Herold Cerny Lezák (Bohemian Black Lager) 13°

Brewed by Pivovar Herold
Style: Schwarzbier
Breznice, Czech Republic

500 ml bottle from DiCarlo’s/Armanetti’s in Mundelein, IL (Dec 2005). Cellar temperature, served in a Zwiec lager glass. Pours a translucent cola-black with big fluffy slow-diminishing tan cap....huge aroma of prunes, root beer, almonds and dark roasty malt, absolutely luscious....on the tongue, very very sweet at first, chocolaty-grapy, with darker chocolate and roasty character emerging slowly in the velvety, pillowy liquid...the mouthfeel is very milky-creamy, like a thin chocolate shake, with a rather low carbonation level that really works surprisingly well given how sweet this sucker is, never cloying....towards the finish a light herbal bitterness shows up and the modest saaz hopping becomes apparent. A final, dark harvest of grain and subtle hops before the winter begins...transcendent.

Czechs for centuries, have brewed dark lagers, the most famous coming from a 15th Century brewpub in Prague called U-Fleku. Herold Bohemian Black Lager comes out of that Czech dark lager traditon, and is a delicious, smooth, complex dark lager, very similar to German schwarzbier or "black beer". This beer is brewed with four different malts including pilsner, crystal, Munich, and black patent. It employs the decoction method of brewing, in which a portion of the mash is removed from the mash tun, heated to a higher temperature, and then returned to the mash. This step in the brewing process gives a beer deep, toasty, and nutty malt character. Herold Bohemian Black is an exceptionally smooth beer, being lagered from 75 to 80 days. This beer is hopped three times with one variety, the famous Bohemian Red, or Saaz hop. Herold Bohemian Black Lager pours to a deep brown/black color with a thick and creamy white head, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is very complex with aromas of sweet malt, nuts, dark chocolate, a hint of roast, a touch of smoke, and grassy hop aromas. The palate is equally complex with a slick and clean mouth feel. Flavors of dark chocolate, sweet malt, nuts, toast, with slight hints of roast and smoke that coat the tongue. This beer is very smooth and drinkable, and weighs in at 5.2% abv. Bohemian Black finishes with more complex dark malt flavors up front, and ends with a slighty grassy/cedary hop bitterness, that balances this beer to perfection. This is an outstanding dark lager with tremendous flavor and character. The label states this beer is a schwarzbier, and indeed it is. However, it is a little different from German examples. Herold Bohemian Black is a bit richer and fuller on the palate than its German counterparts, and a bit more hoppy in aroma and bitterness. This beer would work well with a number of hearty dishes. I would match this with German fare, Barbecued or grilled meats, even Japanese cuisine. Herold Bohemian Black is available in 1/2 liter bottles, and retails for $1.98 a bottle, making it well worth seeking out. A beer of this quality, at that price, is a steal.

(Bottle) Poursa dark mahogany body with a large off-white head and good lacing. Aroma of roasted malt, molasses, and cocoa. Falvor of roasted malt with a hint of dark fruit in the finish.

Brown/black liquid supports a foamy, collapsing light tan head. Faint roasted malt aroma, perhaps a little smokiness as well. Medium full mouthfeel with a richness and smoothness that surprises. The flavor is not as sweet as one might expect, but it’s certainly not bitter. Nice balance of burnt caramel, faint smoke, and roasted malts. A very slight bitterness at the end is more due to the dark roasted malts than hops I suspect. Actually, the complexity surprised me. Quite enjoyable and easy to drink. A good beer to introduce to people who claim that they don’t like "dark beer."

(500 ml bottle: Obtained in trade with whaleman, thanks David!) This shows a bit more complexity than the dark, black lagers I’ve tried so far. Like many of the others, there’s the sweet and roasty maltiness, the fine smokiness in the midpalate and finish, the moderate molasses and brown sugar, and light bitterness with a bit of hops in the finish, but I’m also getting a fair amount of earth and wood, plus some maple and even a hint of cherry too. Lots of brown sugar and molasses in the nose, but less roast and smoke than in the flavor. The body comes across as a bit thin to me, but the real problem is the carbonation levels are fairly low. Accordingly, the light tan head is very small and filmy on the pour and fully dissipates within a few minutes. The body is very dark brown with ruddy highlights on the edges. It seems to have good clarity, but it’s dark enough that I still can’t really see through the beer. In the end, the beer is quite sweet and shows a lot of sugary sweetness to boot, but despite this, the added complexity is a pleasant surprise and the overall impression is a very positive one.

Deep dark black with thin moka head. Sweet smokey malt with a bit of pumpkin spices in aroma. In mouth, roasted coffee with smoked notes, peaty in character, rich and interesting, veering on Rauschbeer style. Nice. Baugth at Sam’s Wine, Chicago. 1.99$

This brew is rare example of "old world" quality. The dark malt protects both the aroma and flavor from oxidation. The aroma is that of soft, aromatic hops. The most expensive type. The taste is delicate and robust at the same time. This is due to the malt, decotion mashing, soft water and long (by western standards) lager time. An exceptional value and almost always "fresh" tasting.

Bottle. Almost black colour with a big baige head. Light roasted, coffee, dark fruits aroma and a sweet light roasted, coffee, licorice, dark fruits taste. Medium body with a sweet finish. Plesant beer.