Indiana Replicale – 2010 - Schwarzbier

Dave Colt has sent out the recipe for this year's Indiana Replicale. It's a Bavarian Schwarzbier. article

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Known as Schwarz, Schwartz, or Black beer, these out-black Dunkels due to the addition of more roasted malts. Higher hopping rates make it a drier beer. Sometimes they have bitter chocolate taste and usually have a long finish. They are sometimes quite thick.

Despite that ominous-sounding description Schwarzbiers are normally fairly elegant in a rich way. In the best, everything blends together with a clean lager taste as the background for the rest of the cast of characters.

The style really has a big range. Some are thicker, especially in the far south and around the North Sea. Some have candy notes. Even the level of blackness varies from just-past-Dunkel to Guinness-black.

Developed in Thuringia in Eastern Germany and now brewed all over German-speaking Europe. The actual originator of the modern Schwarzbier is lost to history but it's probable they were interested in making a beer that would compete with Porters that were becoming popular in Europe. They are now made by many breweries in Japan, having been first brewed there by Sapporo in 1892.

No doubt the first, although not modern, Schwarzbiers were ales since lager yeasts weren't yet developed. It's documented that Mumme was brewed in Braunschweig by 1390.

There are two classics:

• Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei in the small town of Bad Köstritz was founded in 1453. Goethe and Bismarck both loved Köstritzer Schwarzbierbier. The brewery had problems during the Communist rule but was re-organized and expanded in 1993.
• Kulmbacher Brauerei in Kulmbach in extreme northern Franconia, Bavaria is the successor of the first Kulmbach Monastery brewery formed in 1174 by charter of the Bishop of Bamberg. Kloster Mönchshof Schwarzbier is considered the best Schwarz in Germany.

Native Territory	Thuringia, Eastern Germany
Color (SRM)	Brown to quite black. (17 - 30).
Head	White and frothy.
Aromas	Malt but not sweet. Some roastiness. Coffee or chocolate is sometimes evident. Sometimes Noble hop aroma.
Flavors	A lot of malt and often a sweet base. Chocolate is common.
Finish	Bitter chocolate or roasted taste lingers, depending on the brewer's choice. Can become bitter dry. Lingers.
Mouthfeel	Medium to fairly thick.
Carbonation	Moderate - does not get in the way.
Alcohol	Usually not noticeable in the mouth since other flavors and the thickish mouthfeel cover. 4.5 - 5.4% ABV. Note that some brewers make their Swartz as a higher-alcohol beer that can run to 7.5%.
Bitterness (IBU)	Noble hop presence is balanced by the malt. (22-32)
Serving	Usually in a stemmed glass that is smaller than the bottle. This keeps the head refreshed when refilling, trapping the essence of the beer.
Malts	Munich and Pale malts. Dark Roasted malts in small quantity for color and roasted taste.
Hops	Noble hops.
Yeast	German Lager yeast.
Related Styles	Dunkel beers are similar but sweeter. Porters are more roasty and made with ale yeast.

 

Bob's Pick	Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu Das Schwarze - Stuttgart regional brewery - In swing-top bottle. "Vollwurzigund hopfenherb zugleich". Guinness-brown lager with nice bitterness that augments a toasty-burnt taste. Goes down easy.
Rare Gems	Brauerei an der Thomaskirche Spezial Schwarz - Leipzig brewpub - Earthy. Almost porterish. Served fairly warm. A seasonal beer. - Located in a soulless building on a soulless platz just 100ft from the Thomaskirche where Bach was the organist and musical director. You have to look hard to see it's a brewery or even find a name among the big awnings of the outdoor garden. The inside is modern, clean, and quiet. Weissbräu zu Köln Pantaleons Schwarze - Cologne brewpub - Ask for the black beer. Served in a stone mug so it's tough to see how black it is but the head is the same exact color as the mug. It's the blackest beer I've ever tasted. Grows on you fast. - This place reminds one of a Manhattan pre-prohibition bar; a noisy mixed-ethnic local with kids galore while a family Friday get-together eats platters of food and matronly grandmothers tsk-tsk everything. Störtebeker Swarzbier - Stalsund, Germany regional brewery - Balanced and pleasant. Porterish. A little thicker than a normal schwarz lager. They say this is the style on the North Sea. 5.0% Pivovar Avar Derer Schwarzbier - Hlučín, Czech - Deep brown. Rye and bready with floury dryness. Tangy dark fruit background. Neuzeller Klosterbrau Schwarzer-Abt (Black Abbot) - Neuzelle, Germany regional brewery - Pure black. Lots of licorice hit. Candy sweetness without being sugary. Located on the Polish border and gets lots of influence from the east.
Widely Available	Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei Schwarzbier - Bad Köstritz, Germany regional brewery - Thick. Dark brown. Rich roasted, dark fruit, and roasted tastes. Good balanced finish. Kumbacher Mönchshof Schwarzbier - Kumbach, Germany megabrewery - Quite dark Tan head. Roasty aroma and taste. Not a complex beer. Sapporo Black - Tokyo megabrewery - Fairly thin body. Big flavor with a bit of chocolate and mild bitterness. Often available in cans. Sprecher Black Bavarian - Glendale, WI regional brewery - Dark brown with reddish notes. Sweeter than most. Balanced with a coffeeish finish. Kaiser (Molson) Xingu - Diviaopolis, Brazil mega-brewery - Very black. Grainy mouthfeel. Coffee, chocolate, licorice. Earthy. Balanced hops.

Typical 5-gallon (US) recipe:

Grains	5 lb German Munich malt 4 lb Pale malt .5 lb Dark Munich malt .5 lb Carafa II malt .5 lb Roasted Barley malt
Adjuncts, Fruit, Spices	None
Hops	8 oz Perle hops at start of boil .6 oz Hallertau hops for a boil of 40 minutes .5 oz Sazz hops at end of boil
Yeast	German or Czech Lager yeast
Mash	Decoction mash of Carafa II malt
Boil time	60 minutes
OG / FG	1050 / 1013

 

Weissbräu zu Köln – Cologne

 

Pivovar Avar Derer Schwarzbier at the
Berlin International Beer Festival.