Schwarzbier
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Schwarzbier, or "black beer," is a German dark lager beer with an opaque, black color and a full, chocolatey flavor.
Schwarzbiers are bottom-fermented beers, though originally top-fermenting yeast was used in brewing them. The alcohol content usually ranges from 4.8%–5%. They get their dark color from the use of particularly dark malts in brewing. The malt in turn gets its color during the roasting procedure. Dark beers are some of the original types of beers brewed, with lighter colors only becoming possible with lighter, short-roasted malts approximately one hundred years ago.
The roots of the Schwarzbier lie in Thuringia and Saxony; the oldest known Schwarzbier is Braunschweiger Mumme ("Brunswick Mum") brewed since the Middle Ages (the first documented mention is from 1390) in Braunschweig. The earliest documented mention in Thuringia is of Köstritzer from 1543, a popular Schwarzbier still produced today. Present-day Eastern Germany has many unique varieties of this style from regional breweries. 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.
A famous black beer drinker (among other things) was Goethe.
The American brewery Samuel Adams distributes a Schwarzbier under the name "Samuel Adams Black Lager". Saranac also produces a Schwarzbier under the name "Saranac Black Forest."
Other popular dark beer types are Altbiers (Düsseldorf), porters, stouts, and dark Hefeweizen (wheat beers) from Bavaria.
