Bottle at Dean’s Birthday Tasting, August 2013. Poured a dark mahogany with a thin tan head. The aroma is roasted malt and coffee. The flavour is medium bitter with a malty high carbonation watery palate. Not a classic.

33cl bottle shared, courtesy of JMGrrenUK @ Dean’s Birthday tasting. Thick creamy tan head. A decent schwarz beer

Nice crisp deep brown coloured body with a ruby and cola coloured tint at the bottom, and a nice two centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, nuts, caramel, light milk and a hint of smoked peat (not much). Light-bodied; Sharp roasted malt flavour with not much body, a hint of toffee and peanuts, some earthiness afterwards, and a solid tannic finish. Aftertaste shows mainly dry malt, a little earthiness and a hint of sugars. Overall, a good schwarz, but missing some on the body and a bit of complexity and depth of flavours, but the flavours that are there are very nice, and its much easier to drink than I had anticipated. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Total Wine in McLean, Virginia on 24-October-2012 for US$1.99 sampled at home in Washington on 03-February-2013.

12 ounce bottle. Nearly opague brown, black color topped by a fluffy beige head. Espresso-like roasted malt aroma with hints of yeast. Flavor of dark roasted malt and cocoa. Like most Duck-Rabbit brews, this has the lacose tanginess I have come to expect. Less sweet than the German breweries versions I have experienced. Very malty with little hop prescence. Some dark, dried fruit and brown bread, too.

Refrigerated 12 oz. brown bottle poured into a shaker. Pours opaque black with dark brown translucent hightlights. Some lacing, medium body, medium carbonation, and roasted malt aroma. Taste is roasted malt, some chocolate, and hop finish.

12 oz “fresh bottle”. Black color with beige head. Nose is a pleasant mix of chocolate and roasted nuts. Flavor has roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and mild hop bitterness. Body is Light side of medium with just the right amount of carbonation to give it a lively jump on the tongue. This tastes just as good as some of the better German brews from this style. If you like this style, you really should enjoy this. I would spend more of my money to drink this again.

Poured from a 355ml bottle into a ’Pforzheimer Hausbrauerei’ 0.3l handled glass (Mar ’12). Pours a ’light’ black colour, chestnut brown when held to the light with a huuuuge frothy tan/off-white head. The head subsided after a few minutes but retained a good finger pretty much thereafter. Dark roasted malts predominate on the nose with a hint of chocolate and caramel in the background. Roasted malts again at the forefront of the flavours allied to a little chocolate, a little smoke, slightly sweet and a slightly - but not overpowering - bitter finish. Mouthfeel is as good as any beer I’ve had of this style in Deutschland. Well balanced and just the right level of carbonation. Overall a very decent Schwarzbier and one that I’d happily have again!

355 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Vika, Oslo. ABV is 5.8%. Dark brown colour, nearly black. Huge and lasting beige head. Moderate aroma of dark / roasted malts and ice coffee, a hint of dark chocolate. Soft, dry and quite drinkable flavour, notes of black malts and mild coffee, hints of dark chocolate and ashes. Nothing exceptional here, but okay. Won’t buy again though.