Beer of the Weekend #58: Köstritzer Schwarzbier
Apparently March was stout month, and my dark beer craving has carried over into April. The beer this weekend is Köstritzer Schwarzbier brewed by Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei of Bad Köstritz, Germany.
I wonder if it’s common at German brewing conferences to hear, “My Schwarzbier is better than yours.”
Yes, a shameful “Spaceballs” reference. But how could I resist? (By the way, I don't even like that movie.)
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Poured a deep brown, almost black. Two fingers of foamy head rose and dissipated to a nice lacing.
Smell: Warm chestnuts. Don’t ask me where that came from. At first it was hard for me to place, but caramel malts and a hint of barnyard grassiness developed as it warmed.
Taste: Sweet caramel malts that were mildly roastly. The barnyard malts are also present when it warmed. There is very little hop presence.
Drinkability: Very even and smooth. Classic German. Now I know why Goethe drank it for sustenance. May the schwarz be with you!
Fun facts about KöS (I’m keeping the ö in the abbreviation because umlauts are badass):
-Serving temperature: 48ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends “Cuisine (German).” Very uninformative. The “Schwarzbier” page on Wikipedia has much better recommendations: “It is often served with dark, chunky breads with cream cheese. It also pairs well with marinated meats like brisket and is an excellent companion to German Sauerbraten.”
-Bad Köstritz is located in the German state of Thuringia, just to the north of Bavaria. According to MJ’s Great Beer Guide, the city was once a spa town.
-Schwarzbier — German for “black beer” — is a native of Thuringia and Saxony. The oldest known Schwarzbier is Braunschweiger Mumme brewed in Braunschweig. According to Wiki it has been brewed since the Middle Ages. Its first documented reference is from 1390.
-BA suggests that KöS be enjoyed in a pilsner glass. I don’t have a pilsner glass in my collection of beerware, but I’ve been eyeing one at BevMo! the last couple weeks. However, I’ve decided to buy one at the Glass House the next time I’m in Iowa City. So until then I’ll be drinking beers like KöS and other pilsners in improper glassware.
-As hinted above, German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe drank KöS for nourishment when he was unable to eat due to illness. In an apparent gesture to honor his patronage, the KöS label and carrying case feature a doctored portrait of Goethe, “Goethe in the Roman Campagna” by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein:
I’ll let you spot the difference.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
I wonder if it’s common at German brewing conferences to hear, “My Schwarzbier is better than yours.”
Yes, a shameful “Spaceballs” reference. But how could I resist? (By the way, I don't even like that movie.)
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Poured a deep brown, almost black. Two fingers of foamy head rose and dissipated to a nice lacing.
Smell: Warm chestnuts. Don’t ask me where that came from. At first it was hard for me to place, but caramel malts and a hint of barnyard grassiness developed as it warmed.
Taste: Sweet caramel malts that were mildly roastly. The barnyard malts are also present when it warmed. There is very little hop presence.
Drinkability: Very even and smooth. Classic German. Now I know why Goethe drank it for sustenance. May the schwarz be with you!
Fun facts about KöS (I’m keeping the ö in the abbreviation because umlauts are badass):
-Serving temperature: 48ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends “Cuisine (German).” Very uninformative. The “Schwarzbier” page on Wikipedia has much better recommendations: “It is often served with dark, chunky breads with cream cheese. It also pairs well with marinated meats like brisket and is an excellent companion to German Sauerbraten.”
-Bad Köstritz is located in the German state of Thuringia, just to the north of Bavaria. According to MJ’s Great Beer Guide, the city was once a spa town.
-Schwarzbier — German for “black beer” — is a native of Thuringia and Saxony. The oldest known Schwarzbier is Braunschweiger Mumme brewed in Braunschweig. According to Wiki it has been brewed since the Middle Ages. Its first documented reference is from 1390.
-BA suggests that KöS be enjoyed in a pilsner glass. I don’t have a pilsner glass in my collection of beerware, but I’ve been eyeing one at BevMo! the last couple weeks. However, I’ve decided to buy one at the Glass House the next time I’m in Iowa City. So until then I’ll be drinking beers like KöS and other pilsners in improper glassware.
-As hinted above, German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe drank KöS for nourishment when he was unable to eat due to illness. In an apparent gesture to honor his patronage, the KöS label and carrying case feature a doctored portrait of Goethe, “Goethe in the Roman Campagna” by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein:
I’ll let you spot the difference.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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