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November 29, 2012

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Westbrook Dark Helmet

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Westbrook Brewing Co.

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Dark Helmet Schwarzbier

5.9% ABV

In my previous reviews of Grand Teton’s 5 O’Clock Shadow and Jack’s Abby Cascadian Schwarzbier, I’ve talked about how the black lager style has been a welcomed change to the standard lager formula. The strong roasted notes remind me more of a good stout or porter than the bland sweetness you get with a lot of lagers.

But Dark Helmet one of one of Westbrook‘s two fall/winter seasonals eschews the roast-centric flavor for more of a richer, more chocolate-heavy beer, while still keeping that biting roasted note prevalent.

Also, it’s a nod to Spaceballs. And who are you to not appreciate that? Major Asshole?

The beer is black as Rick Moranis’ soul. The pour is pretty thin and the head is pretty minimal. There’s about only a finger of a light brownish head that settles pretty quickly but leave a slight film over the top. The lacing’s really weak and watery but there are some slight alcohol legs.

The nose has a big, sweet chocolate note to it backed with a bit of a light roasted quality. It’s not as coffee-forward as a lot of other schwarzbier  There’s just a little bit of a rye bite to it. It’s got a very luscious, smooth nose to it, a bit less biting than I remember from last year’s batch.

There’s a good bite of bitterness on the front of the tongue. There’s just a slight carbonation to it and it’s very smooth across the palate. On the back of the tongue, the flavor starts out with a creamy and bitter dark chocolate note. That gives way to a lighter roasted quality with a sort of fresh coffee bean quality to it. The bite from the rye comes up again on the back. For a sessionable beer, it’s something more suited to sipping slowly.

May the Schwartz be with you.

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May 21, 2012

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Grand Teton 5 O’Clock Shadow

Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Victor, ID

5 O’Clock Shadow Double Black Lager

7.6% ABV

Lagers have been surprising me lately, in particular black lagers/Schwarzbiers. The combination of hoppy and roasted characteristics of black IPAs and the rich smoothness of lagers is a really refreshing and enjoyable blend that I really don’t give enough chances.

It helped when Grand Teton, one of those consistently good breweries I don’t think gets enough attention, decided to put out 5 O’Clock Shadow, their take on the style. Instead of keeping it at session levels, GT bumped up the ABV to nearly 8% by increasing the crystal and roasted malts, brewing it in the typical lager style and keeping it cold conditioned for four months.

The color is a deep, deep brown that verges on black but still allows a little light through the edges of the glass, giving it a brownish amber tint. Two fingers of a pillowy brownish head top it off, but it dissolves pretty quickly. A little lacing but not much alcohol legs.

There are some hops on the nose, but the smell verges more on that of a porter – strong dark chocolate with a hint of roasted coffee behind it. There’s a slight hint of dark fruits and some caramel sweetness with a very slight hint of alcohol.

On the tip of the tongue is a subtle hop bite that give way to a medium-bodied mouthfeel. Coffee and the roasted characteristics come through toward the end but melt away into a really smooth, slight caramel sweetness. There are also bits of raisin and dark fruit flavors in there well. The yeast characteristic is very chewy, but the finish is much smoother.

This particular bottle has been cellared for about four months, so I think the hops may have died down a bit. Additionally, the fact it’s bottle conditioned probably helped bump up the sweetness. Still, it’s an incredibly smooth and drinkable Schwarzbiers that’s awfully quaffable.