IPAs and sours. Sours and IPAs. And sometimes pale ales.
Those are the beers that have dominated the landscape of craft beer during the most recent boom over the past decade or so.
But a surging style seems to be gaining popularity, at least in the Cincinnati market.
Schwarzbier, sometimes called black beer or dark lager, is a style that originated in Germany.
A very dark beer with an opaque color reminiscent of a stout or porter, schwarzbiers are lagers that typically have coffee or chocolate notes, and clock in around 5.5%. They’re easy-drinking, malt-forward beers that are a perfect zippy option for cold winters.
Local breweries like West Side, Brink, and Listermann have released schwarzbiers in the past, and newer additions from the likes of Sonder, Fifty West, Fretboard, Grainworks, and Rebel Mettle have recently hit the market.
West Side is known for brewing classic styles very well, and their Schwarzbier has been around for a few years now. It’s released in cans and clocks in on the lighter side at just 4.5%.
Brink has Patrick Schwarzy, a beautiful dark lager that has great bitter coffee and chocolate flavors and clocks in at 4.9%. This one is only available on draft, but with Brink’s move to cans, we could see this one in distribution soon.
Listermann‘s Schwarzbier is now an annual release, and is 5.5%. It also has some of the best can art ever.
Mason’s Sonder Brewing has made a habit of releasing some awesome lagers, and their recent release of Nocturnal got me excited enough to feature it on Beers and Beards Episode 38. It’s 5.6% and utilizes German malt varieties to balance out flavors of bread, chocolate, and roasty characters with a clean finish.
Fifty West just released their Next Exit on draft, and while I haven’t tried this one yet, I’m sure it’s just as good as the rest of the beers from the underrated east side brewery.
Fretboard released their first collaboration with another brewery last year, as Dark Throne was their mashup with Dayton’s Branch & Bone. I featured this beer on Episode 25 of Beers and Beards, and it’s one of my favorite offerings from the brewery.
Rebel Mettle is one of Cincinnati’s newer breweries, but they’ve quickly made a name for themselves by brewing quality lagers. One of their core offerings is Volume, an imperial schwarzbier with just a touch of juniper in the aftertaste.
Nothern Row is also no stranger to a great lager, and their Brawler is a 9% imperial schwarzbier. It’s a little boozy, but also slightly roast and with a smooth mouthfeel and easy finish.
Another one I have yet to try is from Grainworks, as they released Luke, I Am Your Lager in cans last year. It’s 5.6% and has an obvious Star Wars theme.
Big Ash Brewing also has a schwarzbier called Life’s Too Schwarz, and Madtree released a draft-only Schwarzbier last year. If you want to try one of the most popular dark lagers in the world, Kostritzer is always a great choice.