Dec. 18 - Eichbaum Sünnbörg

Finally we get to something darker!  A real black beer.  This can has a little story on the side in craft style, insisting that malt is the basis of the best beer.  Sünnbörg looks more Swedish than German, but Scandinavia has been producing some stellar stouts in the last few years, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising.

Oh boy, oh boy, looks the right color, a little lighter than regular stouts and porters.  A little malty aroma, but nothing too heavy.  It's an interesting flavor, only slightly sweet with a touch of licorice.  There's a little bit of smoke hiding in the background too.  Some sourness develops giving the beer a fruity touch.  It's not a sticky feeling drink, also pretty clean after the mouthful.  The complexity of the flavor gives me hope for the future, but I don't think there are too many black beers in the box.

Dec. 7 - Blreor Schwarzbier

Finally, it's time for the dark side!  What we have today is a dark beer, or "black" as the can insists, so I might find something to connect with here.  The name is ... odd: Blreor.  I do not know where it comes from.  That's one nice thing about many craft beers, the tendency to tell stories on the labels.  There more industrial beers just don't have time for anything so folksy.

This does look like the German dunkles I remember, a nice dark brown and somewhat off-white head.  The head fizzles out pretty fast, though.  I do not get much aroma, maybe just a hint of sugar.  The taste starts sweet, blends into a sort of sour, and ends sweetly again.  It's a delicate flavor, but the beer itself feels heavier than the previous ones, a bit more body.  A little sticky too, even when cold.  More or less what I was drinking quite often in Vienna, at least as I recall.  Probably a bit lighter in flavor.  (Sigh)  That's where my Advent is going, it seems.  I guess it's just the first week, so maybe a big finish?