Beer of the Weekend #217: Einbecker Schwarzbier

It is time once again for another round of brown bottle lunches. I will be in New Orleans next week and need to do the sampling for my April LV recommendation now. More than likely, I will put off the writing until returning the day before the deadline.

The first brown bottle lunch is Einbecker Schwarzbier, brewed by the Einbecker Brauhaus AG of Einbeck, Germany.


Serving type: One 330 ml (11.2-ounce) bottle. There are a couple cryptic batch codes, but no discernable freshness date.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is brown with a little bit of amber undertones. Two fingers of slightly tinted head developed and dissipated to leave a bubbly lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: A nice blend of caramel, chocolate, toffee, and floral phenols reminiscent of a good helles.

Taste: An equally excellent blend mirroring the smell. Caramel, chocolate, a little toffee, and that bittersweet helles/floral flavor. The mouthfeel is very clean and light, much like a lager.

Drinkability: A thumb’s up. Though I like my dark beers thick and creamy, the light mouthfeel of this beer does not take away from the bolder (“darker”) flavors.

Fun facts about Einbecker Schwarzbier:

-Style: Schwarzbier. Obviously:

Schwarzbier ("shvahrts-beer"), is simply German for black beer. It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily heavy or light in body, although they tend to lean towards light. Unlike other dark beers, like porters or stouts, they are not overly bitter with burnt and roasted malt characteristics that the others tend to depend on. Instead, hops are used for a good portion of the bitterness. Very refreshing and soul lifting beers, they also make a great alternative for the Winter. Especially when you are looking for a lighter beer, but one with depth of colour and taste.

-Price: $2.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 4.9 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: All BA recommends is German cuisine. Break out the landjäger-flavored Space Bars! (I think they were called Space Bars.) For the style, Mosher’s
Tasting Beer recommends “hearty, spicy food, such as barbecue, sausages, roast meat; bread pudding.”

The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.

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