Upland Schwarz

On tap. Pours an inky black with just a pencil thin head and no lacing. Aroma is slightly roast and maybe a hint of cold coffee. Flavor is roast and hops. The "burnt toast" comment below is spot on. Notes of caramel, dark fruit, and hops. Nutty finish. Pretty good.

On tap at the pub. Dark beer with cola colored hints against the light. Thin khaki head. Dark roasted malt nose with some tar. Flavors of burnt toast and roasted grain. There was some stale coffee in the finish. Easy drinking dark beer.

I sampled this on tap at Upland in Bloomington. Upland Black Panther Schwarz is a translucent black beer with a dark head. The aroma is fully roasted with some citrus hints. The flavor is very smooth while still being drinkable. I enjoyed this beer a lot and hope to one day see it in a bottle.

Pours dark brown, clear, with a fine, white head. Pleasantly roasty flavor, lighter body. Pretty standard for a Schwarz, but very good.

On draught at the brewpub. Dark brown with a reddish hue and a slightly rocky light tan head, fading relatively quickly. Fruity lightly sweet malt. No real roast. A bit of dark fruit (currant) and some floral hops, ala their IPA. Subdued light body. Small bubble, a bit creamy, yet still quenching. Acidic dark fruit with floral hops. Subdued roast lends acidity. Long toasty finish. A bit creamy. Some caramel malt sweetness intruded on by toast is my only real qualm with the flavor, but then again, I don’t generally like toasty nutty flavors in a beer.

Draught at the brewpub. Aroma of nuts and berry, coriander-lemon in the Leipzig style (!!!), light roast and yeast. Near-black appearance with a soapy tanned head. Taste of nuts and red berry, dry with faint roast and strong wood, a touch of citrus (orange rind) and coriander underneath, seems to turn dryer and dryer as you go along. Nice bit of funk underneath, has something in common with their wit and weizen, I’d assume it was the yeast but it can’t be (ale vs. lager). House character? Mouthfeel is not flat, just prickly enough to make it interesting. Medium body. Overall, tastes extremely (East) German, and that’s a big compliment. Judging by this, the Maerzen, and the Oktoberfest, Caleb really should try his hand at lagers more often!