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Dark Lager Beers for Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to dark lager products
About dark lager
Lager is a type of beer that uses a cool fermentation process. It uses bottom-fermenting lager yeast, which grows slower than other beers such as ales and settles to the bottom during fermentation, and they mature in cold storage. Dark lager is slightly heavier than pale lager, with a dark color due to the roasted malts. They have a mildly sweet taste with hints of caramel.
Types of dark lager:
- Dunkel. Dunkel is the German word for dark. It's made with dark roasted malts and has a red-tinted color that ranges from amber to mahogany. You can find dark lagers with flavors that include coffee, chocolate, nuts, and even bread, but they all have the signature lager crispness. Like other lagers, Dunkel has a low alcohol content.
- Schwarzbier. Schwarzbier has a dark chestnut color and a complex taste with hints of roasted malt, licorice, and dark chocolate. It has a low alcohol content and a dry, smooth finish.
- International dark lager. This is a clean, dark lager. Its flavor comes from the malts, not the hops, and it usually has just a slight hint of sweetness. It is a great choice for people who are new to dark lagers.
- Czech dark lager. Czech dark lager has a dark color, but the flavor is not as dark. It gets its flavor from the malt and is more bitter than the German styles. The ABV ranges from 3-9 percent.
- Baltic Porter. This dark lager is much different from the others. Unlike English porters, Baltic porters are not ales; they are lagers. It is similar to a stout with lots of roasted character, hints of coffee and chocolate, and a creamy texture.
- American dark lager. The American-style dark lager has a low body, low malt aroma with some hints of caramel. It doesn't have a strong hop flavor, but carbonation is high. The alcohol content of American dark lager generally ranges from 4.1-5.6%.
In most cases, dark lagers should be served cold and in a tulip-shaped glass. This allows the beer to get more air, so you can enjoy the aroma. This beer pairs well with seafood, sushi, grilled pork and chicken, and many spicy cuisines such as Latin or Asian.
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Tips for choosing a dark lager
If you are new to drinking dark lager, the dark color can be intimidating. If you are ready to try this style of beer but aren't sure where to start, here are some that come highly recommended.
- 1554 Black Lager, New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO. The 1554 Black Lager from New Belgium Brewing has a roasted, malty flavor with notes of chocolate. The lager yeast makes it more approachable for new dark lager drinkers, and it has a satisfying finish.
- Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT. Baba is a certified organic dark lager. You'll smell the aroma of malt before you taste it, and once you have a sip, you'll enjoy the smokiness that lingers in the background.
- Smoke & Dagger Black Lager, Jack's Abby, Framingham, MA. Smoke & Dagger is sometimes described as a hybrid of black lager and smoked porter, but the notes of smoke are subtle. You taste chocolate and caramel, and this dark lager has a nice feel that's not too heavy or not too light.
- Czechvar Czech Dark Lager. This dark lager is roasted with Munich and caramel malts for black coffee and dark chocolate aromas and to give it the dark color. It a refreshing dark beer with the drinkability of a lighter pale lager. The ABV for Czechvar Czech Dark Lager is 4.7%.
- Shinier Black Lager. Shiner opens with an intense dark chocolate flavor with hints of coffee. Malt dominates the aroma, which has a slight hint of floral hops. It has a moderately-sized light brown head when poured that quickly goes away. This beer has a slight bitterness and a semi-dry finish, with a rewarding chocolate flavor that lingers.
- Baltic Porter, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Hampton, New Hampshire. Smuttynose makes their Baltic Porter with a jet black color and a rich brown head. It has aromas of milk and dark chocolate, with brown sugar, dried dark fruits, and dark rum.
Dark Lager Near Me
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FAQs about dark lager
Even though dark lagers have a similar color to stout, they are very different. Lagers have a lighter body and roasted dark notes from the malts. The dark notes stop well short of the depth you get with a stout. American stout beers are strong, bitter, hoppy, and highly roasted.
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