Magic Hat Howl

First Brewed: 2009
Brewery Location: Burlington, Vermont, United States
ABV: 4.6%

History & Availability: One of Magic Hat's newest beers, Howl's Moving - er, I mean, Howl Black Lager - is in the style of the German Schwarzbier, a very dark beer distinguished from stouts and porters by the fact that it is a lager, not an ale as the majority of dark beers are. It's a seasonal offering from Magic Hat, appearing only in the winter. I found it on tap as the weekly special in my local pub, but they also sell it bottled as well. Availability may be questionable; since it's Magic Hat it should be distributed around the northeast, but since it's a seasonal it may not have the same distribution as the ubiquitous #9.

Appearance: Black lager is right. This is a very dark beer, not the darkest I've seen, but a very deep, opaque brown except for a little sliver of molasses-color at the base. Keeps a thin creamy Guinness-style head with a decent amount of carbonation for such a dark beer.

Smell: Very bready. There's a notable chocolate scent and roasted malts are super prominent as well. Behind these is a slight hint of mocha or a dark roasted coffee.

Taste: A little smoky or roasty. There's only slight hints at chocolate despite the smell, and a total lack of any coffee taste, which surprised me since it's tough for a dark lager with such heavy-roasted malts to avoid both of these tastes. Super bready or grainy.

Mouthfeel: Astonishingly light-bodied for such a heavy-looking beer. I guess that's the Schwarzbier style; it's definitely no stout in heft. Caught me by surprise though. There's mid- to heavy-level carbonation for the style, probably a little more than was really needed, but it does help head retention so I'm willing to let that slide.

Drinkability: Middling to low due to the odd lack of flavor. It's certainly light enough to be quite drinkable but it just tastes like you're drinking a can of bread without the classic stout tastes. I would suggest having no more than a pint or two if you really like it.

Overall verdict: B-, I'm bordering with a straight B but I've just had too many good dark beers in my day to really put Howl among them.