Kulmbacher Mönchshof Schwarzbier

Brewed by Kulmbacher Brauerei (Schörghuber)
Style: Schwarzbier
Kulmbach, Germany

Dark brown and a frothy tan nicley lasting head. Aromas of roasted malt, molasses. Medium mouthfeel, carbonation is just right. This tastes just right for a schwarzbier - rich sweet malt character with a certain roastiness that is well balanced for a surprisingly clean dry finish, although I certainly wouldn’t characterize the finish as bitter. Very easy to drink, and I wouldn’t hesitate to have it again.

Sampled from bottle. Porter brown to ruby in color. A few roast coffee notes, but well balanced with a smooth taste and a nice dry mouthfeel. Seems to be some gypsum in the water. Offers a sharp, smoky finish.

Given the richness of the appearance and body, the beer had an unexpectedly simple finish. Starts off slightly sweet, full, and roasty; but ends with a smooth yet flat finish. Overall, I liked it.

Bottle. Nice big head. Dark brown color. Sweet smell. Taste is smoke and coffee with hints of chocolate.

From a swing-top. Dark brown pour with tan head. Excellent lacing. Sweet smell but hard to find it, malty. Mild roasty taste, dark, not intense. Could be thicker and dryer. Slight, creamy mouthfeel. Easy-going and therefore almost endlessly drinkable. Very good for a Schwarzbier.

500 ml bottle purchased from Julios Liquors in Westborough, MA, Feb 2006, God only knows how fresh, served cellar temp in a Christoffel glass. The pour is gorgeous, with a thick small-bubbled off-white head decaying with lots of fine lace atop a dark cola-tinted body....nuts and burnt caramel dominate the rather dry, pungent nose, hints of licorice and ash as well....light sweetness mixed with faint lactic, milky qualities and a tinge of dark sour fruit are the first elements the tongue notices....quickly the palate becomes used to a drier, bitter chocolate character....chalky earth tones develop, adding complexity but also perhaps cutting the sweetness just a bit too much....carbonation is supple and moderate throughout....finishing, dry licorice and light oaky character are present. Quite nice, very drinkable and easygoing on the whole, but I feel it’s just a bit too dry to be great.

Schwarzbier or "black beer" is a German beers style, that I enjoy quite a bit. This beer style, made popular in Eastern Germany, is a very dark, slighty roasty lager, very similar to Munich Dunkles. There really isn’t a whole lot of examples of this style being brewed today, and even in its native Germany, schwarzbier, is very much a regional speciality. So, I was very happy while beer shopping this weekend, to find that Kulmbacher Monchsof Schwarzbier was back on the shelf of my local good beer store. This is a smooth, delicious dark lager with lots of clean malty flavors, and just a touch of coffee and roast. It is marketed in beautiful 1/2 liter swing top bottles retailing for $2.95 a bottle. Kulmbacher Monchsof Schwarzbier pours to a beautiful, bright, black color with a bubbly white head, and a good bit of carbonation. When held to the light, you will see that this beer is actually a beautiful, deep chestnut brown color. The nose on this beer is wonderful with aromas of toast, nuts, sweet malt, and just a touch of roast. The body is very smooth and round, with flavors of dark malt, coffee, toast, nuts, and undertones of roast. Monchsof finishes with more sweet malty, toasty, and nutty flavors, and ends with just a touch more roasty bitterness that slightly lingers. This is a delicious, smooth, drinkable dark lager with lots of flavor and character. I love this beer style, and Monchsof is a stellar example. Schwarzbier is a very food friendly beer that works will with a number of dishes, especially roasted, grilled, and smoked meats. Match this beer with barbecued chicken and hot German potato salad. Kulmbacher markets this beer as "Black Pils" which is somewhat confusing for a novice. This beer doesn’t resemble German pils, and hop character in this beer is only present to balance. This is a very malt accented brew, with a signature roasty note. If this beer is in your market, seek it out. If not ask your retailer to get you some, its that good.

(500 ml flip-top bottle: $3.70 at Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) I think I’ve been sitting on this beer for a year or so, so I’m not surprised that the flavor is showing a modest earthiness, but the sweet and roasty maltiness is still in fully control, and with side help from some molasses and more than a hint of chocolate, this "black pils" is a very flavorful and enjoyable beer. As expected, bitterness is very light and hops flavor is nearly undetectable, which is fine by me. Roasty and mildly sweet nose, but there’s probably a bit more earth and mushrooms in the nose than in the flavor at this point. Body is medium, perhaps a bit thin actually, and carbonation is on the light side, but it’s a flip-top bottle and I’ve had this one awhile, so I guess it’s not terribly surprising. Though sweet to the tongue, it’s still showing a bit of dryness on the palate, so I like that balance. Overall, though, it’s fairly smooth and easy on the palate and quite drinkable. Clear, dark brown color is quite attractive, but the beer doesn’t present more than half an inch of bubbly, light tan head, and it dissipates to a small ring rather quickly. Lacing is restricted to a few sparse spiderwebs scattered around the glass. At twice the price of the Köstritzer Schwarzbier for the same size bottle, I’d elect to go with the Köstritzer, but this is still a solid beer.