Köstritzer Schwarzbier - Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei GmbH & Co.

delta490

Virginia

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml can into an imperial pint glass. Pours a very deep brown (almost black), with a nice, but short-lived cappuccino colored head that leaves a little lacing on the glass. Has a nice aroma with notes of molasses and coffee. The taste is more coffee and roast notes, with the molasses/malt sweetness in the background and just a hint of hop bitterness on the finish, with more roast notes. It's a little thin with almost no carbonation noted, but given the flavors, I think a thicker beer would be overwhelming after a while. As it is, this is a great dark lager that doesn't disappoint.

Serving type: can

02-17-2013 09:55:12 | More by delta490

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark mahogany but looks black when not held up to the light. Semi-translucent near the bottom and edges as brown shaded light will pour through. One finger sudsy light tan head. Left a bit of lacing.

Aroma: Some sweet caramel and hints of darker malt. Slightly roasty but pretty restrained. A bit of earth as well. Very clean.

Taste: A very pleasant palate. No bells or whistles, just straight forward amber malts with a little roasted malt but not enough to add bitterness. Reminiscent of Guinness Draught in flavor but with a more definite punch to the palate due to carbonation and a bit of grassy hop presence right at the beginning. Finish is smooth and crisp with a cream flavor for a moment. 4.8% ABV sounds about right but I wouldn't have been surprised if it was even lighter than that. Almost a hybrid lager/ale.

Mouthfeel: Thin but not watery. Lots of carbonation and easy drinkability. Probably sessionable.

Final Thoughts: "Germany's No. 1 Black Lager Beer" is pretty good. Light on body and flavor but not light on enjoyability. Would I drink it again? Yes, if I'm in the mood for an import.

Serving type: can

02-03-2013 22:51:24 | More by JamesMN

mndlssphlsphr

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

The taste is a creamy mix of malts leading to a parched paper aftertaste. The mouthfeel is of typical precision of a soft love of liquid before it tickles the cheeks and gums to make you feel all giddy and child like, like St. Nickolas on the 6th of December with his candy. The color is quite artistic until you taste the hidden meaning behind the said work of 'art'.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:33:58 | More by mndlssphlsphr

Lagerquestrian

Texas

3.59/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

All in all, not a bad dark German Lager. Beats many other local offerings here in Texas. Taste is not as strong as I hoped for. It is a smooth, drinkable black larger with no offensive notes. For the style, it's worth seeking out. Picked up a six pack at Spec's in San Antonio. This is a quality product that the German's are known for. I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 02:33:31 | More by Lagerquestrian

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Black and opaque with edges of brown where the light shines through. grey/off-white head disipates quickly when poured quickly into a pint glass.

S: Slightly sweet aroma, mild spicyness, german lager yeast charector I can only describe as mineraly

T: Crisp, clean and easy drinking. Spicy, earthy hop bitterness is there but so mild an pleasant you might miss it if you weren't looking for it. The smallest bit of roast charector is present, but dominated heavily by the mineral charector of the lager yeast.

M: Moderate body with a crisp dry finish. moderate carbination

O: I've been sort of fatigued with the APA/IPA/Stout beers that dominate the shelves at my local bottle shops and have been exploring german lagers more extensively. This was a breath of fresh air, crisp clean but still full of charecter and flavor. My exploration of german imports is off to a good start!

Serving type: can

01-20-2013 02:34:23 | More by guityler83

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 500ml can into a English pint glass

A: Nice dark color typical to a Schwarzbier. Black with red/brown colors appearing in the light. Small brownish one finger head.

S: Raisins, slight roasted malts

T: Dark roasted malts but not too heavy. Pretty sweet but evenly balanced. The taste lingers pretty long and stays with you. A bit of coffee and some of caramel. Some roast is present but its fairly mild. Heavily toasted oatmeal raisin cookies come to mind.

M: Creamy and smooth. Proper carbonation. Clean and pretty easy drinking.

Overall: Great beer. I'd buy it again if I could find it at my stores.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 21:18:35 | More by Haydn-Juby

jdkitchi

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured black into a pilsner glass with a large foamy head that looked impressive but didn't last very long.

I don't get much on the nose, a little earthy maybe a little malt. The mouth feel is very light, crisp and carbonated. There are some nice malty flavors and I get a little hops in the finish. It's definitely on the light side which is true to style.

This is a pretty good refreshing beer but not quite as good as the Sprecher Black Bavarian or Monschof Schwarzbiers that I've enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:53:22 | More by jdkitchi

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.9/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a solid dark brown with brilliant ruby highlights when held to light. smallish creamy off white head musters but slowly recedes in my glass. Smells of prunes and raisins with a solid shot of caramel and burnt sugars. Very sweet aroma with little to no hop presence. The flavor is more burnt sugar than anything else. A light bit of dark fruits and a hint of ash round out the flavor. Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation and a burnt sweet watery mouthfeel. I didn't enjoy this one very much. There aren't really any flaws here, but I felt it was a bit boring.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 00:42:35 | More by johnnnniee

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One of the more (appropriately) excellent German black beers.

The fairly dense and creamy/foamy (similar to a root beer float), khaki-colored head catches the eye first - wonderfully slow-depleting atop the deep, dark ruby liquid.

The smell hints at (sweetened) coffee with a sort of unidentifiable floral/herbal quality (hops?!?!) and extra-dark toasty. Actually, as it sits, the floral/herbal thing takes on a burnt-bitter orange peel. The complexity is nice (see: taste), but I think I'd prefer a more straight-forward rich malt aroma. But what do I know?

Liquid near-burnt toast is the dominant flavor. Similar to Malta Goya w/o the sweetness. No sweet or grainy flavors. A small bit of darkened caramel and, curiously (sort of), vague bubblegum that (re-)emerges on the palate long after an isolated sip.

I can certainly see easily knocking back a bunch of these (or a big 2L tankard). Soft-round-mild malty body. Wonderfully dry finish with an rolling off at the end, clean and rinsing like the wash of a small wave on a freshwater pond. Perhaps some yeast-derived fruity (esters?) in the follow through?

A very nice schwarz - but I feel like I've had better...

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2012 20:04:50 | More by Bouleboubier

Douberd

Netherlands

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle, 500 ml, bought in Germany. Poured into a lager glass. ABV 4,8%

Colour is black and only when hold against the light becomes a very dark ruby colour. Two fingers of soapy beige head, with good retention.
Roasted malts on the aroma, with caramel and coffee hints.
Taste also of roasted malts. Begins sweeet and sour and turns to quite bitter, with a finish of dark chocolate.
Full body and light carbonation.
Very nice beer, especially for the winter.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 19:29:07 | More by Douberd

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Poured from bottle to pilsner glass and lovely black color with big rocky head of tan which seemed very happy to hang around. About the color of cola.

S: Aroma is pretty plain and clean with very little to notice but a slightly earthy scent.

T: Taste is of big malts and slight European hops, a metallic tang at the end which I have noticed in many Eropean Beers...I.E. Beck's,Heineken, St.Pauli Girl. As this beer approached room temp was more carmel and smoky flavors came out .

M: Mouthfeel is silky and full bodied, great carb level, just enough to let you clean the palate.

O: Overall great beer very tasty, went well with some Lindberger and sharp white cheddar.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:39:53 | More by nukem5

CrazyDavros

Australia

2.68/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours black with a lasting off-white head.
Nose shows sweet malt, chocolate, soft roasted malt and hints of cooked vegetables. Somewhat faint.
More roasted malt as a flavour, but still on the gentle side. Some chocolate and nutty hints, but that's pushing it, it's pretty restrained. Some of the cooked vegetable character comes through.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 12:02:30 | More by CrazyDavros

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In June 1993 I was a guest of Bitburger brewery and asked to taste a 'new' beer they were test brewing with friends from Bad Köstritz ( I was told). My report mentioned burnt caramel, mushrooms, no aroma and very little depth of taste: it hasn't changed much in the intervening years!

This review is from a half-litre bottle (best before 27 Mar 2013) poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard on 2 Nov 2012.

Black body, creamy head: looks good to be fair.

The nose is a weak blend of slightly burnt maltiness and smoked mushrooms from an open fire (at least the sickly caramel flavour has gone).

The taste was also malty but not really flavoursome or rich: must remember it's a lager based brew though.

This beer just doesn't do it for me: there are a lot of better Schwarzbiers out there.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 14:14:00 | More by BlackHaddock

smalenberg

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Cola like in color. Correct to style, not particularly remarkable in appearance.

S - Munich malt with slight roasted note and chocolate is evident and with a very low fruitiness in the background.

T - A slight roast bitterness quickly bypassed by malty sweetness. The bitter note is not astringent or unpleasant and is entirely appropriate and enjoyable in this style. Mildly tart aftertaste.

M - Lower carbonation than expected with a medium body and slightly flat note.

O - Very good and an great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:13:55 | More by smalenberg

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had on draft at Oktoberfest (Deutches Haus, Rivertown, Kenner, Louisiana). Kostritzer Schwarzbier has a medium, beige, creamy head and a black, opaque appearance, with some lacing left behind. I was not able to pick up a lot of aroma, sad to say, but one can detect a slight maltiness. The flavor is of dark-roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and a touch of hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium, and Kostritzer finishes fairly crisp and refreshing. Drinkablility is superb with this one. For a black beer, this is about as perfect as it gets. I think you should check it out!

RJT

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2012 15:12:25 | More by RonaldTheriot

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Pilsener Haus in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some light reddish brown highlights when held up to the light and light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall light beige head that slowly reduces to a very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of dark roasted, almost slightly burnt malts along with some slight hints of dark chocolate.

T: Like the smell, the taste of this beer has a moderate amount of dark roasted malts with some light hints of almost burnt malts. There are light notes of dark chocolate as well.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: This beer is very easy to drink due to the low ABV and lighter body. Enjoyable and sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2012 19:52:15 | More by dbrauneis

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

You've probably heard the one about the guy who walks into a bar. No? He says, "Ouch!" Bro. Woody went to Ardmore last Saturday to see what he could see and walked into a bottle shop. He said, "Yay! Look at all of these new CANs in furtherance of The CANQuest (TM)!" It is called The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore Plaza and for those that do not live in PA, you have no idea what a rare bird it is to find a quality bottle shop, especially one that provided me with no less than five (5) new CANned beers on my first visit. This is one of those beers.

From the CAN: "Brewed according to the German purity law (translated)"; "Germany's No. 1 Black Lager Beer"; "Bier, Beer, Biere, Birra, Cerveza, Cerveja" Man, this CAN caters to nearly the whole EU!

The loud Crack was music to mine ears and the Glug was a pleasant accompaniment. I achieved a finger of dense, foamy, mocha-brown head with good retention. Color was a deep, dark-brown with mahogany highlights at the edges. The visual is why one should always deCANt from the CAN into a glass. I had to hold it to the light to get the full effect. Nose was filled with grassy hops, just like in the Bros.' description on this site. I was ready to swoon. I CAN honestly say that I had no appreciation for lagers until I embarked on The CANQuest (TM) and found out that not all lagers are created equal. Mouthfeel was medium, approaching fullness, but not quite achieving it. The taste married the grassiness of the hops with the bitterness of anise and molasses, undoubtedly from the malt. Finish was semi-dry and quite refreshing. The low ABV makes it a good CANdidate for the cooler and I would recommend it to those who say, "I don't like dark beers." Sheesh. Get off of your high Lovibond horse and join the party!

Serving type: can

10-14-2012 16:21:10 | More by woodychandler

doktorhops

Australia

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Schwarzbier's are an intriguing brew - dark in colour but light in flavour, picking up the glass one gets a sense of a foreboding Stout or Porter only to be snapped back into Lager territory. As the saying goes "Change is as good as a holiday" and this to me aptly sums up my feelings about Schwarz's.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a stein.

A: The body presents a dark chocolate hue with a 1cm frothy tan head, looks good.

S: There are notes of dark coco, chicory, slight bread yeast and dark fruits. The hops are there (somewhere!) and as typical of a Lager (which is what a Schwarz basically is) there is a malt grain base underlying the whole brew.

T: The chicory hits the palate straight away, then leaves a bitterness in the middle with the dark fruits, bread yeast and grain flavours to finish. There is an off metallic taste, it's small but ever so slightly ruins the flavours a little. Aside from that the flavours are quite good and this is a refreshing beer no doubt about it.

M: Mid to light Lagery body with borderline high carbonation.

D: Good brew, only thing letting it down is the unwanted metallic taste and a hard carbonation (especially for a German beer, who usually mute the carbonation in their Lagers well). If either of these things don't irk you and you want a refreshing dark beer then this is a winner, otherwise it's merely an above average brew.

Food match: It's an odd one to match as it's neither heavy handed like other dark beers, but by the same token it isn't light in flavour as Lagers usually are. Best bet would be a cheese platter (some of the stronger flavoured cheeses as this beer is quite palate cleansing), or if you were going a main course it would pair well with heavy white-meats like duck or turkey.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 05:03:50 | More by doktorhops

JMad

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with just a sliver of brown light shining through the edges, the head was tan, a little thin, and quickly reduced to a filmy layer. The aroma is nice and roasty with some smoky flavor and a hint of coffee. The flavor is heavy on the roasted malt, a hint of bitter dark chocolate and a slight metallic taste. The beer is light with moderate carbonation and a nice dry roasty finish. this is an awesome shwarzbier, light but full of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 23:10:01 | More by JMad

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with a tan head. The aroma has some chocolate and roasted malt notes, as well as some grain. The flavor is nice, with some lightly roasted malts and cocoa notes. There is also some sweetness from the malt, as well as some grass and earth notes from the hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 03:28:52 | More by Mora2000

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: pours a nice thick head. Head as a slight brown colour to it (Irish cream). Head keeps and there is a good lacing on the glass as you drink. Colour is dark ruby / dark plum.

S: Hints of coffee, low plum, low liquorish (sweet liquorish or North American liquorish),none to low molasses but in a pleasant way.

T: None to low bread, pumpernickel, dark toffee, short metallic taste (very short), bitterness follows and then some roastiness.

M: Well carbonated, silky smooth in the mouth, makes you want to take an other sip. Oddly refreshing for a dark lager.

O: I've now had this beer about 6 times and every time I do I enjoy it more. It's is very well balance for a dark lager, everything is smooth.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 00:04:04 | More by Kremlock

T100Mark

California

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a 16 ounce glass.

Appearance-Almost black (dark amber around the edge of the glass). One finger head that dissipates quickly. Slight lacing on the inside of the glass. A Nice looking beer.

Smell-Black liquorice.

Taste-Again, black liquorice. Toast. Slightly sweet. Slightly bitter.

Mouth-Light. Pleasant.

Overall-A really nice lager. Very enjoyable. Balanced. A little on the mild side. Don't be intimidated by the color.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 02:36:11 | More by T100Mark

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Very dark nice and opaque. On top is a beige head only finger thick.

Aroma: Lots of roasted dark malts with notes of dark fruits. Pumpernickel, faint plum, black licorice in the tail end.

Taste: A crisp mouthfeel to start. Dark fruits, plum, black licorice, malts and hops are roasted rather dark. Rye, light spice, light notes of grape and a dry but crisp finish.

Notes: Dam tasty such a remarkable and traditional German style a very find and I will pick this one up again. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 02:07:29 | More by horshack7

MadScientist

New York

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A very dark brown beer with garnet highlights and excellent clarity. The rocky light tan head doesn't persist but never goes away entirely and settles to a thin ring after a minute.

S: A light malt and very light hop aroma otherwise pretty clean with no DMS, no fruity esters and no diacetyl.

T: A light roast malt flavor ahead of a balanced malt sweetness and hop bitterness. No discernible hop flavor. The finish is dry with a light roast flavor in the aftertaste.

M: Moderately-light bodied with a moderate carbonation. There is a little creaminess as well.

O: This beer is dry, crisp and refreshing like a pilsner with the hop flavor traded for a dry roast flavor and a touch more malt.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 23:28:57 | More by MadScientist

mjurney

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep brown color almost black. Nice thick frothy head.

Very malty in the aroma. Deep caramel, molasses, hint of roasted malts.

Very deep maltiness up front. Brown bread, burnt caramel, bitter dark chocolate, touch of crisp hops. Very smooth and complex.
Dry and roasty finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 00:04:58 | More by mjurney