Leavenworth Bakke Hill Black Lager - Fish Brewing Company / Fishbowl Brewpub

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.93/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with a Whopper-interior, sudsy head.

Smell: Modest accounts of chalkiness and roast, with increasingly lighter notes of chocolate, yeast, and herb.

Taste: Lightly ashen, chalky roastiness. Slight sweetness. The merest hint of chocolate. Quick herbal hops, lightly bitter. Thins out tremendously, both in body and flavor, approaching the finish, making for a very bland end to the beer.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-light carbonation.

Overall: The two previous Leavenworth beers were embarrassingly dismal, so expectations were set very low. Expectations: met. I want 2013 to be the year Leavenworth Beers gets something right. C'mon, guys. 354 days to go. You GOT THIS!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 00:57:04 | More by ChainGangGuy

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pint at Beer Revolution in Cowtown.

This beer appears a very dark, somewhat hazy ruddy brown hue, with one finger of thin foamy tan head, which leaves a solid wash of painted lace around the glass as it seeps away. It smells of sweet roasted caramel malt, some cereal biscuit, and leafy hops. The taste is nutty, slighty toasty chocolate malt, some further cereal graininess, and soft earthy, musty green hops. The carbonation is moderate, and a tad frothy, the body a decent medium weight, and haltingly smooth. It finishes off-dry, but with the roast and the newly invigorated hops pressing the issue.

A decent black lager, at first it quite resembled OK Springs' version, but slowly grew apart, showing greater cocoa notes, as well as a sturdier countenance. Drinkable, and fairly enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 21:45:27 | More by biboergosum

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.88/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up tonight on the way home from work at Brewforia.... Paid $5.40... enjoyed from my Cigar City snifter... Short lasting tan head... the brew is the expected black with a tiny bit of ruby sneaking through near the stem... more retention would be good for sure.

Nose is rich and roasty... very clean.. toasty with hints of coffee without ever becoming burnt.

Flavor is clean and lets the malts shine.. light toast and even lighter roasty malts again no burnt qualities... light French Roast begins mid palate and is drawn out a bit on the finish by a mild malt sweetness that is certainly within style guidelines...

Body is about right... but it shows pretty low carbonation.. could use a bit more bubbles for sure.

Everything about this bottle is nicely done.... except the carbonation... but on such a delicate brew that is a minus for me.. but this is still very good... I am definitely digging the Leavenworth brews as I always appreciate a well made German style brew.

Very happy I was able to try this one fresh... Time in the bottle is only going to hurt it.

3.5/4.5/4/3/3.5

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 06:16:04 | More by JohnGalt1

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 22 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of roasted malts, a touch of coffee. Taste is also roasted malts up front, some coffee, just a touch of chocolate. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 00:01:18 | More by tone77

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle into lager glass; October notched, no year (probably 2011). Pours fairly clear very dark brown color with a small fairly dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass; with plenty of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of roasted malt, dark chocolate, caramel, toast, coffee, dark bread, floral, light pepper, and roasted earthiness; with some subtle pear and apple. Very nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark malt notes with hardly any yeast fruitiness surprisingly. Taste of dark chocolate, roasted malt, cocoa, caramel, toast, coffee, dark bread, floral, light pepper, light pear, apple, and roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, cocoa, caramel, toast, dark bread, coffee, floral, light pear, apple, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a bit. Very nice balance and robustness of roasted flavors; with good complexity and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, smooth, and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with almost zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice schwarzbier! Great balance and robustness of roasted flavors with minimal yeast esters; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyably offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 04:05:21 | More by superspak

Reidrover

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle from Fred Meyer, S.Salem. $4.59 Black lager..very black with a lovelly creamy,thick yet bubbly tan head. Aroma very lager like..and with hints of caramel and chocolate Smmoth taste low carbonation..roasty ,coffeelike malts..some dark chocolate..slightly burnt notes. Pleasant. Nice smooth palate..the low carbonation works with this beer. Nice beer

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 18:08:00 | More by Reidrover

Etan

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle.

A: Inky black with a light beige head.

S: Light dusting of cocoa, mild char, crisp yeast and grain in the nose.

T: Dry roasted grain, very light chocolate, palpable and leafy hop bitterness.

M: Between light and medium-bodied with light carbonation.

O: A good schwarzbier, if not a bit too mild and dry.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 17:41:40 | More by Etan

benclimbs

California

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours black, looks good for the style, but a bit lacking in structure/head

smell is really nice, all roasty malts, straight up cocoa and coffee with a very nice overall smoke that is present but not overwhelming

taste is good for the style, simple but a little spicy and bitter from the roasted malts - very drinkable and light, mouthfeel is probably right for the style but a little thin.

overall a good example of the style but nothing outstanding

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 01:02:09 | More by benclimbs

sam_bliss

Washington

3.46/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bomber into New Belgium globe

Dark as a moonless night. Looks like a deep, dark, endless brown rather than jet black, but it isn't easy to tell because the beer is completely opaque. No light through and no light reflected. This lager absorbs all light. The head was not quite an inch of latte-colored foam; it didn't last the amount of time it took me to type about the appearance.

Even though Bakke Hill Black is a lager, it smells similar to some winter warmer ales. Caramel and toffee malts are accompanied by more grassy hops than I would expect based on appearance and style. It's a clean-smelling beer, with some fragrant yeast in the aroma. The bitterness come from hops more so than roasted malts (other than a little bit of coffee taste), which is in line with the schwarzbier style but still seems a contradiction given the color of this beer. Very refreshing taste while still holding its own as a winter beer.

The carbonation is not strong, which is typical for a winter variety, though I would prefer some more carbonation and body to balance out the lightness of this dark lager. No stickiness; perhaps a little too thin.

Great beer for those winter nights when 8% alcohol would be too much. Also an elegant deviation from porters and stouts.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 03:28:02 | More by sam_bliss

chicagoanbeerone

Illinois

2.53/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

has a very dark appreance and aroma, good smooth light beer that i thought would be heavy, taste alot like a brown ale, overall a smooth beer i would try it but not have it again but they didnt over do it on this beer. i thought this black lager would be better more like a porter but it is very simple

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 19:51:31 | More by chicagoanbeerone