(Keg at Pikkulintu Ruttopuisto, 20231208) The beer poured almost black. Its head was medium sized and almost white. Aroma had grass, toasted malts and caramel. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were toasted malts, grass, caramel and bitterness. Aftertaste was toasty and bitter. A tasty malty brew.

Tap at Malto, Riccione, Italy. Pours dark brown, with fine whitish foam. Aroma is very malty, caramel. Body and carbonation are average. Taste is medium sweet, with just a touch of toasty bitterness. Final is still a little chewy and malty. Overall, a very nice beer, but NOT a Schwartz! It's a great bock!

Bottle at home in Hackney - picked up from HOTM. Pours clear brown with a creamy, tan head. Light to medium sweet flavour with rich bready malts, toasted brown bread, a little graham cracker, burnt caramel. Light earth. Medium bodied with fine, massaging carbonation. Semi-sweet finish, a faint metallic note, more toasted bread, a hint of chocolate. Simple stuff, enjoyable.

Keg at Zum Franziskaner. Dark amber with a creamy head. Caramel, dark bread, notes of fruit and some licorice. Smooth and nicely drinkable.

Pours dark brown, still slightly clear, with about two fingers of off-white head. Decent retention and little lacing. A nicely deep and quite vivid aroma: good malty depth, with nuttiness taking the main stage, pretty vivid roastiness with a rather clean coffee note, lighter notes of dark bread and caramel. A slight hint of fruitiness and the slightest spicy hint on the back of things. Feels pleasantly warming despite the not too high abv. Taste notes more or less follow the aroma, with roastiness now not so evident and perhaps a bit less intensity. There's a slight sweet edge in the mouth, while the roasted note, along with a hint of coffee, is more evident in the finish. Finish/aftertaste is very well balanced in sweet/bitter terms, with a light fruity reminiscence. Medium or slightly sub-medium bodied, with light, delicate carbonation. The beer goes down super easily for the abv, maybe even a bit too much; i was maybe hoping for a bit more creaminess. Overall a very interesting strong dunkel/schwarz, indeed not too typically bavarian and closer in taste to a tmavy special.

Tap at Hop Dog. Dark brown body, off-white head. Spicy raisiny malty, lightly cookie-like and herbal aroma, liight acetaldehyde. Sweet malty cocoa raisiny taste, light fruity taste, bit appley. Dunno. Nice, but maybe not the best batch ever.