Burgerliches Brauhaus Altbairisch Hell Beer Review

Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout

Review Date 12/25/2019 By John Staradumsky

For Christmas of 2015, my wife bought me a really cool present: BeerAdvent Calendar 2015 from Kalea. In truth, my wife got me a lot of nice presents (she’s the best wife ever), but the nice thing about the Beer Advent Calendar is you get it early. You have to, since it’s comprised of 24 different imported German beers in a box with little doors that you open, one per day from December 1st through December 24th. All of the beers are listed on the side of the carton, however, so be careful not to look and spoil the daily surprises!

I love German beer more than beer from any other country on Earth, so this was definitely right up my alley. I have managed to get my hands on one of these calendars each year since, and have never been disappointed. Overall, this is an amazing way to sample 24 German beers over 24 days, and I look forward to it every year. For the first three years, I've found these at Costco in Georgia and paid $59.95 for the box. Last year, though, we were in Spring Hill Tennessee and I saw these on a pallet at the local Costco in mid-October. I grabbed one there to make sure I didn't miss out. They were up $5 to $64.95 (and indeed, when I did see them at the new Costco in Woodstock, Georgia a month later they were the same price). This year, I found them earlier than ever (September 26th) and bought one at Costco here in Georgia for $63.95, though curiously they were down to $59.95 on my next visit.

That might sound steep, but when you distribute that price over 24 different half liter cans, it only works out to $2.66 per can. Not a bad deal at all looked at that way. It certainly does not stop these from selling; a follow up trip to my local Woodstock Costco a few weeks after I saw them and there they were: gone!

For 2019, there are six new beers in the mix and 18 returning favorites. I do like this, because there are a lot of the beers that I really enjoy, and want to enjoy again. It's like 18 old friends and 6 news ones in the same box. What's better than that?

Day 17 brought one of the most interesting beers in all the years of the calendar: Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout. A stout from a German brewer? Now there's something you don't see everyday. We've seen some non-German styles before (pale ales and an IPA) but this is the first stout. Exciting! "Schwarze Tinte" is German for "Black Ink", and this beer is indeed inky black, though not opaque when held to the light. If you scan the barcode on the can with your phone, you will be taken to the Beer Tasting website that tells you this beer is a collaboration between the Dietrachinger Brauerei of Austria and the Hopfenkopf Brauerei of Germany. You will also learn that the Austrian half of this collaboration was founded by Martin Seidl, and he brewed his first stout in 1997 in his small brewery in Dietrachting.

Dietrachinger has no website I could find, though they do have a Facebook page. Hopfenkopf (German for hophead) does, though, and they say this about Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout:

bei diesem Bier verpaaren sich die Aromen des selbst angebauten und schonend gerösteten Getreides mit den Aromen des Hopfens, das Röstmalz findet die Waage zwischen feinen Kakao und Schokonoten bis hin zu röstfrischen Kaffee.
Das Singlehoped Stout wird nur mit Sorachi Ace gebraut der sich mit seinen leichten Kokosnoten fein in die Crema des Röstmalzes einbindet - das Perfekte Bier zu Süßspeisen

Which means, if you don't speak German:

with this beer, the aromas of the home-grown and gently roasted grains pair with the aromas of the hops, the roasted malt finds the balance between fine cocoa and chocolate notes up to roasted coffee. The single hopped Stout is brewed only with Sorachi Ace, which with its light coconut notes is finely integrated into the flavors of the roast malt - the perfect beer for desserts.

My can from the Beer Advent Calendar is listed as 6.2% by volume. My can is stamped EXP 05/2021.

Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout pours to a jet black (but not opaque) color with a thick creamy tan head and a raisin and chocolate nose. Taking a sip, the beer is medium bodied with roasty notes and more of the raisin and chocolate that the nose promised. It finishes roasty and dry and quite satisfying for this time of year. Coconut notes? None that I discerned, they might have been drowned out by the dark fruit and roast. Still, this is an interesting beer indeed and one I am very happy I tried.

I’m greatly enjoying my Beer Advent Calendar 2019 with the day 17 beer. Here’s looking forward to the remaining 7, and another assortment of 24 in 2020. We’ll be on the lookout next year at Costco once again! Follow them on their Facebook page.