Schwarzer Abt - Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle GmbH

marburg

Michigan

3.58/5  rDev +30.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Velvety opaque blackness. Eternal night. Really. Head is pronounced but lacks any retention whatsoever. Lightly smoked roasty aromas. Very subtle, though. Aroma is not powerful by any means.

Immediate flavor is a one-dimensional sugary taste. Feels like licking sugar-coated satin sheets. Almost eeriely smooth. Candy-like.

With an even stranger twist, the sweetness is almost entirely mopped up in a bizarre re-emergence of the light roasted presence from the aroma. Hinting at flavor more than engaging the tongue. Then again, perhaps that's just the case in comparison to the initial wave of sugary flavor.

Perfectly constructed mouthfeel for a schwarzbier. Smooth, silky, and light -- despite the visual indications to the contrary.

Pretty damn drinkable if you can get past the intense genesis of the taste "experience."

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2003 23:48:09 | More by marburg

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer is made by the Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle and it has a catch, at bottling a dose of invert sugar is added to the bottle. It is very sweet and nutty with a mild roast character. The color is black to deep garnet/red (but only if held into the light). This beer has a low body to sweetness ratio, the closest beer, that I have had, would be Mackeson's triple stout, but it does not have the fullness of body that milk stout has. Of course the Schwarz cannot be labeled a beer in Germany as the sugar added at bottling violates the Rheinheitsgebot. The brewery has been brewing beer using invert sugar for hundreds of years, ever since that upstart beer purity law was adopted they have no longer been able to say that it is beer. See the Reinheitsgebot is not the end all and be all of brewing, though I will admit that this beer is not incredible, interesting though.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2003 19:37:45 | More by Gueuzedude

cokes

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Basically black. Sure, it's dark ruby if you hold it to a light. But look at it sitting there. It looks black. Gray-tan foam above.
Roasty and minorly smoky nose.
Begins with a grilled meat and smokiness akin to their bathbeer. Then in rushes a huge wave of saccharine sweetness. Hello, Sweet and Low! Lingers over-sweetly, as brown sugar creeps in. Hopping is not of note.
Thinnish and relatively drinkable if you like your coffee with 6 packets of artificial sweetner. Otherwise, it's a bit hard to swallow.

This became more palatable as I acclimated myself to the sweetness. But unless you crave raw sugar, this is not something I'd recommend. Their Bathbeer (Badebier) was eons better.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2003 23:39:29 | More by cokes

Shiredave

New York

3.88/5  rDev +41.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very pretty beer, looks almost like Guinness, tight, tan, ever present head, but not as brown, with a deep burgandy, nearly purple caste in the light. Very dark for a schwartz.
Aroma is clean and light- ripe plums with some smokiness.
Soft on the tongue going in, intensely sweet with flavors of carmelized dark grains and juicy plums and pears. Sweet, rich German malt flavors coat your mouth making you think your drinking something much bigger and stronger than a < 4% beer.
Finish is clean, with a nice husky grain and mild hop bitter aftertaste. Totally recomended if you like dark lagers and Double Bocks. May be too sweet for some.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2003 20:42:23 | More by Shiredave

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev +40.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had set this out on the counter before drinking, and upon popping the cap I got a bit of a foam-over. No big deal....into the glass with no probs....has a deep chestnut color, with no transparency whatsoever. Head was initially quite large, rocky, and light tan in color. After a few minutes it shrank to a fine, 1/4" layer. Not much lacing to speak of, though. Nose was a roasty, slightly cola-like offering, yet it was not overly pronounced. I found the body was about middle of the road, yet it was quite carbonated, and really fizzed up and became bubbly on the tongue. The flavor characteristics were a bit hard to pin down. It had a somewhat roasty aspect to it, with a hint of chocolate, yet there was a fair amount of sweetness throughout. Bottom line is that I rather like this bier...it has a certain "je ne sais quoi".... Prosit!!

overall: 3.85
appearance: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 4

521

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2003 18:03:20 | More by Bierman9

fattyre

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +58.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a clear very dark red/brown with a large tan creamy head and a firm mouthfeel. The smell is a smokey malt with hints of coffee-very pleasant. The taste is a smokey very sweet malt with little or no hop character. I really enjoyed this beer and think it would be very good as a dessert beer although I could really drink it any time. The sweetness could be overpowering though, and if you find the thought of sweetness and beer not very palatable you might want to pass on this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2003 18:39:51 | More by fattyre

Bunnyhop

Georgia

4.63/5  rDev +69%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A clear, very dark red-brown Black Lager with a largish tan, creamy head. The smell is sweet and malty along with coffee. The taste is also SWEET and malty finishing like strong coffee. The texture in my mouth is firm. I found this beer to be fabulous, although very sweet; I would drink more as a dessert beer.

(source: Savannah, GA)

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2003 19:34:10 | More by Bunnyhop

Todd

Massachusetts

1.4/5  rDev -48.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Presentation: 0.5l bottle purchased and consumed in Berlin, Germany. Freshness date and map to the brewery on the back. What got my attention was: "Die Rarität aus Schwarzbier mit nachträglichem Invertzuckersirupzusatz" ... which transaltes to: "The rare piece from black beer with additional Invert sugar syrup additive." Hmm? Sugar syrup in my Schwarzbier!! Sod that!!

Appearance: Pours a black beer with fine ruby edges, topped with a creamy, tight, tan lace head. Mediocre retention.

Smell: Coffee syrup-like aromas, some caramel. Seems odd. Contrived.

Taste: Raw sugar sweetness up-front that's hard to shake. Burnt sugar next with some earth notes and day old stale coffee. No discernable beer characters of malt or hops. Flavours linger into the finish, too long and to the point of nearly making me feel ill with sugar shock.

Notes: Way too sweet, in fact after drinking half the bottle I got a head rush, followed by a head ache. Absolutely disgusting and an utter disgrace to the Schwarbier style!

I'm not surprised though given all of the new "sugar+schwarzbier" and "cola+schwarzbier" products that are hitting the German market nearly as fast as alcopops hit the US -- the schwarzbiers are pasteurized and the sugar added.

Very disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2002 06:07:50 | More by Todd

brakspear

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +82.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow! What an amazing beer to stumble upon. Best German Schwarzbier I have tasted. The Black Abbott is a beer to search for....

Pours midnight black and appears very well carbonated, but not overly so. A nice soft tan head forms and perches on top like a cloud. The aroma is rich, earthy, and breadlike with crisp roasted chocolate undertones. The taste is mellow and smooth with no harshness: chocolate, roasted -- perfect. The mouthfeel is also rich and thick, but not cloying. A great, great beer for those who can appreciate its ebony richness.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2002 18:14:54 | More by brakspear

John

New York

4.8/5  rDev +75.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Every once in a while a beer comes along that makes you stop everyting else you're doing and focus on it. This is one of those beers. Black and opaque color, luxurious, sticky tan head. Dark roasty sweet, chocolatey, trace alcohol aroma. Those elements are noted in the flavor as well as some molasses. Mouthfeel is substantial, grainy, almost gritty. I had to restrain myself from chugging this rich, smooth treat. Truly an exceptional schwarzbier. Seek this out.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2002 07:35:52 | More by John