Let's Talk About Schwarzbier

Yeah - Just this weekend I noticed Bernard and Praga in a store.

 

Bottled. I didn't even bother checking the date just because I was going to buy it regardless, but I just looked and it's best before 4-28-18. Whew, just made it .

I realize that would make it undesirable to you, Jack, but for me if a style is uncommon enough I'm willing to take that chance. Thankfully it didn't turn out to be a regret.

 

LOL!

You are correct here. I assume that European imports use a 12 month best by duration so 1 year old beer is not something I am typically willing to purchase.

Gotcha. I suppose I am a bit spoiled since I have a batch of Tmavý Ležák (Czech Dark Lager) in my basement that is only 2 months old. Maybe if this wasn’t the case I would a one year old bottle of this sort of beer?

Cheers!

 

I find some interesting correlations between (the older version) of Carnegie Porter and Xingu, regardless of flavor and style variations between the two.. Both are not high alcohol beers, but there seems to me to be a nice psycho-active combination that always has made these beers fun. These are actually two of my favorite dark beers of all time..Lightish flavorful dark beers are easy to drink, and pace well!

 

For my money, if I’m going for this style of beer I’m going for either the Kostritzer or Pfungstadter Schwarzbier which is low in abv and low in price. Plus, those 16.9 cans, I love those.

 

I had a Xingu the other day and yeah, I reckon it's a fun beer to drink. Had the Carnegie long before joining BA. I truly don't remember what I thought of it.

 

I agree with you. But that Brazilian/Swedish connection seemed apt, especially to what I was exposed to. I knew about Munich dark beers, English dark ales, but the malty, dryish, highly drinkable German Schwarzbiers are likely overlooked, and less available increasingly.

 

Thought I’d bump this thread in light of the oncoming chilly season.

A local brewery in my city made a batch Schwarzbier with lots of coffee notes and very little malt sweetness. Yet their most recent batch doesn’t deliver quite the same as the last. And it’s a bit expensive to get crowlers from them all the time.

I drank Krombacher Dark for a long while, but found it to be a little bit sweeter/caramelly than I prefer. Mönschof is a bit too rich and chocolatey. I picked up some Köstritzer for the first time today, and I really appreciate the dry flavor along with the subtle dark malt characteristics, but it lacked the roastiness/coffee flavor I crave.

Are there any imported German Schwarzbiers that you guys recommend that have a solid coffee/roast quality?

Otherwise I’ll just brew a clean light ale with a shitload of Carafa III to satisfy my cold season craving haha.

 

Other than Kostritzer, the only schwarzbier available to me are Shiner (which is good) and Rahr and Sons Ugly Pug (which I've not had). Hard to beat the original.

 

The German brewers are deliberately trying to avoid that roast quality, so Schwarzbiers are probably not going to do it for you as well as other black lagers will.

 

I believe @mambossa is thinking more along the lines of a porter, though, since Köstritzer seems to be too subtle.

 

Someone told me it had to do with freshness: that by the time Kostritzer arrives here, the flavors have "faded" (my original opinion was that the Germans toned the roastiness down due to preference, just like many English ales are more "subdued" than their American counterparts). Could be both?

 

I think it's more about intensity, but terminology, point of view, will play a part too. When these roasted malts hit a certain percentage of the grist there's a more angular/less rounded quality that works against the dry, lower gravity session-type beer profile. So, yeah, there's a flavor impact, but it's almost secondary in the overall scheme of things.

Köstritzer doesn't come across as faded to me, but I suppose that could be a freshness issue. It sure seems to sell well lately, especially now that it's in those 500ml cans.

 

The Dead Guy of Schwarzbiers?

 

I haven’t had it for years, but remember enjoying the Rahr and Sons. Worth a try.