Upland Brewery’s Schwarz Black Lager

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Brew Review!

Back in black again today. These dark beers have really been tasting right. With that in mind we once again visit Upland and review their Schwarz Black Lager. Let’s see if they can keep up the big ratings with this one or if they fall short.

About Schwarz Black Lager

From Upland’s Website

Schwarzbier (black beer) originated in medieval Germany, and though Upland isn’t quite that old, we strive to bring you an authentic version of this historic beer. Our take on this ancient lager delivers hints of chocolate and coffee, courtesy of its dark malts, with a strong nose and a clean finish, striking the right balance of robust and crisp, with enough bitterness to accentuate but, not overpower, its many subtle flavors.

Don’t be fooled by Schwarz’s dark color! This beer may look ferocious, but it’s as smooth as any golden lager. Schwarz is a great beer to enjoy when the days get cold.

My Review

The Pour

When you pour Schwarz you will notice the dark black color fills the glass nicely, but seems to be a little thinner that expected. For something called a black lager I don’t want to be able to see light through it, and yet there it is. You get a thin head the runs off quickly, which surprised me for how carbonated the beer looks.

The Nose

There was virtually no nose. You will get some roasted and caramel malts but nothing else.

The Palate

Funny that I am reviewing Schwarz right now. My mom just called me and told me I should try it, she loved it. Like most mom’s mine isn’t into dark beers, in fact she generally sticks with the wheat beers with an orange in them, so it came as a shock to know that she found one she liked. But after tasting it I knew why.

Schwarz is not a bad beer, it just isn’t your standard dark beer. Most of the darks I have tried have a medium to full body, not a lot of carbonation, and toffee/chocolate/coffee flavors that dominate the palate. But Schwarz on the other hand was very thin, overly carbonated, and to me tasted like metal.

Now I said it wasn’t bad so I have to say that there where the makings of a good beer in there. I liked the color and the hints of malt that where there, but it just wasn’t prevalent enough. Give it a strong malt base and a heavier mouthfeel and this beer would have been an dark beer for everyone, instead it was just a dark beer for my mom.

This just goes to prove that everyone’s palate is different and that you may enjoy something I don’t, but in my opinion pass on this one because you will be able to find a good porter or stout that brings more body, more flavor, and less carbonation with a good dark color to match.

The Rating

2.5 out of 5 beers

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