Port City Brewing Schwarzbier

“Deep brown and brilliant; good head retention. Intriguing aroma; chocolate malt embraces woody hops—floral, cocoa, coffee. Each sip, in turn, starts with the caramel/toffee malt, then fades down to a mix of lightly burnt roast malt and cocoa. Well-balanced with the hops, which build and linger. Clean, drinkable crispness. In the finish, touches of ash, warmth, and a mineral edge.”

Aroma: “Bright noble-hops notes, floral, spice, and honeysuckle. Slightly sweet pale malt aroma that joins pear, apple esters, and slight bubblegum.” Flavor: “Well-crafted malt complexity with depth of Continental base-malt character. The light sweetness of the malt works perfectly with the fruity esters and floral hops. Quite delicate, but with a zing from tangerine and lemongrass notes. Finishes smooth and dry.” Overall: “A well-designed and well- executed beer that is a near-perfect example of the style. A classic German hops character balanced wonderfully with grainy Pilsner malt make this an extremely drinkable Kölsch. It captures all of the malt character one could expect in such a light package without any of the less desirable side effects that malt can cause. Great balance where the whole is greater than just a sum of its parts.”

“Big grapefruit, orange, and black-pepper hop flavor. Generally carries an almost burnt quality. Like a beginner homebrewer’s IPA, the nose is hoppy but a bit muddled, leaning toward citrus, with grainy malt character exacerbating the bitter aggressive bite of the hops into the finish. It’s drinkable, but not the best nor most subtle that the brewing arts can produce.”