Beer Style: Dark Lager Family
Oakshire Brewing Co.’s Tmavé Pivo clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyTmavé pivo is the overlying style of Czech dark lager. We use an extensive malt bill to add depth to the final beer while eliminating as much of the roast character as possible. Supremely drinkable and one of our favorites to make!
Oakshire Brewing Co.’s Doggerland Baltic Porter clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis recipe snagged a silver medal for Oakshire at the 2018 World Beer Cup.
Oakshire Brewing Co.’s Miel Mi Amor clone
FREEA mix between Vienna and dunkel lagers, we incorporate polenta (coarse ground cornmeal) to build a crisp body, while using Mexican coffee honey for a touch of sweetness and flavor, while helping the body dry out during fermentation.
Blue Stallion Brewing Co.’s Dunkel clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe mainstay of the Blue Stallion Brewing lineup is the extremely popular Dunkel. The 5.5% ABV, 25 IBU lager showcases rich, sweet aromas with bready flavors and a hint of caramel/toffee.
Mamacita’s Dark Kölsch
FREEMamacita’s Dark Kölsch (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.050 FG = 1.014IBU = 27 SRM = 21 ABV = 4.7% An homage to St. Arnold Brewing’s Santo, which was in the brewery’s
Gordon Strong’s Czech Dark Lager
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI prefer maltier versions of this style a touch stronger but this version is on the hoppy side to help distinguish it from its German cousin.
Cervejaria Narcose’s Mora Mora clone
Digital and Plus Members OnlyCervejaria Narcose’s Mora Mora clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.055 FG = 1.013IBU = 20 SRM = 23 ABV = 5.5% Mora Mora is a dark lager with coconut and vanilla brewed by Cervejaria Narcose in Capão da Canoa, Brazil. Ingredients6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsner malt4 lbs. (1.8 kg) flaked rice10
Gordon Strong’s Schwarzbier
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis beer is brewed at the 12 °P (1.048 SG) strength, which is typical of standard-strength German beers. For me, the most important parts of this style for the brewer is to use the debittered dark malts, and to properly attenuate the beer so that it isn’t too heavy.
Thuringian Schwarzbier
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDe-husked roasted malts like Carafa® III are an ideal solution to darken the color of schwarzbiers as they don’t have any sharp acrid notes as highly kilned malts do. This makes a surprisingly smooth dark lager.
Munich Dunkel
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAuthentic dunkels rely on Munich malts to provide color, without the roastiness or burnt flavors often associated with darker beers.
Schwarz-Pilsner
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis recipe combines the grain bill of my schwarzbier recipe with the yeast and hop bill of my Pilsner recipe.
Weizen Trippelbock
Digital and Plus Members OnlyInspired by The Livery’s Trippel Weizenbock. Steve Berthel told us that, “Most lagers do not use black patent, chocolate, or roast barley in the recipes. I favor a two-hour boil with dark crystal malts to achieve the raisiny, toffee flavors.” He combines extra dark 155–165 °L English crystal malt with bready German base malts (malted wheat, Pilsner, Vienna, and dark Munich). Moderate hopping with Perle and Tettnang provide the balance. Mike’s second attempt to dial in this recipe is currently resting in a 5-gallon (19-L) malt whisky barrel from Balcones Distillery in Texas.