Style: Dark Lager

ABV: 5.0 IBU: 25.0

86/100

Aroma:	10
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	4

Burial Beer Hellstar

What the brewers say

“Hellstar is a dark lager. Someone told you that all black beer is heavy. Well that’s just stupid. Oh, we’re as heavy as the chains of hell. But this beer ain’t. Open your heart to evil. Sip on the depths of our black souls.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Roasted malt, slight biscuit, bread, quite complex. Subtle noble-hops aromas. As it opens up, there’s medium burnt, heavy roast, and coffee.”

Flavor: “Roasted malt, caramel, biscuit, bread. Clean noble-hops flavors. Slightly complex malty sweet balances the hops. Clean and palate-cleansing. The light hand with bittering hops is good because the roast malt provides complementary bitterness. Light caramel in the aftertaste.”

Overall: “It lacks a bit in body relative to others in the style. It’s like eating Cracklin’ Oat Bran with watered-down coffee instead of milk. Wonderful roasted, yet sweet, malt complexity. Finishes so clean and easy, it’s hard not to go back for another sip.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Light Ales + Dark Lagers (Feb-Mar 2019) (View All Issues)

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How We Review

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“Subtle floral notes at the outset, hint of roses. Toasted potato bun flavor with a wisp of plum-like fruitiness. Relatively full-bodied but the high carbonation and touch of hop bitterness help balance the finish. Herbal hops don’t quite mesh, but overall, an enjoyable beer.”

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“Fairly neutral malt aroma and muted with low floral hops, subtle esters, and a late apple note. Light acidity and then corny and grainy malt. Notes of red apple and pear. Light hop bitterness. Semidry finish.”

New Belgium Brewing 1554

Aroma: “Roast, toasted bread, biscuit, slight burnt caramel-malt aromas. Very subtle noble-hops aromas. Some woody and spicy hops are in the background with light fruit esters.” Flavor: “Sweet melanoidin malt character up front, middle roast notes. Decent amount of body to support the flavors. Slight floral and soapy noble-hops flavors. Sweet dark bready malt, toffee, and coffee.” Overall: “Nice well-balanced dark bready malt complexity. Super-clean and drinkable lager. Enough pronounced roasted malt for the malt lover and a clean easy drinkability for the lager lover.”

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