An interesting style that is semi-hard to find commercially… this sounds like just the kind of beer that homebrewers should be lining up to make!

The Schwarzbier is similar to a lightly roasted coffee, with a low alcohol content, and much more restrained in flavor than a Munich Dunkel. Longtime homebrewer Josh Weikert walks you through the process!

Not all dark beers—and most especially not all dark lagers—are the same. Take some time to parse the different dark lager styles out there and consider not only how they differ but also how we can modify our brewing approaches to produce them.

Like a social chameleon, Germany’s unusual black lager—easy-drinking yet richly flavored—seems to adapt to your needs depending on the weather or the season. Jeff Alworth looks closer at the style and its story.

This dark German-style lager took home gold from the 2023 World Beer Cup in Nashville, Tennessee, and then went on to impress our blind-review panel. Smooth and easy-drinking, it offers subtly complex roasted malt character and a dry finish.

In this Learning Lab column, Jester Goldman gives his full attention to dark malt. Settle in as he helps you understand how these grains differ and what they can bring to your beer.

With this fresh recipe from his Make Your Best series, Josh Weikert goes for relatively restrained roast in this dark lager—and you can tinker with it from there.

“Fermented cold and clean with our German lager yeast,” say the team at Live Oak Brewing in Austin, “this beer highlights the complexity that smoke adds to traditional dark lagers.”

In Portland, Oregon, Zoiglhaus brewmaster Alan Taylor and his team brew this award-winning schwarzbier with German ingredients and in accordance with German brewing traditions.

When the team at Incendiary in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, gave brewer and QC manager Adam Goetz the chance to design a recipe, he knew what he wanted to make. Then it won gold at the 2023 World Beer Cup, and it scored a stellar 99/100 with our blind-review panel. So, we asked Adam what makes it tick.

Here is an online-only recipe, perfect for autumn, with special thanks to Fiction Beer of Denver, Colorado.

Much like a great schwarzbier, the combination of color and drinkability makes this one as rewarding in winter as it is refreshing in summer.

The key to making and drinking dark lagers is to remember that despite their color they should stay true to the lager hallmarks.

Aroma: “Moderate rich bread crust with moderately low chocolate, coffee, and bready. Low roast and very low caramel malt. No hops, very clean.” Flavor: “Rich bread-crust melanoidin malt character comes through more in the flavor, which has moderate sweetness and low bitterness. Low levels of herbal and grassy hops also come through in the flavor. Molasses, peat smoke, chocolate-coated orange, bread crust, and stewed prunes. Clean lager fermentation characteristics give it a clean finish with a hint of roasted malt and smoke without being harsh and smoky or peaty. Light body overall.” Overall: “Malt-forward with very light hops character in the flavor. Rich but balanced. Very drinkable and tasty beer.”

From longer decoctions to key considerations when using dark malts in the mash, Bierstadt cofounder Bill Eye explains how their approach to darker lagers differs from that of paler ones—and also why they avoid dextrin malt.

Tired of IPAs? This atypical Portland pub—featured in our Love Handles department for beer bars we love—embraces imported German beers, bratwurst, and crusty Bavarian-style pretzels.

Few experiences in brewing are more rewarding—or make for better practice—than bringing some undersung, underloved, old-fashioned beer styles to life in your own brewhouse. Josh Weikert makes the case for learning, drinking, and brewing the canon.

“Deep brown and brilliant; good head retention. Intriguing aroma; chocolate malt embraces woody hops—floral, cocoa, coffee. Each sip, in turn, starts with the caramel/toffee malt, then fades down to a mix of lightly burnt roast malt and cocoa. Well-balanced with the hops, which build and linger. Clean, drinkable crispness. In the finish, touches of ash, warmth, and a mineral edge.”

“Beautiful, thick creamy head. Nose offers mild blend of chocolate malt, light roast, low smoke, coffee; moderate spicy-floral hops. A bit hop-forward, with piney, flowery edges; strong roast finishes a touch harsh; burnt notes linger. Some creamy notes with biscuit and toast. A touch astringent. Finish is dry and pleasant.”

“Fantastic example of the style. Really nice roasted malt character. Rich, complex dark malt with no roast-bitterness or harshness. Well-balanced mouthfeel with a snappy, balanced finish. Clean without being stark, leaving lingering notes of chocolate and dark caramel. Great simplicity while still having depth. Creamy, subtle, with an understated complexity. Drinks like a lager.”