Devils Backbone Schwartz Bier
A German-style black lager. Hints of caramel and coffee blend in this light to medium dark lager. Do not let the color fool you, this beer goes down very easy. May the schwartz be with you!
3.4
158 reviews
Roseland, United States
Community reviews
On tap at P&P Charleston. Clear medium brown with small/medium head. Aroma cocoa, medium/light body, low carbonation, and some small-bubble lacing. Taste is dark malt and cocoa.
Bottle:
Very dark, rubied-brown with a short tan head.
Chocolate, coffee roast aroma.
Taste is chocolate roast, slightly sugared coffee....lightly bitter....not much.
Overall...a bit thin, but pretty good.
Bottle. Milky coffee, chocolate malt, and straw aroma. Black with moderate tan head. Lightly sweet coffee, chocolate malt and mildly bitter hay flavor. Body a bit light. Decent.
Pours near black. Good sized brown head. Rich toffee,caramel, aroma, coffee, dark fruit. Taste if sweet roast malt, bright toffee flavor with coffee cocoa notes.
12 oz. Clear, dark brown-black with a small covering of foam. Nose is charred grain, coffee, ash and chlorophyll. Flavors of dark bread, sourish caramel, graham cracker and a bit of ash on the finish. Light-medium body has a low carbonation, which I normally prefer, but this one needs a bit more fizz. Drinkable balance with the acidic dark roast and just a bit of hops walking a tightrope with the malt as in all good examples of the style.
Develops a bitter bite as it warms. Mild. Nice flavor and clean finish. Hints of coffee and molasses.
12 oz bottle shared by Brian. Pours a dark cola brown color with a small beige head. The aroma and flavor have roasted malt, dark bready malts, watery coffee, metallic, with a slightly vegetal note, thin, not much to get excited about.
Bottle shared by Brian. Poured a clear black color with an average frothy tan head that was mostly lasting and produced good lacing. Moderate toasted dark malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium toasted sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. Drinkable brew.
12oz bottle, thanks to Brian M for sharing. Bottled 10.02.15. Dark brown color. Ring of khaki head. Some loose bits of lace. Up front in the nose, I get that burnt popcorn smell that I typically associate with too-old lagers. Kind of peppery, spicy in the flavor. Touch of olive, some metallic. Not good. Medium body. Kind of crisp, lighter carbonation. More dry finish. Lighter to moderate bitter taste, lighter to moderate sweet, kind of dry. Mild bite at the back. Not impressed at all with this.
pours black with a off white head. Aroma of coffee and caramel. Taste is chocolate, coffee and some grass.
Where and how: tasting, b. 355 ml
Aroma: proper, hint of smoke, ash with black malts. Pleasant surprise here. 7+
Appearance :
Top: medium, lighter, off-white with fizzy mid.
Base: dark brown into black
Palate : medium-thinner in body, dry consistency. Typical carbonation for style, average plus finish.
Taste: pleasant, dry, roast with smoky hints. I like its middle/late smoky character.
other notes nice and proper.
Rather light, a bit of malt, but not sweet. Some roasty toasty feel, some nuts. Slightly watery overall.
Low on mouthfeel. Radek’s bottle. Dark brown with some mocha head. Hitting the style. Malty and some roast.
Bottle. Pours a black color with off white head. Roasty, toffee, slight nutty aromas. Burnt, ashy, malty, slight metallic flavors. Not as good as I was expecting based on their other German lagers I’ve had.
Bottle @ Craig’s. Pours black/brown, coffee on the nose also some meaty notes, slight caramel sweetness. Same stuff going on also slight chocolate a bit thin.
Bottle at Craigs. Pours dark brown with a thin beige head. Aromas of light smoke, faint chocolate. Taste is Moyer of the same. Sweet finish.
Bottle at craig’s. Pours black, nose is smoky, sausage, roasted, taste is similar, light sweetness.
bottle at home ... dark black .... thin tan head ... soft dark malts ... dark chocolate malt roast nose ... soft sweet coffee chocolate malts nosr ... dfark sweet thin... chocolatee roast .. soft roast .. dark malr ..soft chocolete
This is a really good schwarzbier. The nose is toasty with distinct roasted malt ...taste is very toasty like crusty bread...also has elements of sugary coffee, although this is secondary to the toastiness...the finish is clean and easily crushable...and it doesn’t have a strong "lagery" tinge...it’s a good beer to get you limber for something stronger...
On tap at Brewers Cask. Not getting much but malt in aroma. Almost stout black with a bit of tan head. Tasting roasted malt, cinnamon, grassy hops, coffee, licorice, brown sugar. Not what I expected from a black lager, but quite delicious.
Dark brown to black, medium to small tan head. Aroma is chocolate, roasted malt, roasted barley, bit of toffee, some roasty acidity. Taste is medium to low sweet malt, toffee, chocolate, brown sugar, roasted coffee and some roasty acidity. Sweetish roasty finish. Medium bodied and carbonation.
(bottle at GBBF 2015)
Bottle split at LKS, thanks to Kenny, 03/09/15.
Mahogany brown with a moderate beige covering.
Nose is sweet malts, toffee, hint of vanilla.
Taste comprises light smoke, caramel, biscuit crumble, treacle toffee.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Ok for style.
Bottle share thanks to Ken, 5.1%. Very dark brown, red hue, small foamy brown head. Aroma is ash, blackcurrant, earthy and a bit farty. Body is medium, soft carbonation, slightly foamy. Taste is smoke, soft malts, light metallics with a bitter finish.
3rd September 2015
Bottle share at Mr Smith’s Stratoflat. Clear amber beer, tidy pale tan head. Palate is crisp and semi dry. Modest fine carbonation. Light lactose in the thin dark malts. Tangy caramel. Mild dried fruits. Light finish. Disappointingly thin and dull, really needs a bit of backbone from Devils Backbone.
Bottle thanks to Ken. It pours dark brown with a small light tan he’d. The nose is toasty, cocoa, cardboard, cheap chocolate and light meatiness. The taste is light, toasty, earthy roast, cocoa, pepper, wishy-washy and earth with a short, dry finish. Light body and moderate carbonation. A bit weak. So-so.
Bottle shared in London - thanks to Kenneth. Pours clear brown with a frothy tan head. Toasty brown bread in the nose, some mellow cocoa, grain. Medium sweet flavor with bread, toffee, ripe berries, mellow chocolate. Light bodied with average carbonation. Finishes sweetly and simple, with more brown bread, toffee and cocoa. Nice schwarzbier.
This is a well brewed beer, but not a style that I’m fond of. Has some roasty chocolate and coffee notes, but with very little body or mouthfeel. Very light and crisp.
12 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy dark brown to black with a small tan head. Aroma is mild caramelish. Bitter and toasted malty. Bitter, roasted and dark malty. Bitter and roasted finish.
Bottle sampled at Chris and Ruth’s place in London. Black beer with a quite nice beige head. Roasted leather aroma, malty, caramel notes, chocolate, some tar notes. Roasted tar flavor, leather, grassy, hay, cocoa powder, some dark chocolate.
12 oz bottle poured into a footed stem glass at True Food Kitchen in Fairfax, VA. Dark brownish almost black with beige head. Aromas of caramel, toffee, malt. Tastes of caramel, toffee, malt, light toast and biscuit. Medium-light body with a dry finish.