Archive for the 'Herold' category
Herold Bohemian Black Lager
It’s no well-kept secret that I’m generally not a big fan of black lagers. I’m not sure what it is – maybe that they’re so dark yet so thin and wispy in texture. Regardless, I almost never reach for this variety of beer. However, the good folks at the Beer of the Month Club sent us a couple of these this month. It is also no well-kept secret that I don’t believe in wasting beer. So, I’m gonna drink it.
This black lager pours, surprise surprise, a dark black color with just a bit of brown around the edges of the glass. The head here used to be a deep caramel, though it admittedly disappeared rather quickly. In the nose, the aroma is rather sweet and nutty, exhibiting some earthy tones that are really rather pleasant. Then, there’s the taste. Again, I’m initially a bit turned off. Sure, it tastes good – nutty with a lightly cloying sweetness and an earthy bitterness that gives it some character. However, despite these fairly rich flavors, the beer itself flows through the mouth thin and light, heavy on flavor but washing quite clean. Don’t be fooled, though, as the aftertaste sticks around for a mighty long time. All in all, it’s a rich peanutty dark beer that has a great, big flavor. The texture is light and refreshing, and the aftertaste is bodacious. For me, this is a weird combination, and not my favorite, though they all be great attributes when standing on their own. For a fan of the genre, I’ll bet this would be a great beer. So, if that’s you, then seek it out!
Herold Bohemian Wheat Lager
This, a wheat lager from the Czech Republic, is a unique find. I don’t expect much from the Czechs in this variety, but they actually deliver quite well. It has a mild sweetness and a bit of spice, almost peppery, that gives the beer a nice kick. Job well done by our Eastern Europeans, although I wouldn’t encourage them to dedicate too much of their energies into this type of exploration
