Dad and I shared another bottle of our Schwarzbier. We had a gusher in this batch a while ago, but this one was ok, so it must have just been one dirty bottle.

This is a dark beer, as the name would suggest. I brewed this one out of the VicBrew Winning Beers Recipe Booklet. I think it fits the style, but only just. As with all dark beers, clarity is difficult to determine (and because of this, it doesn’t really matter, in my opinion). I can’t see any suspended yeast in it, so that is a good sign. It pours with a thick (lasting) head, and is possibly a little bit over carbonated.

The aroma is similar to that of a stout, but not quite as pronounced. Carafa I and Roasted Barley grains contribute here. Hops are detected, but are not prominent. It is medium bodied, and moderately carbonated.

Roasted flavours are quite prominent when drinking this, however it is a very easy drinking style. We think it tastes a little bit like Tooheys Old, but fresher, and more flavoursome. This said, I don’t know if I have ever tasted a commercial Scwarzbier, so I can’t really compare flavours. Hop bitterness is quite high for the style (28 IBUs), but this is well balanced with the roasted malt flavour.

I’m pretty happy with this brew, I think it will improve with age if I can leave it alone for a few months!