Alexandra Nowell, the brewmaster at Three Weavers Brewing Company in Inglewood, California, loves schwarzbier, and the brewery makes one—Kill the Lights—annually in late autumn. “It kills me that it sells so slowly,” she says.
There’s a stigma that exists with some drinkers, she says, that because the beer is dark, it can’t be refreshing. And in Southern California, where refreshment is key, a schwarzbier is a tough sell.
“There’s a massive misconception that dark leads to heavy mouthfeel or a cloying finish; it’s not always the case, of course.”