Notch Black Lager Czech Style Černé Pivo

Review Date 2/19/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Cerne Pivo   Brewery: Notch   Country: USA   State: Massachusetts   $ Per OZ: $.25 (B)   ABV: 4.5%

Notch beers are in Georgia! Yes, they are! I have enjoyed a few beers from Notch Brewing of Salem and Brighton, Massachusetts already, you see. I bought those from Half Time Beverage in New York and enjoyed them very much. Recently, I was perusing the draft menu for my local Taco Mac on my phone and there it was! Notch Black Lager Czech Style Černé Pivo on tap!

I was on the fence as to whether to go to Taco Mac that night but seeing this beer available really made up my mind for me. As if I needed convincing to go to Taco Mac….Anyway, I went there and I ordered one up. It was the Thursday before Superbowl 60 and this seemed a good omen, a New England beer to toast my beloved New England Patriots.

Here’s what Notch says on their website:

Cerne is Czech for “black”. This cold weather cult classic has toasty and slightly roasted malt character. Notes of dark chocolate and coffee make this beer perfect for a chilly evening. Double decocted, open fermented, naturally carbonated, lagered forever.

Notch Black Lager Czech Style Černé Pivo has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume and I paid $8.94 for a 23-ounce draft mug at Taco Mac. Total Wine sells it for $15.99 a 4-pack of pint cans in Danvers, Massachusetts. Notch ships to 45 states according to their website, they sell it for $18.99 a six-pack plus shipping.  

Notch Black Lager Czech Style Černé Pivo arrived jet-black in color with a thick creamy tan head and a nose of smooth roasted malts. Taking a sip, the beer is creamy, softly roasty, chocolaty, and hints at licorice. It is dry roasty and grassy hoppy bitter in the finish.

A wonderfully well balanced beer, one that is smooth and easy to drink but packed with dark malty flavors all the same. I would love to drink it again and if I see it again, I surely will.