Homebrew - Whiteley Series Black Lager

I had tried black lager at the var a few times and really liked it. I looked all over the place for recipes and kits and no one seems to be really into this style. In the end I decided to try the True Brew kit because they have always turned out well in the past (even if they are relatively expensive).

Ingredients: Whiteley Series Black Lager, Extract kit from True Brew
Starter      29 Mar 2012
Brew:        01 Apr 2012, OG 1.056
Rack+Lager:  26 Apr 2012 (25)
Bottle:      27 May 2012 (31), FG 1.004, ABV 6.9%
Ready:       19 Jul 2012 (53)
Summary:     Primary 25 days, Secondary 31 days, Condition 53 days

There was plenty of other homebrew around and then we went on vacation so this got left in the bottle longer than usual before I tried it. I love this beer, this is my absolute favorite thing we have brewed to date. It is pitch black and there is no detectable lager 'metal tang'. People I have given them to think it is an ale. It doesn't smell too sweet but is extremely malty, quite bitter and has a dry finish. As with all of my recent lagers there is no homebrew off flavors and virtually no sediment in the bottles. This is the closest thing I think I have made to something you would just buy in a store. The one negative thing I would say is it could be more carbonated, I think this is because of the lack of yeast after lagering. I am not sure how to fix that without putting yeast back in (do not want to) or kegging and using forced carbonation. I am definitely going to try and make my own black lager recipe now.

Joseph's review

The nose is subtle, a very subtle sour note. Mouth feel super light. Tastes malty with a surprising hop bite for a lager. A lack of foam for a lager but seems to suit this beer. Not super dooper malty but there is a coffee or dark chocolate finish to it.

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