Beer Review: Full Sail Session Black Lager

Black lager is an interesting type of beer for me. Beers fall into one of two categories: lagers and ales. Lagers includes types like pilsners, bocks, dunkels and oktoberfests. They generally taste crisper and cleaner, sometimes a bit more malty due to the slower cold-fermentation process. Ales are represented by stouts, porters, wheat beers, pale ales, IPAs and just about every Belgian beer. The taste of ales is wildly varied, depending on the yeast and grains used. They are brewed at warmer temperatures using different types of yeast.

But, generally, most dark beers are of the ale variety. Not so with black lagers. They are just as crisp and drinkable as almost any pale lager you might come across, but they have a slight roasted malt/chocolate/coffee character that is oh so super tasty.

image: Brew York City

Full Sail Brewery out of Oregon makes a black lager called Session Black and they sell it in these short, stout 11oz bottles that will definitely remind you of Red Stripe lager. The bottle, not the brew inside. They also have rock, papers, scissors stamped on the bottom of the bottle caps. So you can collect them and use the caps to decide who is gonna pay for the next round...I guess.

It's got an above average alcohol kick for a lager at 5.4%, but that doesn't make it any less drinkable...a session beer as indicated by the name. They go down smooth and fast. Definitely a dangerous combination. Or a glorious one, depending on your mood that evening.

We popped open a 12-pack of these bad boys on Saturday to enjoy while watching some movies at home. I loved the combination of the crisp lager and the roasted malt character. Black lager is definitely one of my favorite types of beer. If you like American adjunct lagers like Budweiser, Miller, Coors or Rolling Rock then you might be surprised at the extra character that a beer like this one offers. Without sacrificing its crisp, clean drinkability. And if you like stouts and porters, then you might like to try one of these for a lighter alternative. Either way, it's a big honkin' win.

Give it (or another black lager) a try! You might be surprised to find yourself coming back for more.

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