Schlafly Schwarzbier - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

barczar

Kentucky

3.2/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an opaque deep brown color with amber highlights and a solid one inch khaki head that dissipates into a layer of foam across the surface.

Nutty, toasted malt and a bit of roast character comprise the aroma, with a bit of caramel sweetness and toffee surfacing late.

Flavor is fairly sweet, almost cola-like, with background notes of tobacco and a touch of roast malt at the finish. There's an underlying chocolate note leading into a fair amount of toasted breadcrust. Fruity esters emerge as it warms, along with a bit of acrid flavor.

Body is moderate to light, with fairly high carbonation and a slight astringency.

Overall, not as roasty as I had hoped. It's pretty sweet for the style and lacks complexity of the malt character.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 06:43:18 | More by barczar

rundocrun

Iowa

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

Bottling date of 10/27/11:

A - Body is dark brown with amber and ruby highlights. No hint of cloudiness. A finger of tan head forms. Retention is decent. No lacing.

S - Lightly toasted sweet malt aroma. Herbal spicy hops. Some fruity smell is present as well characteristic of caramel malts.

T - Lightly sweet and earthy up front. Flavoring hops are definitely prominent here. Not too bitter though. A bit more of the chocolate and caramel flavor from the dark malts come in toward the middle. Finish is hop-spiced with bitter cocoa and lemongrass. An interesting combo.

M - Thin mouthfeel. Well carbonated. Feels for the most part like a lager, but the hops were a little aggressive and took away some of the smoothness that I normally look for in a good lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 02:33:24 | More by rundocrun

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, bottled on 12/9/2011. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a mahogany brown color with about a half inch off-white head. Both the head retention and lacing are decent enough. The brew smells like roasted and bready malt, coffee, nuts and some chocolate. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some caramel and a bit of an earthy flavor. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit creamy and goes down easy. I think it's a solid brew overall. I'd buy this one again, hopefully a fresher bottle next time around. Still, even now it's worth a try at $1.75 for a single bottle. Purchased at Party Town, Florence, KY.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 23:11:40 | More by bluejacket74

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle tried 10 Dec 2011. Served in the 0.4 L Eder Pils mug.

Large brown head. Well carbonated. Clear dark molasses brown in color. Light aroma, earthy, light roastiness, moderately sweet. Starts sweet and malty. Some roastiness. Medium body, moderate ethanol. Earthy, malty, finishes lightly sweet. A slight bit of mineral in the finish and aftertaste.

Not a complex beer but tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 02:16:26 | More by htomsirveaux

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12oz brown pop top with nice label; bottled with love on 10-20-11.

Appearance: Poured into my Schlafly Kolsch (stange) glass to show off the color a bit, this pours nearly black, but shows deep chestnut/walnut brown when held up to the light. Light beige cap with good stick and a bit of lace.

Smell: Light roast, but much cleaner than your average porter or stout. A light bit of fruity German hop presence as well as some mild, bready malt from the combination of pale, European pilsener, and Munich malts.

Taste: Overall fairly mild. A bit of fruity, German hops, clean, lager-yeast finish, and a touch of mild roast and toasted malt on the finish. Remarkably easy-drinking. Not a huge depth of flavor, but I'm not sure that the style necessarily needs to be particularly 'big'. I have heard some people refer to Scharzbiers as 'black pilseners', but this one isn't that crisp or sharp. It's more like a slightly roastier dunkel, with significantly less emphasis on the fat, bready Munich-malt middle. Overall, a nice, simple quaffer.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium

Overall: Great to see Schlafly branching out and trying some new things with the Brewer's Choice series. Their weissbier was quite tasty, and this brew follows suit. Not something I'd get all the time, but if it came out once a year, in the autumn, perhaps, I'd likely pick up a sixer.

Overall: B

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 02:10:15 | More by BedetheVenerable

KellyL

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Schlafly is my favorite local brewery, but this is not a good example of their beer. It's much better on tap, it loses something in the bottle.

A: Poured into a pilsner glass it lets light shine through and shows off a beautiful deep mahogany color. One finger of light tan head dissipates quickly but the top of the beer stays a nice tan color.

S: Very slight hints of roasted malt, little if any hop aroma.

T: Faint hints of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and herbal hops up front. Finishes with a balance between the malt and hops, but the malt flavor lingers.

M: Thin like it should be, it's deceiving because dark beers are associated with creamy mouthfeel. Not bad, but nothing spectacular.

O: It's a very drinkable beer, I'd stick with the APA but for something different pick it up and try it. It's much better than a standard lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 04:18:17 | More by KellyL

climax

Kansas

2.83/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a pint, a nice brown with bright garnet highlights sits below a decent sticky alabaster head.

The aroma seems mundane; the distinguishable flavors are hidden behind a front of weak generic malt flavor. The scant sweetness and feeble bitterness require no effort to balance one another. Non-offensive is it's only attribute.

The flavor continues to disappoint. A slight metallic finish with fleeting licorice and grassy notes follow up a taste that's pretty feeble. It edges out the aroma by short marks, considering a slight astringent and roasty dry finish.

It doesn't take much to drink it swiftly; And the flavor doesn't take much getting used to, because there is none. This beer is paltry to a beer advocate. The only application I can think of is someone who enjoys bland lagers, but wants to be seen drinking something "heavier".

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 00:21:48 | More by climax

TheWhiskerReview

Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A ruby-hued black pour has a 1.5-finger off-white head that retains a ring throughout the brew, leaving a bit of sticky lace at the top of the glass.

The nose is dark and clean with unmuddled aromas of dark bread, coffee grounds, toasted pecan and a faint woody spice.

Light-med bodied palate is malty and bready with a nice touch of acrid roastiness bringing the balance with more flavors of coffee grounds and roasted pecan. Bitterness is mild, seemingly bigger with the darker malt, while the finish ends clean with malty bread and a lingering juiciness with final hints back at that pecan.

Overall, quite a tasty Schwarz. Everything I'd expect- clean, dark and quenching- but it's that persistent pecan note really making this delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 22:59:42 | More by TheWhiskerReview

soju6

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a very deep mahogany color with a nice tan head that fades slowly to lacing.

S: Aroma of roasted malt, some nuts, and a bit of chocolate.

T: Flavor of roasted malt and some nuttiness with a bit of chocolate sweetness. A nice bitterness throughout and a dry finish.

F: Fairly medium body, smooth with a somewhat creamy texture. Very nice balance.

O: Very enjoyable offering. Not an overpowering beer, but still a beer with lots of character compared to other of this style I have tried. Well worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 22:45:07 | More by soju6

TippySelenoid

Missouri

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pilsner.

It's a clear, dark brew with a tan head.

It's got a roasty smell. There is a nice amount of bittering hops.

It's got a roasted flavor in the malts. Almost smoky. This isn't a sweet beer. The hops play well amoung the burnt malts.

It's pretty light bodied with a nice carbonation.

Overall, this beer is true to style and pretty authentic. It's a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 00:33:53 | More by TippySelenoid

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a root beer brown color. Dark and perfectly clear. Very light one finger head - almond meat colored.

Nose is roasty, slightly sulfuric, clean but faint.

Taste is roasty and slightly burnt tasting. Thin bodied with notes of lactic and bitterness on the finish.

Moderately high carbonation with slight acidic harshness and fairly thin body.

Overall a thin and somewhat unbalanced beer for this style. Looks great, but doesn't taste amazing.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:25:51 | More by syrupjoe

Reaper16

Alabama

3.23/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle (bottled on 10/27/2011) served into a nonic pint glass

Pours a Pepsi cola brown color. Black lager? Hardly. This beer doesn't even approach black. It's not even darker than the glass bottle it comes in. Head size is miniscule, with about zero retention.

Schlafly Schwarzbier smells mostly like grains and nuts. Pecans, almonds, and assorted cereal grains (I even smell oatmeal, though I'm pretty sure oatmeal is not a part of the grist) that have been lightly toasted. It isn't exciting or complex. But a straightforward aroma that is style-appropriate is not a bad thing at all.

Lots of German malt flavors right upfront: assorted nuts and black bread. There's a cola like sweetness too, sort of like Mr. Pibb. A bit of sassafras too. It finishes primarily with a pecan & almond flavor. It should be a very versatile beer with lunch; it should pair nicely with stead sandwiches, hamburgers, even ham sandwiches.

The mouthfeel is above average for the style. It is light like a lager should be. It's a wet, sweet beer but it isn't too slick like poor lagers can be. Overall, this is a pretty average schwarzbier. Apart from the appearance, Schlalfy made a faithful rendition of the style. Merely being faithful doesn't make this a good beer, but it certainly isn't a bad one.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 20:16:25 | More by Reaper16

mrfrancis

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a seriously attractive mahogany with a thick, puffy khaki head.

S: Very clean on the nose with hints of mocha, roasted grain, and heavy cream.

T: Notes of heavy cream, molasses, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted grain, and grassy, herbal hops wash across the palate. The finish is balanced and flavorful with a pleasant mixture of grassy hop and toasty, chocolatey malt flavors.

M: Light to medium in body and very creamy. Carbonation is subtle, but just firm enough to keep this lager from feeling watery.

O: This is a quality schwarzbier. Schlafly continues to impress me.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 20:51:20 | More by mrfrancis

DCon

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on-tap @ Bailey's Range in St. Louis, MO for $5 ("DINNER" size). Tapped from the Black Schlafly Handle w/ a Tan "Schwarzbier" label into a 16oz Pint Glass.

Aroma- Good amount of malt included with some a nice yeasty character. Everything easy going, clean, and nothing big jumps out at me.

Appearance- Received with a 1 finger head that stays for the average amount of time. Has a dark brown colored body but clear within. Leaves a bit of lacing behind.

Flavor- Malty, clean, and sweet. Can tell there is Munich-malt used and has a good amount of noble hops. Light-Medium bitterness but mostly smooth and clean.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, Light-Medium Carbonation, Smooth, and leaves awesome roastiness on the palate!

Overall Impression- While having this many times before, once again, great! Would enjoy many more to come! This is one of my favorites from Schlafly this month and will be going back to this. Would recommend grabbing a 6-pack of this because your friends will also enjoy this smooth, easy going black bier. Enjoy!

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2011 23:53:25 | More by DCon

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Freshness date of 10-24-11

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 3 fingers of tan head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, charred grain & choclate notes

T: Charred grain, stone fruit & some dark chcolate up front.Dark choclate, dryness & a touch of herbal hop spice as this warms, maybe even a touch of vanilla on the edges. Finishes sweet with a touch of caramel & a nice roastyness

MFL Creamy, medium bodied, nice balance

Good take on the style, easy to drink. As usual these guys do a good beer at a nice price

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 03:37:05 | More by russpowell

Pintofbrown

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I poured this one into a glass stein.

Appearance- The head builds to about one-finger width with pretty decent retention, beige colored. There is a smattering of small bubbles in the smooth cap.

The body is auburn with some lighter brown highlights, decent amount of carbonation columns in the glass.

Smell- A decent hop smell coming through the malt. Mostly earthy and grassy. Underneath that is roasty malt that blends very well.

Taste- A nice amount of roast rides throughout the drink. The hops are actually taking a back seat to the roast, and I enjoy that about this offering.

The finish has the grassy hop flavors. The malt also has a slight buttery aspect to it.

Mouth feel- A medium body and really creamy drink make for a quite decent feel. Coating is not that spectacular, but it does not matter much with how the carbonation is handled.

Overall- I was expecting this one to be a little more hoppy, but the malts taste great and the feel makes for a great drink. The nose does all right, but it could have more to offer. Try it if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 01:02:19 | More by Pintofbrown

Illtryit

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

"Bottled with Love" 16 days ago. Super fresh. The ABV is 5% per Schlafly's website.

Pours a cola colored brown, almost black, with an off white head 1 finger deep.

Not much to smell on this one. Just a bit of grain.

Taste is semi sweet grains.. I'm also getting a nutty kick at the end. A little chocolate to boot and I'm starting to like this beer a lot.

Mouthfeel is a little light, but it has plenty of character.

Overall I am pretty impressed with this Lager. Light enough to drink a few, but flavorful enough to bring satisfaction. I recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 03:43:15 | More by Illtryit

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pretty dark, brown to almost black and clear, with a nice two finger head that lasted, leaving nice lace.

Roasty and chocolatey in both smell and taste. Great light smokiness too. A bit of toffee and just a touch of hops too. Quite tasty and easy to drink.

Medium body with a lightly roasty aftertaste. I'm glad I bought a sixer of this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 18:53:03 | More by AlCaponeJunior

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out an opaque, jet black color with a one-finger head of foam. It left thin rings of sticky lace on the glass.

S - It smelled very roasty with some floral notes. Nice chocolate aromas.

T - It tasted of chocolate, toffee and caramel. Some subtle bitterness adds balance.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied brew with a dry finish.

O - This is a very solid schwarzbier. Schlafly is so consistently good with everything they brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 20:36:30 | More by zeff80

Tone

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark brown color. 1/3 inch head of an off-tan color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight roasted malt, yeast, pale malt, slight chocolate, and a hint of hop. Fits the style of a Schwarzbier. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, slight roasted malt, slight hops, slight chocolate, hint of pale malt, and a hint of yeast. Overall, great appearance, good blend, body, and aroma.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2011 21:14:11 | More by Tone

karst

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours deep brown with tan head. Aroma was mostly malts. Malty flavors with some caramel and coffee and some fruity esters. Low carbonation Medium/thinnish body and nearly watery mouthfeel hurt by low carbonation, its finish somewhat bitter (less from hops and more from black patent or dark roast malts) but clean and palate clearing lager nevertheless. I found it very refreashing.

Serving type: cask

09-26-2005 22:38:47 | More by karst

Vancer

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Guess I sampled the late 2004 batch. I liked the pour, deep brown with good lite brown head that left small laces. It had that black beer aroma to it, earthy, grainy – just a hint of malt. Taste was very good, low carbonation with almost no hop kick. Nice lite to medium texture thoughout the pint. Could drink many of these – if the Taproom didn’t offer so many other enticing libations.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2005 14:25:23 | More by Vancer

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I knew I'd eventually find a lesser Schlafly beer and this is the one. The appearance foretells that the body may not impress as the drak brown body has no real hues to set it out. The head is basically non-existent and so is the lace.

The nose is of light malt and not much else. There is no strong sense of roasting or other delightful dark beer taste. The feel is light and finishes thin, but not lifeless. It is not so much that this is bad beer, but rather that this is just so average.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2003 02:56:31 | More by AtLagerHeads

maxpower

Missouri

3.13/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark brownish almost black in color, nice wispy brown head that leaves a good lacing, faint roasted coffee malt aroma, thin and watery mouthfeel, decent roasted malty flavors, light bodied with just not enough carbonation, it has a nice roasty bitter finish, pretty average for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2003 23:50:23 | More by maxpower

MJR

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, clear reddish-brown with a light tan head with good retention. The aroma is all malt, with hints of coffee and caramel. Starts off with a bit of malt sweetness and roasted grains, then opens up to a smooth caramel/coffee/smoke balance. Ends with a slight earthiness, along with a touch of roasted grain bitterness and toasted malt. Thin-to-medium in body, with a mildly acidic finish that adds to it's clean and crisp mouthfeel. Overall, a solid schwarzbier.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2003 19:04:06 | More by MJR