Märkischer Landmann Schwarzbier

Brewed by Berliner Kindl Brauerei (Oetker Group)
Style: Schwarzbier
Berlin, Germany

Very dark brown with a thin head. Nice to drink – a hint of chocolate cake and slightly coarse roasted notes. A good whack of fizz gives the body a light touch. Firm finish. A: 4 N: 4 F: 6 P: 7 Overall: 13

50 cl bottle. No yeast at the bottom. Very dark brown colour with a nice white head. Light malty aroma with hints of roastedness. Very tasty of roastedness, and in a very mild way, ends up little bitter as well.

Bottle, picked up in Berlin. Dark tanic-stained swamp water color with a modest cap of off-white. Old oak board smell and chocolate cookies. An odd combination, but they seem at home together. Fresh coffee roast, a touch of carmel, and then a pleasantly dry finish that leaves just a touch of lingering roast. Such a pleasant reprieve from the other syrupy and disappointing-to-awful schwarzbiers I bought in Berlin.

Bottle, own very delicate tulip (as photoed) in a café of Friedrichstrasse bahnhof, Berlin, Germany.
After using this places latrines I felt the need to order a drink and this was all I hadn’t tasted. Bloody Berliner Kindl Pils is everywhere, blast!! This poured a thinly looking, clear but dull cola brown with a wafer-thin, hardly lasting, soapy tan head that atleast left some legs. Aroma was feint but of metal shards, rust and congealed blood I wish it weren’t there. Lingering underneath was a distant hint of smoked oak. In the mouth, sadly, it is similar, this was metallic from the get go. Light touch of woody malts form the base of this thin, fizzy Schwarzbier. Light toasted malt note, some salty peanuts and charred wood but then that grip of sucking your own skin to stop the bleeding, this tasted of blood pure and simple. Finish is metallic, bloody and thinly malty, trailing off quickly. Not much here at all. I am interested in tasting this again, but for now the rating stands. (50cL, 29/05/07)

Almost opague. Touches of roast in aroma and flavor, persisting in the aftertaste. Some distant pear fruit. Malty without being sweet. Medium bodied or a bit less, maybe. A small taste bomb, useable for sessions.

Dark amber brown color,Tannish head.Roasty malty aroma.Roasty caramel taste with a slight tinge of sourness and a burntness.I kind of like it,it goes down fairly smoothly due to it being lightly bodied.I could get used to it fast.

On Tap at Zum Nussbaum, Berlin 11/07/2004 Dark coloured with some alcohol present. Slightly sour fruit aroma. Crisp roast malt finish.

Schwarzbier as a style, is a very dark, malty, slightly roasty lager. It it much like a Munich dunkle, but is darker in color, and has touches of chocolate, coffee, and roast, that you will not find in a dunkel. I am a huge fan of this style, and drank quite a bit of it when I was visiting Eastern states of Germany. If you find yourself in Berlin, and you want to taste an outstanding example of this beer, then I suggest you try a few glasses of Märkischer Landmann Schwarzbier brewed by the Berliner Kindl Brauerei AG of Berlin, Germany. Their version is truly outstanding with lots of great dark malt aromas and flavors, on a smooth, clean body. This beer is very popular in Berlin, and I found it pouring at a number of taverns that I visited. Märkischer Landmann Schwarzbier pours to a beautiful, deep brown to ebony color with a thick and creamy tan head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. This beer is pitch black, but when held to the light, beautiful deep ruby red hues sparkle from the corners of the glass. The nose on this beer is outstanding, with lots of good dark malt aroma, paired with hints of dark chocolate aroma, and light touches of roasted malt. The palate is firm with good dark and sweet malt flavors, flavors of dark chocolate, and mild coffee. Märkischer Landmann Schwarzbier finishes with more good sweet and dark malt character, then ends with a dry and light roasty finish that balances the sweetness of this beer. Some grassy hop bitterness can be found in the finish as well, but hops in this case, are used just to balance the malt sweetness. An excellent example of schwarzbier, one that should not be missed if you visit Berlin. This beer is not exported to the United States, so it is worth the journey to try this one. There are plenty on taverns in Berlin that serve this beer, and one place I really loved visiting was Zum Nussbaum or "To the Nut Tree". Just a short walk from the Alexanderplatz, Zum Nussbaum until 1943, was Berlin’s oldest tavern, first opening its doors in 1571. Allied bombs destroyed it, but an exact replica was recreated, and you will now find Zum Nussbaum in the Nikolaiviertel section of Berlin. It is a wonderful place to go for a hearty lunch or dinner, and has such charm and character. If you go, you must try an eisbein which is a Berlin specialty. It is a pickled, boiled knuckle of pork served with sauerkraut, mashed peas, and fried potatoes. The portion is enormous, so bring your appetite. I enjoyed an eisbein at Nussbaum one cold and rainy Berlin afternoon, and Märkischer Landmann Schwarzbier was the perfect beer to match with it.