Sprecher Black Bavarian

This intensely dark Kulmbacher style lager has a superb malt complexity with the distinctive flavors and aromas of coffee, caramel and chocolate. A renowned smoothness and a creamy, tan head make it an all-time brewery favorite.

3.7

810 reviews

Glendale, United States

Community reviews

3.2 Light smoke flavors. Nose is just dark grains. Does have a light astringent bite. Very subtle husk flavor. Overall not bad. Average.

3.5 From old tasting notes. Blackish brown, nearly opaque with a quickly disappating tan head. Aroma is slightly dry and vinous in nature. Semisweet roasted malt flavor upfront. Bitter hops in middle. Smooth dry finish has good hop character. Aftertaste is dry and somewhat bitter, yet long and interesting. Very lightly carbonated. Fairly well balanced and full bodied. Subtle and unique.

4.5 12oz bottle to tulip. Pours black, solid beige head. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, molasses, coffee, dark fruit, oak, bourbon, dark candi syrup. Taste of same. Excellent roastiness. Great complex flavor, while quite quaffable.

4.5 Sort of has a musty sweet smell, it’s hard to describe. Strong dark roast coffee bean flavor, medium bitterness, bit more carb than most dark beers. Pretty damn good overall, quite unique.

3.4 Can from Total Wines, Sterling VA. Dark brown in colour, with a decent, off-white, head. A pleasant black lager, with rich chocolate and toasty malts, some brown sugar and plenty of leafy hops, before a lingering, bitter, finish. Easy drinking for the ABV and enjoyable.

4.6 bottle from Total Wine in Chantilly (VA) Aroma: caramel, molasses, roasty, chocolate, coffee Appearance: ruby-black with a tan head Taste: medium sweetness, medium bitterness, Palate: medium body, creamy, average carbonation, long finish, Delicious

3.7 12 oz. bottle. Poured black, quick fleeting tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, light coffee. Taste was bittersweet chocolate, toasty, molasses, cola.

4.0 Bottle; pours cola brown with a thin beige head; aroma chocolate, malt, coffee, and a hint of caramel; taste is sweet with chocolate, malt, caramel, and a hint of coffee; finish is dry with some light roasty bitterness; wow, I was surprised by this one

3.4 Appearance: Very dark brown, clear. Some tan head. Aroma: Malt, roasted. Some dark fruits? Taste: Dark malt, coffee notes. Light sweetness. Roasted. Bought: Total Wine & More (Sterling), 355 ml, $1.99 Info: 6/11-2016, 103/300M

3.5 Sweet malt. Like toffee and vanilla. Pours like dark coffee with a thin tan head that leaves a ring around the edge. Light to medium bodied. Thinnish mouthfeel. Burnt toast and bitter coffee. In a good way. A clean bitter finish.

3.3 Some roast and light caramel. Black pour with good head. Light nut. Crisp and caramel finish. Bottle.

3.4 Dark brown pour. Fairly complex flavor of dark roast, nuts, a little dry. Some fruit in the nose too. Good but not great.

2.8 2015 BJCP Category: 8B Schwarzbier AROMA: Fairly generic lager scent; no dark malt or sweetness. Slightly musty, otherwise neutral. 6/12 APPEARANCE: Deep ruby red to black proper. Medium dark tan foam. 2/3 FLAVOR: Light/moderate dark malt with slight bready quality. Some roasted malt comes through on the second half with a nice (but quick) chocolate flavor. Some dry bitterness is noticeable with mild spicy hop flavor. Bottle may have suffered some heat damage; palette is mild and a tad dirty. 12/20 MOUTHFEEL: Medium body; moderate CO2; not crisp but not viscous like a stout. Smooth texture. Some lingering astringency. 3/5 OVERALL IMPRESSION: Average example of the style at best. Seems off. 5/10 TOTAL SCORE: 28/50 DISCLAIMER: The author is not a certified BJCP judge; therefore, this score sheet is not necessarily indicative of proper BJCP judging techniques and protocol. The author is grading to 2015 BJCP Guidelines in order to prepare for examination.

3.7 Pours a dark reddish brown color. Aromas of roasted malts, bits of chocolate and coffee. Flavor has a nice bitter roast taste and a touch of hops on the finish.

3.6 On tap at the Harvest Lounge in the Sheraton Madison Hotel. (WI.) Possessed a clear but deep black/brown hue, with a presentably creamy, tan, and tight bubbled layer of head foam, and sheet-like cling to the lacing. The nose was sweet & malty, with notes of caramel, light coffee, toffee, and slight dark fruit. Medium bodied, with decent liveliness to the carbonation, a nicely creamy texture added to the mouthfeel. The taste included a roasted & earthy bitterness, with dryness, and slight woodiness to the finish. A respectable Dark Lager.

2.6 On tap at the brewery. Aroma is faint roasted malt. Flavor is roasted water. Thin and lacking depth. Don’t get why people think this is good. Not a drainpour but not much more.

3.8 Deep dark reddish brown beer with a medium foamy tan head. Rich nose of cafe au lait, milk chocolate, and brown sugar. Flavor is even richer with the coffee flavors more on the bitter side and some black strap molasses coming through as well. With a high carbonation, this is more easy drinking than others with flavors as bold. Excellent beer.

3.6 Black with ruby highlights, solid one-finger head and moderate lace. Roasted coffee aroma with a touch of smoke and chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate powder, dark fruit, and smoke on the palate. Medium body, generous carbonation, very dry finish.

3.2 Roasted malt taste mild chocolate and coffee followed by a lingering almost smoke taste. Got better the warmer it got. A little bit to much co2. Good

3.6 Beer of month club. Pours a dark brown with slight reddish tint. Not much of a nose. Taste is some cocoa, roasted malts - nice flavor, but much, much lighter than a stout. Really good schwarzbier.

3.9 Bottle from Saturday Shirt. Served in a pint glass. Dark brown to black in color. Tannish head. Strong roasted malt aroma. Some espresso and chocolate notes as well. Taste has some bittersweet chocolate elements and roasty, nutty characteristics. It has a pleasant, fuller mouthfeel. Very enjoyable beer overall. Probably a shining example of the style.

3.0 I found this beer to be a little smokey for my liking. Well balance of chocolate and roasted flavor.

3.3 Tap, restaurant, Wisconsin Dells. Opaque brown. Sweet aroma, molasses and chocolate. Balanced flavour. More chocolate and mild hops. Very drinkable.

3.9 A pretty solid Schwartz. Dark and superbly roasty. More bitterness than I was expecting but with a smooth mouthfeel.

3.4 on tap at Crafty’s Taproom in Northeast Phila - aroma is very sweet. Flavor not as sweet. Nice dark reddish color. Slight chocolate flavor.

2.9 Bottle into tulip. Black w tan head that does not last. Caramel aroma. Domineering bitter caramel malt taste. Faint anise. Not much else comes through. Caramel is almost syrupy. Lacks balance. A bit disappointing.

3.8 appearance: deep dark brown, glowing clear ruby when backlit; creamy light tan head that starts at a finger’s worth then shrinks to a thin cap; tons of persistent lace cling; looks just like it should. aroma: primarily roasty, dry, bittersweet dark chocolate; a bit of chicory, leather, earth, and grass, maybe a whisper of spearmint. taste: roasty coffee and dark chocolate, light molasses, fresh grass, a hint of pepper or smoke. finish: is there a hint of metal in the finish? Maybe, but there seems to be a bit of earthy, mellow hops added to the grassy notes, plus lingering general roasty malts; palate is dry like talc, a bit of smoke too. notes: The two best American schwarzbiers I’ve had are from Uinta and Devil’s Backbone. This isn’t far off. It’s not quite as good as either, but it’s still very, very good. To me, just a tad too dry and there’s that barest hint of metal on the very back end that I can’t seem to shake.

4.2 Comes out of tap warm coffee brown with a fine-bubbled and persistent tan head that leaves generous lacing. Aroma presents notes of roast malt and coffee, not strong but enough to make you go Pavlov’s Dog. Bold flavor sends roast malt, molasses and mocha tones rolling across the palate; these leave a smoky note in their wake. Firm body, good fizz, and a smoky malt finish round out a great schwarzbier.

4.5 It’s not often you get to have an American-made Schwarzbier. It’s even less often you get to have one that’s so good. Black Bavarian looks lovely in any Lager-appropriate glass you pour it into. Near-black body and almost tan head. Aroma of roasted malts and subtle cocoa. Flavor has coffee, cocoa, a hint of smoke, and sweet malts (to me, redolent of corn syrup). This bittersweet brew is quite rich for its 6% ABV and approachable despite its dark color. Easy to see why this Sprecher brew continues to be a favorite.

2.4 Bottle. A- Smoke, roasty, burnt caramel. A- Black color, black liquid, brown head. T- Smoke, roasty, dry, slightly bitter, cocoa, coffee, malty. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, dry roasty finish. O- Looks nice, but isn’t up there taste wise. Quite bitter and roasty and a dry finish. Didn’t get much of the flavors the label said I would.