Review: Okanagan Spring Brewmaster's Black Lager

Review: Okanagan Spring Brewmaster's Black Lager by Cody La Bière
In the Okanagan Spring taster pack, they have four beers, the 1516 Bavarian Lager, Hopped Lager, Brewmaster Black Lager and a Pale Ale.

This review is of the Brewmaster's Black Lager. A blend of roasted dark and chocolate malts with a crisp lager taste.

Appearance: A thick dark cola-like appearance. Almost like a porter. Minimal foam, but slightly tanned.

Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, bit of coffee. I wouldn't compare this to a lager in any way.

Taste: Roasted malts again, a bit of dark chocolate, as well - a bit of coffee as expected. Bit creamy.

Overall Thoughts: I wouldn't compare this to a lager at all. This is much further from a lager than Keith's is to being an IPA. Edit: I understand how it is similar to a lager.. but say to someone who is brand new to trying beer, this would be very weird for them, expecting a golden lager. It reminds me of a porter in some ways, bit of roastiness, bit of coffee. I wouldn't recommend this to ANYONE who is expecting a golden lager. But if you are someone like me, you will like this!

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2 comments:

rossgram said...

Yea, but ale and lager don't refer to a beer's style but rather the type of yeast used in the fermentation. I just made a clone of Surly Smoke and it was unsuspectingly a lager -- I didn't check the yeast I bought.

Being a lagering yeast, it had to sit in a friend's fridge at a low temperature for weeks while it bottom fermented. Ale's can ferment at warmer temperatures.

The lager I put together is looks pretty similar to this Okanagan one. It's a dark roasty smoke grain bill, but with the benefit of added oak chips to the secondary fermenter halfway through the layering process.

Just bottled this a week or so ago. Can't wait to try it. In fact, I might just go open one.

Justin H said...

Yeah, a black lager, or Schwarzbier, uses a bottom-fermenting yeast, which by its definition is a lager. Not the lager we're often used to in North America, but still very much a lager. The phrase "I wouldn't compare this to a lager at all" is very misleading.