What The Hell Is A Schwarzbier?

American Craft Beer’s “What the Hell” series is all about a beer’s backstory and conceived to save all of us from the embarrassment of not knowing exactly what we’ve decided to put in our mouths.

So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series (drum roll please…) “What the Hell is a Schwarzbier?

And don’t let its name put you off because this style takes darkness in a truely tasty direction.

The Basics

Its name says it all…

Schwarzbier, which literally translates to “black beer” in German, may be the oldest continuously brewed beer style in the world.

Reminiscent of a German Dunkel style, schwarzbiers are drier, darker, roaster, and lighter. And unlike stouts and porters which are top-fermented and therefore ales, Schwarzbiers are brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast. Schwarzbiers are lagers and have that lager mouthfeel.

“Some people think that schwarzbier are the stout of Germany, but I would argue it’s not,” Lauren Hughes, head brewer at Necromancer Brewing in Pittsburgh told Untappd. “It’s still a lager, so it should still have that really crisp base malt and be something zippy, but with a tiny bit of roast to make you feel like you’re drinking a dark beer.”

Award-Winning Examples of the Schwarzbier Style

• Devils Backbone Schwartz Bier (Lexington, VA)
  Great American Beer Festival Winner, Gold, 2014.
• Lobo Negro from Pedernales Brewing Company (Fredericksburg, TX)
  Great American Beer Festival Winner, Silver, 2014.
• Sprecher Black Bavarian (Glendale, WI)
  World Beer Cup Winner, Gold, 2014.
• BraufactuM Darkon from Die Internationale Brau-Manufacture (Frankfurt, Germany)
  World Beer Cup Winner, Gold, 2014. Available year round though may be hard to find in the U.S.
• Austin Beerworks Black Thunder (Austin, TX)
  World Beer Cup Winner, Bronze, 2014. Great American Beer Festival Winner, Gold, 2013.

 

Our Take

In many ways schwarzbiers are the antithesis of stouts and porters. They are neither as full-bodied or as strong. But because they are lagers they afford an approachability that you’d seldom find in an Imperial dark ale.

Hop Culture  may have put it best…

“To put Schwarzbier in the same category as a stout would be like saying Star Wars and Star Trek are the same. Sure, they’re both movies about space, but totally different plots and followers.”

Schwarzbiers are truly a dark beer for all seasons and we find it surprising that they aren’t more widely brewed in the US.

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H/T Kegerator, Untappd and Hop Culture