deep blackness. Nice but nothing special.

Aroma offers a hint of molasses, roasted barley, and walnut. Somewhat faint, but the roasted sweetness is enticing.

The flavor is more assertive with caramel sweet malt coming right up your nose, somewhat chocolatey and the nuttiness again. Bolder than the nose would lead on, but also somewhat watery in the finish.

Carbonation is pretty high here, and the low abv leads to a mostly modest palate impact. However, for the style it's still pretty roast-forward on the tongue, and quite an enjoyable ride.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 02:13:11 | More by BretSikkink

clvand0

Kentucky

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

Pours a dark brown with a medium head that has nice retention and leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is very weak, hints of caramel. The flavor has some dark maltiness, but seems to have some tannins as well, making it slightly harsh. Little sweetness. The body is much more thin than I expected. The drinkability is good.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2005 21:54:38 | More by clvand0

thierrynantes

France

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

Appearence : black lager style (schwarzbier)
Smell : caramel, nuts, coffee and malt aroma
Taste : bitterish taste with liquorice
Mouthfeel : bitter finish with hop and herbal
Drinkability : A good dry dark lager brewered by Kulmbacher

Thierry (16/10/2007)

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2007 19:29:06 | More by thierrynantes

Offa

California

4.85/5  rDev +20%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a very nice schwarzbier, flavourful and highly drinkable.

Very deep red-brown, almost black but not, it has a medium, creamy tan head slowly shrinking to a thin, foamy top and leaving some lace.

The aroma is brown bread, whole wheat toast, burnt sugar, hints of coffee & fermented prune. Overall, it's very nice, pleasant and aromatic.

The taste is lightly sweet but mostly rather dry (sweeter than, say, Kostritzer), with firast sweet caramleised, fermented prunes and dark whole wheat toast then joined with rootbeer (anise, etc.), singed leaves, bark, and finishing dryish and slightly bitter. It's light in feel but silky smooth and not thin or watery.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 18:30:06 | More by Offa