Herold Bohemian Black Lager - Pivovar Herold Březnice A.s.

marc77

California

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep garnet hue w/ excellent clarity. Beige head settles in to a dense, tight layer that leaves lace. The aroma is comprised of nutty and toasty Munich malt, mellow dark chocolate, & hints of black malt sharpness. Beneath the dark caramel profile lies a lightly herbal Hersbrucker hop nose. Quite appetizing aromawise. Clean roasted grain bitterness upfront fades into a combination of dark caramel sweetness & subtle prune - like fruitiness, while bittersweet dark chocolate is present as a constant from start to finish. Dryish mouthfeel. The light hop bitterness allows black patent bitterness to dominate. Finishes w/ a light brown sugar sweetness fading. Although abounding in malt character, this brew retains a refined, elegant dryness of a well lagered brew. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2002 07:37:08 | More by marc77

silver0rlead

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque black with slight ruby highlights and a thin tan head. Aroma begins with a chocolate and roasted coffee aroma, followed by a currant and spicy saaz hops aroma. Taste begins with a nice chocolate, roasted coffee, currant and smoked meat malt profile, followed by a spicy and earthy hops flavor (i love those saaz hops). Mouthfeel is thin and suits the beer well with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is good. An excellent and very complex brew, definately a quality schwarzbier.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2005 05:16:48 | More by silver0rlead

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is truly a black lager, opaque with on light, very nice in the glass with a fluffy brown head with small bubbles that fell fairly quickly. The smell is really great, lots of roast and toasted malt, caramel in the nose, but not overwhelming and no hint of coffe. The roast continues in the same vein for the taste, clear, no coffee, very nice roast malt taste, a little chewy but smooth as well. It is a spicy bite as well, but again light from the carbonation and hop that is very balanced with the malt. Overall, a very enjoyable beer, not complex, but very smooth, tasty, and refreshing while not being light.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2007 02:15:35 | More by FightingEntropy

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle bought from Tescos...

Poured a very deep dark mahogany brown. Dirty mocha head poured thick and meringue like then faded very slowly to good thick, pock marked coating... very light wispy lacing...

Aroma - Very strong toasted bread, lightly roasted milk chocolate maltiness, light smokiness, caramel, leathery and woody notes, coffee notes, treacle sweetness, burnt nuttiness, buttery, some dark fruit notes (dates, some apples)..

Taste – Nice strong roasted caramel malts, peppery hop bitterness, espresso coffee, creamy chocolate, some rich sticky fig and date fruitiness, some light vanilla notes, toasted malty bread, molasses sweetness, light spiciness...

Feel - Pretty rich and smooth with just a little sharpness underneath... medium bodied.. extremely quaffable - i could happily drink this all evening..

Overall - A superb Schwarzbier - the best i've tasted so far... definitely recommended...

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2007 13:44:29 | More by mdagnew

anders36

Sweden

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

Pours a black colour with a long lasting tan head. Lots of roasted malt in the aroma, some some caramel too. Sweet malty flavour some roasted notes too. A little thin in the mouthfeel. But it is very soft and easy drinking. One of the best schwartzbier i have ever tasted.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2005 12:12:53 | More by anders36

cypressbob

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.15/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle, served in a pint glass

Pours with a deep rich dark brown body. Thick puffy light tan head forms about an inch thick. Lots of dirty patchy lacing all up and down the glass

Smell, rich chocolate malt, coffee like bitterness. Little bit of drinking chocolate and turkish delight, some slight caramel and a little bit of dried fruit and molasses.

Taste, little bit of crisp dark malt. Slight hop profile initially on the palette, drinking chocolate and some espresso like coffee bitterness again. Crisp and very very drinkable

A tasty and very sessionable dark lager, well worth a pop

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2007 03:39:46 | More by cypressbob

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from a BOTM Club...

A - Rich, deeo dark mahogany bordering on black. Rich, thich khaki head wich lasts a few minutes. Good lacing

S - Dark roasted malts, chocolate and dark fruit notes

T - Roasted malts with a decent amount of bitter dark chocolate. Some coffee notes thrown in with a touch of sweetness.

M - Medium bodied, decent carbonation (dont let the huge head fool ya). Nice coating of the palate without being sticky or lingering.

D - Very, Very nice dark lager. Drank along with a Sam Adams Black Lager and this blew it away.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2009 15:34:33 | More by rfgetz

thepeter

United Kingdom (England)

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I get at least one of these each time I go to the supermarket. Poured into a pint glass from the GBBF.

A - Almost black with a slight red tint on the bottom of the glass. The head is perfect tan and lasts well into the beer and leaves a decent lacing.

S - Burnt/roasted malts, dry fruits, chocolate, a whiff of an open field.

T - toasty, malty, cocoa powder, bit of coffee, and a little sweetness.

M&D - great carbonation, easy to drink, very quaffable (not sure if that's a word but you know what I mean). Nice body, could drink it all night.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2009 11:33:25 | More by thepeter

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer pours a dense black body with a gentle carbonation sticking to the glass and a nice creamy light brown head. The body is pretty opaque but you can see the bubbles close to the edge.

S- I can smell the aroma even as I pour it out of the bottle. The smell of deep roasted grain and a clean slightly sulfur smell fill the air. There is a note of German hops that is in the background. There is a faint coffee quality to the roast as it warms a little.

T- The taste of roasted grain and a slightly dry cocoa note to it are the first tastes. A bit of coffee and toasted grains come through also. A good complexity to the dark malts but not sweet or astringent. The finish is dry with a faint hop bitterness.

M- This beer has a smooth medium body that is a bit creamy. There is no astringency or alcohol warmth.

D- This is a good solid schwarzbier that has a nice complexity to the dark malts and a smoothness to the finish. It would be nice to see a hint more hops for balance or some alcohol warmth (I know that is not to style).

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2005 02:11:55 | More by rhoadsrage

wedge

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, dark garnet hue - clear, with a thick tan head of tight bubbles. Big aroma of dark bread, dark berries, and an underlying layer of sweetness. Tasty roasted malt flavor with a sweetness that brings chocolate to mind. Smoothly melded noble hops and a woody, kind of cedary, hint. The saaz hops are noticeable, but not like in a pilsener, they compliment the roastiness very well. Smooth, medium mouthfeel.

I like it. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2006 04:29:50 | More by wedge

metter98

New York

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is very dark amber (near black) in color and poured with a finger high tan head.
S: There is a lot of sweetness in the nose, which has aromas of dark malts and some hints of cherries.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has flavors of dark toasted malts and cherries.
M: It feels light-bodied and smooth on the palate and has a light amount of carbonation.
D: The beer goes down very smoothly and is quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 13:07:18 | More by metter98

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a deep brown color with boisterous tan head that lasted throughout the glass. Color appeared more reddish when held to the light. Smell is fantastic, a mixture of roated grains, plums, raisins, cherries. Taste is a nice roasted malt with hops only being detectable in the dry finish. Truly an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2005 00:37:39 | More by tgbljb

merlin48

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle with label that says this was lagered 70 days in the cellars of their 500 year old castle brewery. Nice label. Disembarks from the bottle with a very dark, but clear, pour into the glass, where it sits with a nearly opaque dark body. A small, light brown head retains well enough and leaves some spotty patch on the glass. Body is a radiant red mahogany when held to light.

Aroma is dominated by scorched dark malts, with notes of burnt coffee and bitter chocolate. Some figs and licorice add an interesting dimension to the rather restrained nose. Some spicy Saaz hops are also apparent.

Slightly creamy mouthfeel is medium bodied and the carbonation seems a bit overdone.

Taste is well balanced with a soothing complexity. Dark chocolate, a hint of coffee, and some molasses sweetness are immediately noticed. Some toasted rye bread notes add some intrigue. Saaz hops add a spicy and floral bitterness that balances the sweetness very well. Finishes clean and leaves an even aftertaste.

This is a very nice Schwarzbier, one of my favorite lager styles. Complex and well balanced, this one is an excellent example of the style. A must try if you enjoy dark lagers.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2005 13:10:20 | More by merlin48

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a root beer brown color with ruby highlights and a rocky head that persists well and leaves a dancing pattern of lace

Smell: Tobacco and roasted malt

Taste: From the first, this beer takes on a roasted bitter aspect that builds by mid-palate; there are also undercurrents of caramel and tobacco, underneath; after the swallow, the sweeter elements become a bit more prominent, with a chocolate flavor, in particular, joining the gray; the beer might pair well with a cigar as that tobacco and charcoal flavor persists throughout

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A very nice Schwarzbier with good complexity; it has disappeared from the market and re-appeared in the Chicago area with a new label and a Lake Forest based importer (who may also be new as I had heard rumors that this brewery had lost its US distribution); in any event, its good to see it back

Thanks, brandoman63, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2007 21:54:30 | More by brentk56

darklordlager

Wisconsin

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: Dark brown to black. Visibility around the edges.

Smell: Malt and Dark Fruits.

Taste: Some smokiness but mostly dark fruits, cherries.

Mouthfeel: Doesn't carry as much weight as you would expect from the colour. Pleasant.

Drinkability: The taste is very in your face. With a moderate ABV, I could put a few of these back, but the taste might become overpowering...

The dark fruits are reminiscent of a Wee Heavy, while the colour and mouthfeel are more along the lines of a dry-er Brown Ale.

Overall, an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2008 18:55:54 | More by darklordlager

scoobybrew

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was poured from the bottle into a pilsner flute.

A - deep, dark, nearly opaque amber color with a thick tan head that settles a bit - great lacing

S - roasted malt

T - rich roasted bitter-sweet malt character with a touch of hops on the finish

M - medium body, moderate carbonation

D - This is a nice Schwarzbier - certainly fits the bill for the style. It might use a touch more hops though.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 00:03:39 | More by scoobybrew

Gusler

Arizona

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The pour a deep blackberry color, the head is medium chocolate brown, creamy in consistency, modest in size, the lace velum like sheets that cling to the glass till the last drop. Nose is malt, molasses like tones, roasted grains, and quite "Sniffable" for a "Lager". Front malt sweet, the top light to medium in mouthfeel. The finish is potently hopped, quite dry, meekly acidic. Personally, only one of a handful of "Lagers", that I find entertaining and worthy of recommending. Ranks #346 on my current 1000 beer master list.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2002 15:44:30 | More by Gusler

ipogios

Cyprus

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a black colour topped by a tanned head that settled down after a cuple of sips. The aroma was malty and light chocolate hints. Taste is malty and moderately chocolaty. I really liked this beer and it goes down quite easily. If you ever find yourself in Czech Republic try this one

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2003 05:54:19 | More by ipogios

Citadel82

New Jersey

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was a tasty drinkable brew at a decent price.

Pours a dark coffee brown with a thick, tan, creamy head that leaves lots of lacing, Held to the light this brew shows ruby/garnet highlights. A good looking beer.

Smell is smoky, sweetish caramel, biscuit and sweet malt. Faint alcohol in finish.

Taste is malty, doughy sweet, a touch of sour with a short, dry, hop bittering finish. Alcohol is there in the back.

Feels tingly on the tongue, with a slick yet chewy mouthfeel. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2005 04:19:23 | More by Citadel82

Minkybut

Virginia

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured at 50 degrees into tumbler. Beer was dark but not opaque. Good smell of molases and taste hinted of that also. Had a bit of a sweet after taste and not bitter which I like. Fair head at first then went away. A very good black beer. I would purchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2006 18:45:00 | More by Minkybut

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark as guinness with a 2 finger head of tan foam in an imperial pint glass

Smell: a smokey faint rauch essence. with a metallic note but overall some wheaty toasted goodness.

Taste: Once again, i find a very metallic taste apparent in this beer among a strong wholewheate toasted bread/malt flavour. very characterful. A nice balance between any sturdy malty metallicness and a faint hop bitterness in the finish

Mouthfeel : Low carbonation, creamy mouthfeel, goes down easy

Drinkability: An exellent Schwarzbier. some nice roastyness character flavours and settles well. Could drink a few but would like to compare with other Czech Schwarz and Koztrizer

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2007 00:01:24 | More by seanyfo

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I truly have no idea when or where I received this one, but to be honest I saw it hanging out in my fridge last night and decided that I would grab it for dinner. Served into a tall-footed pilsner glass straight out of the fridge.

Appearance - Poured a deep, dark brown, nearly black in look, but no so heavy. There was a touch of light that was shining through, only on the edges. A nice tight one inch head of off white colored foam then graced the top of it, before settling down to a thin film that covered the top like a crown and a nice bit of side glass lace.

Smell - The aroma was a touch light at first, but came around as it warmed up. Rich smoky roasted malts were the predominant contributors here. A very nice little bit of caramel sweetness in there as well. Some nice touches of roasted nuts way towards the back, nice earthy tones.

Taste - The flavor was very nice and classic for the style. Started out very dark with a rich flavor of roasted malts. A very big smoky property to this one as well, which was very nice to see. Some nice earthy and grainy like flavors start to come out and really show themselves off. The finish was a little bit more bitter then what I was expecting, but this was rather nice, with a good drying a long lasting smoky flavor.

Mouthfeel - The feel was very nice. A medium bodied ale with a smooth, rich and creamy feeling. Very nice carbonation with a strong profile, this was definitely very nice indeed.

Drinkability - This was an outstanding session beer. Low ABV and a nice rich malty profile combined for something that I could easily throw down multiples of. I would have loved to have had another last night on top of this one.

Overall, this was an outstanding representation of the style. Rich, deep profile with a superb feel and a really nice long lasting taste. If you are a fan of smoked beers or just looking for something a little bit different, just check this one out, its worth it.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2008 00:46:08 | More by mikesgroove

armock

New York

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a black color with a brown head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of roasted malt with chocolate scents

T - Roasted malt and bitter chocolate at first then a slight coffee finish

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

D - This is a style that I'm starting to like more these days and I think this is one of my favorites so far it has a better stronger taste and is easier to drink then the others I've had its worth a try sometime

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 19:19:13 | More by armock

StJamesGate

New York

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black with a tawny head - identical to stout at a distance. No lacing. Nose is mulch and Marmite. Pine sap, woodsmoke in the middle and spicy Saaz to finish. Lively, oily with a light to medium body.

Dark, wintery flavors. May be too much to have more than a couple, but still close to the perfect example of the style.

Edit: Drinkability to Overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 22:43:41 | More by StJamesGate

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Mahogany with brilliant ruby edges that sparkle in the sun... that is just barely visible on the opposite side of the glass. Black Lager is darker than most porters and quite a few stouts. The pale caramel cap is tight-bubbled and firm, encouraging persistence. Chubby rings of lace don't stick with much force, but several of them are present at all times just above the surface of the beer. It's hard to conceive of a better looking schwarzbier.

The nose is style appropriate and is better than average. Caramel and cocoa share the stage, although it isn't as sweet as that description makes it sound. This is probably the weakest of the half dozen schwarzbier noses that I've had to date.

HBBL is intensely flavorful. I'm sure the fact that I'm drinking it at an un-lager-like 55 degrees helps. The flavor profile consists of black malt that has been generously roasted, bittersweet chocolate and crushed coffee beans. There's also a hint of Saaz spiciness that provides the yin to the black malt yang and gives the beer yet another dimension.

Black coffee becomes so prominent as the beer warms that I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this is a coffee schwarzbier. As expected, an unsweet middle leads to a dry finish. The light-medium mouthfeel could stand to be more full and more creamy to suit me.

Herold Bohemian Black Lager is an excellent schwarzbier. As noted, I've only had a handful, but I recognize a good one when I drink it. If you like incredibly flavorful, amazingly drinkable dark lagers, be sure to seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2005 21:03:22 | More by BuckeyeNation