Brewery: Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts

Brewery Description: “When one sees a beer with a darker complexion these days, more often than not it’s a Porter or Stout. However looks can be deceiving. There exists a style older than both and generally less well known; the Schwarzbier, which literally translated is “Black Beer.” Unlike its dark cousins which both hail from Britain and are highly hopped ales, Schwarzbier comes from Germany, is lightly hopped and is fermented using a bottom fermenting lager yeast. Samuel Adams® Black Lager is brewed in the tradition of the latter. A medium bodied beer brewed using several different roasts of malt to give the end product a smooth body and a depth of malt character that has to be tasted to be believed.”

Brew Style: Schwarzbier, 4.9% ABV

Recommended Glassware: Lager glass, Stein

The Ugly Truth: I’m back slackers! Alright, here we go. Black lager pours, guess what? Yes, a nice solid black color sporting a medium sized “one finger height” beige/tan head to it. The aroma is crisp and clean, and held some good promise to it. The first thing you notice when you taste it is that it definitely has a good strong taste of chocolate and caramel to it. The body is best thrown into the medium category, with a smooth finish to it. I didn’t find there to be much of an aftertaste to it. The taste was good, and I enjoyed it, but in the overall compared to other schwarzbiers I’ve had it didn’t stand out as one of the best. I love Sam Adams beers and I do enjoy the Black Lager, but I’ve got to rank it against others in the field.

Verdict: Sadly, I gotta lay down the law. Sam Adams gets a 6 out of 10 bottlecaps.