Sprecher Black Bavarian

Sprecher Brewing is based in Glendale, WI and I recently sampled their Black Bavarian lager. It's an American brewer's take on a Schwarzbier, which is one of my favorite styles. This is a fine example of the style. I couldn't help but compare it to Kulmbacher's Schwarze, which i believe epitomizes the style. Sprecher's version is much more chocolaty in flavor, and a bit more roasty as well. Schwarzbier is a lager style of beer, as compared to Porter, which is an ale. This is the third Sprecher beer I have tasted, and I'm still impressed. I also like their 16 oz bottles!

Sprecher Oktoberfest

Sprecher Brewing Co. is located in Glendale, WI. They're unique in that they bottle all of their beers in 16 oz bottles. They also advertise on the label that their beers are "Fire Brewed". I'm not sure what that means exactly. This Oktoberfest is the first beer I have ever tried from Sprecher, and it was a good place to start. It poured a deep copper color with a pillowy head that lasted longer than most. The aroma is sweet malt, with floral hops. The flavor is also sweet and malty, with a nice touch of caramel and some hop bitterness in the finish. This one was a bit subdued when compared to the Freaktoberfest from a few days ago, but it's an excellent Marzen that's more true to the style.

Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout

I got this beer in a variety pack of 8 different beers created by Lakefront Brewery. Fuel Cafe Stout is a stout brewed with coffee. It was originally brewed for the Fuel Cafe, a coffee/sandwich shop in Milwaukee. It poured nearly black, with no discernible head. One thing that surprised me was the yeast sediment I found in the bottom of my glass. Being a homebrewer, it didn't bother me, but I didn't expect it in a commercial brew that wasn't advertised as "bottle-conditioned". One of the problems associated with making beer with coffee is that the oils in the coffee beans tend to kill head production. That was definitely true here. I enjoyed the stout, although I felt it was more like a Robust Porter than a stout. It just wasn't chewy enough to be a stout. The coffee showed through nicely, and it went well with my meatloaf.