On tap at The Klosterbrau Brewpub, Bamberg. Dark golden brown with white head. Heavy big sweet beer with alcoholic fruity notes, lots of prune in the body with darker roasted malt flavours. Some pine nut in the finish. This is a seasonal which has recently been brewed for the tourist market. Get in quick.

Brewery tap. Roasted malt and bread dough aroma. Malty, bready, very much roasted flavor. Peach and coffee. Deep dark brown, almost opague. Powerful but the alcohol is well hidden. Great stuff.

Schwarzla is unlike any beer you will find in Bamberg. It is a schwarzbockbier or "black bock beer" by style, and it is absolutely delicious. You will find no rauch or "smoked" malt in this beer. A point the owner made to me, when I ordered one in broken German, and he stated, "there is no smoke in this beer" in broken English. He could tell that I was a tourist, and people must come in looking for rauchbier. You will not find rauchbier at Klosterbrau, but what you will find, is a very delicious and flavorful beer with lots of dark malt, and sweet malt aromas and flavors. Schwarzla pours vom fass to a beautiful, bright, deep ebony color with a thick and creamy white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. This beer is pitch black in color, with hints of ruby red peaking out of the bottom of the glass if held to the light. The nose on this beer is fantastic, with lots of dark chocolate, and nutty aromas, paired with hints of mild roasted malt. The palate is firm with good sweet and dark malt flavors, paired with a touch of roast, on a very round and smooth body. Swarzla finishes with more good dark, nutty, and roasty flavors up front then ends slightly roasty, bitter, and a touch warming. This was a truly wonderful beer. It was so flavorful, yet so drinkable. It would match well with a number of the hearty dishes on the Klosterbrau menu, and it was a perfect beer to sit and relax with on a cold day at one of the cozy pine topped tables of the restaurant at the brewery. A very memorable beer, from a very memorable brewery. Bamberg has so many places to chose from, so sadly you won’t get to them all unless you spent at least a week there. Klosterbrau is a place that should not be missed, and if you go in the winter, you must try Schwarzla.

Bottled, Sampled at Delirium Café, Göteborg. Brown colour. Papery mouthfeel with notes of mushrooms. Residual sugars, though not sticky sweetish. Chocolate hints. A decent, malty doppelbock.