Name: Cricket’s Nocturne Dark Lager

Product of: Cricket Hill Brewing Co., Fairfield, N.J.

Serving Size: 1 pint, 6 fluid ounces, 4.5 jpercent ABV

Serving Style: Glass bottle to pint glass

Cricket’s simplistic black and white label with touches of purple won’t jump out at you, but if you do happen to notice it among the gaudy and flashy colors of the craft beer aisle, you won’t be disappointed.

Smell: Some mild roasted malts, chocolate, toffee combine to an odor that is pleasant but not particularly stimulating. 3.5/5

Appearance: Even when poured with care foam expands to fill most your glass, and it will even rise well above the top of the glass in a consistency close to the stiff peaks stage of whipping cream. The foam sticks around and appears impervious to dissipation, testing patience and making the ruddy black body all the more alluring due to its inaccessibility for several minutes after pouring. 4.7/5

Taste: The taste is malty as expected and well-balanced with earthy and bitter notes. It strikes me as very drinkable and as a good beer to enjoy with almost any meal. By the same token, it’s a little underwhelming, but by no means bland. 4.2/5

Cricket’s Nocturne Dark Lager lives up to the dreamy, tranquil quality of its namesake, delivering a smooth and drinkable beer with just the right amount of mystery waiting beneath the soft peaks of foam. 12.4/15