Monteiths Black

Brewed by Monteiths Brewing Company
Style: Schwarzbier
Greymouth, New Zealand

Fairly average schwarzbier. Pours a nice deep ruby brown with pretty good lacing. Aroma is mostly malty caramel with a touch more roast and a bit of nuttiness in the flavor. I guess if schwarzbier is your thing then you’ll like this one. For me, it’s all a tad thin and uninteresting and doesn’t quite stand up to American and German versions.

Bottle - Smoky aroma. Almost Black with red edges when held to light. Tan head. Medium body and carb. Roasted Malts, Smoky, Liquorice, chocolate. Mild bitterness. Something lacking in the finish.

Poured dark brown with a thin wisp of off-white bubbles and a bit of lace. The aroma was roasted malts and light milk chocolate. The flavor carried through the milk chocolate flavors. Lightly roasted malts came out as well. Thin mouthfeel. Overall it was a bit too sweet and not quite roasty enough for me.

Location: 11.2 oz bottle from Gilly’s, 11/9/09

Aroma: An aroma of roasted malts and coffee with some bread notes and chocolate as well
Appearance: Pours an opaque black with a tick and bubbly brown head, and a good amount of lace
Flavor: Tastes similar to the nose, quite a strong roasted malty presence
Palate: This one is has a medium body and a nice dry and smooth finish
Overall Impression: I like this beer. It is pretty tasty, and works pretty well. Nothing overly standout here, just a solid attempt at the Schwarz style. Anyway, it is a nice brew.

Draft at the brewery. Pours almost black with a tan head. Roasty aroma, with sweet roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, coffee, toast, and just a bit of smoke. The flavor is also roasted malt up front, with licorice, chocolate, hops, and burnt toast. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Well-balanced, with a dry roasted finish. A very solid take on a schwarz.

Bottle 330ml. Nice one. It has a burnt aroma, with dark fruits. Flavour is sweet, with very light bitterness; good length. It has a medium body, and the mouthfeel is good, although slightly watery. Dark brown, with a thin head that disappears.

Bottle from Meidi-ya in Kyoto. Pitch black with a nice tan colored head. Rich aroma of chocolate, caramel, and malt—sweet. Roasted malt flavor, rich and thick; medium body, well carbonated. A good bit of sweetness if nicely balanced by the burnt malt and some decent hops. This is superbly balanced. Aftertaste is of roasted malt, a touch of sweetness, but generally dry. A very nice Schwartz type. Very well done indeed. Not amazingly complex or original, but very solid.

Bottle - Pours oily black with a small tan head. roast malt aroma with a slight metallic hint. Bitter roast malt and choc malt flavours, and a bittersweet finish, nicely balanced. Much better flavours than the aroma would suggest.