McNeills Humperdink

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Schwarzbier
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Poured a prunish/black color with a thin off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of chocolate, roast and various dried fruits. Taste of chocolate and more raisins, roasted coffee, and finishes with a dry hoppiness. A very enjoyable schwarz.

Bottle - Pours a dark brown/black with a very thin tannish head ... very little carbonation. Aroma is of roasted malt with faint coffee. Flavor is very roasty and malty with medium coffee and mild hop bite. Slight sourness. Finish is raosted malt and mild bitterness and does not last too long.

Clear ruby with a thin off-white head. A nice beer for what it is. Rich malts and sweet chocolate with some nuts. Sweet ending.

Unfiltered deep crimson. Completely diminishing light tan bubbles. Immense roasted malt, seared sugar aroma. Chocolate fudge, nougat, raisin, and brash black malt whispers. Nearly still with slight pinpricks of carbonation. Slippery body. Frontal flavors mirror the aroma with roastiness and burnt malt hulls. Chalkiness from the black malts yields some salty notes, which deepen the caramel aspects. Hints of mineral, licorice, and airiness briefly extinguish the sweetness, midway, but eventually surrender to more rich malt layers of caramel and smoke. Finishes intensely charred, with minimal dark fruits succumbing to coffee, dark chocolate, and more black malt hulls. In spite of being nearly devoid of carbonation, which is seemingly typical of their quality control, or lack thereof, (some are undercarbonated, while others are overcarbonated), this is a very respectable Schwarz. Thanks, Muzzlehatch!

Very roasty aroma, smoky even. Powerfull roasty flavor, maybe smoky too. Not bad, but I’m not a fan of Schwarzbiers.

Dark fruit sweetening a malt so roasted it almost smells smoked...Quite bitter grass pierces through the maltiness and thin, fizzy body...An intense schwarzbier with that indelible McNeill's hop signature...

Very very dark brown hue, almost no head, just an off-white ring. Aroma is nutty, extremely roasted, closing to charcoal even, chocolatey and plain bold, almost dirty bold. It doesn't appear too complex to me and such heavy roastiness sure as hell would hide any potential defaults. Flavor hints at coffee and dark chocolate, but it's really mostly about a rich roastiness which, paired with the slightly overcarbonated thin-medium body, leaves me a bit indifferent.

Very dark pour, head that disipated quickly. The taste was a bit sour with a bitter follow. Light for as dark as it is.