Brewery – West Side
Beer – Schwarzbier
Style- Schwarzbier
ABV – 4.5%
IBUs – 25

Black with a light tan head, this German lager drinks lighter than it looks. Aromas of chocolate and malted grain leads, and the flavor is reminiscent of malted milk balls. A very subdued roast characteristic fades into a smooth, clean finish that’ll have you reaching for another pint.

West Side Brewing has made traditional beer styles trendy, if that’s possible. They hang their hat on sticking to the things that have made beer popular for centuries – and they’re doing it really, really well. This Schwarzbier is a great example of that. The dark lager made it’s debut in their taproom on draft only, but as they started kicking heavier into packaging it was easy to make the choice to get these 12oz cans into the fridges of folks all across the city who had already fallen in love with it.

The cans of the beer first made their debut in December of 2018, and for me? It reignited an absolute love for the style that has raged on inside me ever since.

My Thoughts On West Side’s Schwarzbier

West Side’s tactic of not naming beers, but instead just letting the style sit front and center is perfect here. This one needs no other identity other than the style name.

In my glass, it’s dark mahogany brown when you get it in the light… deep, deep almost black otherwise. A big, thick, creamy tan head sits on top of the glass.

I get a big bready aroma front and center, like baking bread… but then there is also a touch of floral hops that float around, too.

The flavor is smooth, sweet, and really, really easy drinking. This beer is like liquid bread. It’s roasty, but not too over the top. It remains drinkable and “easy” while packing complexity into every sip.

For more on this beer, we drank it on Cincy Brewcast back in Volume 5, Episode 31!