Serve in a pilsner glass at 6-9 °C
What it tastes like
Schwarzbier is the beer that breaks the rule that dark means heavy. Pour one and it looks like a stout, nearly black with a tan head. Drink it and it is lighter, drier and crisper than most people expect, closer to a pilsner in body than to anything from Ireland. The colour comes from dehusked roasted malts, which give dark chocolate and coffee notes with very little of the acrid bite that husks bring.
Its home is Thuringia and Saxony in eastern Germany, where black lagers have been brewed for centuries. Unlike dunkel, which is all bread crust and softness, schwarzbier has a firmer bitterness and a drier, more roasty edge, but it should never taste burnt. The lager yeast and long cold conditioning keep it clean. For a brewer it is a test of restraint: enough roast to be interesting, little enough that you could drink two on a warm afternoon.
Style profile
- Look
- Very dark brown to black, with ruby highlights when held to the light, clear, under a persistent tan head.
- Aroma and flavour
- Dark chocolate, light coffee and toasted bread, with a herbal hop note and no burnt or ashy character.
- Mouthfeel
- Light to medium body, crisp carbonation and a dry finish with a firm but smooth bitterness.
- Ingredients
- Pilsner and Munich malts with dehusked roasted malt such as Carafa Special, German noble hops, clean lager yeast.
In India
Schwarzbier is the best dark beer for the Indian summer, because it gives you roast and chocolate without the weight of a stout. It is a good way to convert lager drinkers. Brewpubs in Bengaluru and Pune pour it as a house or seasonal beer. Its roast character is sturdy, so it survives the cold chain better than a pale lager, though stale schwarzbier turns dull and papery. Ask for it with grilled food on a warm evening.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Kerala beef fryRoasted malt mirrors the dark, pepper-crusted beef while the crisp finish cuts the coconut oil.
- Rajma chawalThe earthy kidney bean curry gets a dry, roasty partner that keeps a heavy lunch feeling light.
- Pork sorpotelChocolate and coffee notes stand up to the vinegar, spice and richness of the Goan dish.
- Dark chocolate barfiCocoa meets cocoa, and the beer's lightness keeps the dessert from feeling too rich.
Brewed in India
- Schwarzbier, Toit, Bengaluru source
- Schwarzbier, Red Rhino Craft Brewery, Bengaluru source
- Dark Ruby Schwarzbier, Dorf Brewhouse, Pune source
Want the long read? Dunkel and schwarzbier