BREW NEWS

Reviewer: Mayhematic (founder)
Beer Name: Session Black Lager
Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Co.
Beer Style: Dark American Lager
Category: Dark Lager
Core Stats: 5.4% ABV, 18 IBUs
The adventure of better beer starts with a single taste. Brew fans often feel like Indiana Jones searching for a lost relic. You venture into an mysterious temple (a brewery) and test your luck with various trials (their beers). Sometimes you choose wisely. Sometimes you don’t. I had one such trial with Full Sail Brewery where I tested the waters with their Session Lager. I was so impressed that I ventured further down the gauntlet to their Session Black Lager.

In the glass, this beer has a very dark appearance, but not exactly black. It’s more of a deep mahogany when you hold it up to a light source. The aroma is very clean with lots of roasted smells. I was also able to pick out some thin sweetened malty notes. It’s actually a pretty straight forward dark lager, so there isn’t much to fret about with the first sip.

The roasted coffee flavors jump out first and coat your mouth with savory goodness. Dark chocolate notes immediately follow and blend to form a sweetened iced coffee taste. The mouthfeel is surprisingly crisp and clean, resembling a high quality Munich dunkel. There are several porter and stout like traits swirling around as well, such as a medium porter-like body and a front heavy stout-like flavor train. It’s quite complex for a dark lager, which makes for a rewarding experience.

Overall, Full Sail Brewery’s Session Black Lager is a very tasty brew with a unique edge. It’s a great example of a dark lager that can be appreciated by many levels of beer fan. It has a high level of drinkability and can be easily enjoyed by a novice. Experienced beer drinkers will find it to be a delicious lighter take on some typically thicker flavors.

Full Sail has delivered yet again with the Session Dark Lager. So with two winners under my belt, my Full Sail adventure continues. Kali ma!