REVIEW 87: INSULATED DARK LAGER

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Brooklyn Brewery

STYLE:  Schwarzbier

ABV:  5.6%

PURCHASE:  Draught (60-oz. pitcher), $12.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. Not particularly heady from the tap, but a standard pour from pitcher to glass yielded a good 2 1/2" head. Great retention, too. A slower pour still yielded well over an inch.

APPEARANCE:  Coffee/cola/root beer dark brown body, approaching black. Cream-beige head. Broken lacing around the glass, more vertical than horizontal. Little bubble action.

BOUQUET:  Considering what this brew looks like--a large Coke--it has a surprisingly floral hop aroma. Malt barely traceable. Hints of caramel, and accents of citrus as well. In short, it looks like a stout or porter, but smells more like a pale ale.

PALATE:  Considering what this brew looks like--a large Coke--it has a surprisingly citrusy taste. The malt factor was more pronounced than in the aroma, particularly toward the end. A grapefruit-like bitterness grabs hold early on and never yields, only fading toward the end as burnt toasted grain characterizes the aftertaste. Very "wet" finish, yet roasty and somewhat coffee-like. Deceptive body that initially seems relatively light, but feels heavier with each mouthful. Mild carbonation that holds itself in check very well. In short, it looks like a stout or porter, but tastes more like a pale ale--well, except for the coffee and burnt grain notes.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This is a "schwarzbier." For those of you that took German in high school, that literally translates to "black beer" in English. Although literally, it's dark, dark brown. Perhaps they should call it "braunbier."

Given that its appearance is almost 180 degrees away from its actual taste, I'd call it ironic. (Sorry--I forgot how to say "ironic" in Deutsch and didn't feel like looking it up.) But it's ironic in a positive way, at least. Drink the Schwartz--I mean Schwarz!




GRADE:  B

I trust you all see the connection.