4.6 Schwarzbier

[Jack of all biers]

My Schwarzbier recipe.

It is a good recipe that I reckon hits the mark for Schwarzbier. It could drop the Caramunich II, and up the Munich II, but I like a more malty flavour so horse's and courses.

Grain Bill for 25L batch
Malt type EBC Amount % Grain bill
1. Bohemian pilsner malt (Weyermann) 3.5 3 Kg 58.25%
2. Munich malt II (Weyermann) 24 1.5 Kg 29.13%
3. Melanoiden malt (Weyermann) 70 200 gm 3.88%
4. Carafa Special II (Weyermann) 1200 250 gm 4.85%
5. Caramunich II (Weyermann) 110-130 200 gm 3.88%


Mash schedule
(either stepped or decoction): 62C for 30mins, 68C for 30mins, 72C for 10mins

Anticipated OG 1056 (at 80% efficiency)
Anticipated FG 1016 (at 72% attenuation)

Hop additions
Boil time: 90 mins

Amount Time Type % Alpha Acid IBU contribution
1. 35g 90min Northern Brewer 5.85% 17.9
2. 15g 90min Hallertau Pacific 6.1% 7.7
3. 14g 30min Hallertau Pacific 6.1% 5.3
4. 7g 15min Hallertau Pacific 6.1% 1.3


Yeast
Saflager w-34/70 (Weihenstephan) or similar clean lager yeast

Fermentation
Temp between 10-14C for 10-14 days then lager (cold condition) for 1-2 months

3 months after fermentation commenced my comments on tasting were:
This beer is exactly to style and very tasty. Colour is spot on, black in the glass and when held up to the light a translucent black/red tinged appearance. Could be a little more malty in flavour to my tastes, but very similar to Koestritzer in taste and mouth feel. Probably a slight bit more roasted grain flavour than Koestritzer, which comes from the caraspecial perhaps, but not over powering at all.

EDIT - for my last brew of this recipe, my OG was 1047 and FG 1008, but my mash temp and sparging were a little off.

 

[mtb]

Keen to give this a go. Assuming those percentages of grain bill are off, as opposed to the grain amounts

 

[Mardoo]

Ha, yeah. I love a good schwarzbier.

 

[Jack of all biers]

Grain Bill for 25L batch
Malt type EBC Amount % Grain bill
1. Bohemian pilsner malt (Weyermann) 3.5 3 Kg 25%
2. Munich malt II (Weyermann) 24 1.5 Kg 29.13%
3. Melanoiden malt (Weyermann) 70 200 gm 3.88%
4. Carafa Special II (Weyermann) 1200 250 gm 4.85%
5. Caramunich II (Weyermann) 110-130 200 gm 3.88%

Damn it, can't edit the post. Yes the amounts are correct and I must have accidentally deleted part of the Pilsner % :unsure: . It should read 58.25%

Malts type EBC Amount Percent of bill
1. Bohemian pilsner malt (Weyermann) 3.5 3 Kg 58.25%
2. Munich malt II (Weyermann) 24 1.5 Kg 29.13%
3. Melanoiden malt (Weyermann) 70 200 gm 3.88%
4. Carafa Special II (Weyermann) 1200 250 gm 4.85%
5. Caramunich II (Weyermann) 110-130 200 gm 3.88%

 

[RdeVjun]

Interesting recipe and more food for thought for me so thanks for sharing, while this is also timely.
With Schwarzbier base malts my preference has been with the majority Munich II, not Pilsener malt, although in yours the Melanoidin and Caramunich II probably compensates (many good reports on the latter too BTW). It's a fair whack of Carafa II though, are you sure it needs quite so much? OTOH, I suppose it's still sub 5%, no biggie. You want the garnet highlights when held up to the light, should be getting them at that rate.
Not a fan of late hops in the style, restrained for flavour and a subtle hint of aroma characteristics as you have done is fine IMO.
Need to get my digit out and brew a few for the state competition, getting one through to the nats again would be swell. I say this every autumn, but rarely succeed...

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

OT but it looks like a Germanic equivalent grist to my English mild, which does get that dark red black hue up to the light. My recipe is a sure fire stunner so yours should be. Only difference other than UK vs German equivalent malts and the obvious melanoidin is my use of Roasted barley.

I do love kostritzer though.

 

[bradsbrew]

Adjusted the grain bill % to OP.

 

[Jack of all biers]

Thanks Brad.

All fair comments and no recipe is set in stone and should be changed to suit taste. Going back to my tasting notes, I find the following comments, so perhaps I may drop 50-100gm of Carafa Special II in the next version.

....have tried two bottles over the last couple of days and this beer is exactly to style and very tasty. Colour is spot on, black in the glass and when held up to the light a translucent black/red tinged appearance. Could be a little more malty in flavour to my tastes, but very similar to Koestritzer in taste and mouth feel. Probably a slight bit more roasted grain flavour than Koestritzer, which comes from the caraspecial perhaps, but not over powering at all....


EDIT - Just a comment, that this is a Schwarzbier recipe and not a clone of Koestritzer. Whilst I was in Germany earlier this year, I made it to Leipzig where I had the pleasure of reliving old times by way of drinking the local Ur-Krostitzer Schwarzbier. It is quite a bit maltier than Koestritzer.

Side by side comparison

 

[Danscraftbeer]

hmm. Never considered the Schwarzbier as a target style but its similar balance to what I have made in preference for a dark something. It was with w-34/70.
I like carafa special as a dark grain.

 

[Randai]

I think I found out that you definitely need to not use some roasty dark grain like I did. I used a small amount 50-100g can't remember off roasted barley and it was just waaay too roasty in comparison to the dark lagers I have had in germany. I suspect the right grain is something like carafa special or maybe even chocolate wheat (which in my usages has had very little roast to it).

 

[Jack of all biers]

I think I found out that you definitely need to not use some roasty dark grain like I did. I used a small amount 50-100g can't remember off roasted barley and it was just waaay too roasty in comparison to the dark lagers I have had in germany. I suspect the right grain is something like carafa special or maybe even chocolate wheat (which in my usages has had very little roast to it).

That's right, roasted barley is not suitable for Schwarzbier. Whilst Schwarzbier is dark to almost black it's got very little to do with Stouts where roasted barley is ideal. Carafa special is appropriate and chocolate malt also can be used, but choc wheat is not really a traditionally used grain in this style. You can use it by all means and call it a Schwarzbier, but it's not very Reinheitsgebot having wheat in it.

 

[Randai]

That's right, roasted barley is not suitable for Schwarzbier. Whilst Schwarzbier is dark to almost black it's got very little to do with Stouts where roasted barley is ideal. Carafa special is appropriate and chocolate malt also can be used, but choc wheat is not really a traditionally used grain in this style. You can use it by all means and call it a Schwarzbier, but it's not very Reinheitsgebot having wheat in it.

Of course, but I guess if we were to translate that what I am saying use the least roasty roasted grain you can get. Where getting that black might be hard depending on which grain you use, if it were too light like a chocolate malt.

 

[Jack of all biers]

My latest version is currently lagering, so can't supply a pic sorry, but it's plenty black with the following

Pilsner malt (Gladfields) 3.8 EBC 56.9%
Munich malt I (Gladfields) 14-17 EBC 29.2%
Melanoiden malt (Weyermann) 70 EBC 5.6%
Carafa Special II (Weyermann) 1200 EBC 4.2%
Caramunich II (Weyermann) 110-130 EBC 4.2%

Given that Bairds Chocolate malt for example is 1230 EBC it could be exchanged for the Carafa Spec II for colour. Flavour would change a little, but for the colour aspect it would be fine. The Carafa and Choc malts are malted and treated slightly differently, but are roasted at similar temps, which is why they match up colour wise. Another example is Bairds Pale Choc 900 EBC, which is the same for Carafa Spec I at 900 EBC. Weyermanns' Choc Wheat is 1100 EBC and Briess Midnight Wheat 1080 EBC. Bairds Roasted Barley is 1460 EBC and Black malt 1300 EBC.
I'm not wanting to be smart here, but there's not a huge difference in colour. The flavour contributions are quite uniquely different though I agree.

 

[Randai]

My latest version is currently lagering, so can't supply a pic sorry, but it's plenty black with the following

Pilsner malt (Gladfields) 3.8 EBC 56.9%
Munich malt I (Gladfields) 14-17 EBC 29.2%
Melanoiden malt (Weyermann) 70 EBC 5.6%
Carafa Special II (Weyermann) 1200 EBC 4.2%
Caramunich II (Weyermann) 110-130 EBC 4.2%

Given that Bairds Chocolate malt for example is 1230 EBC it could be exchanged for the Carafa Spec II for colour. Flavour would change a little, but for the colour aspect it would be fine. The Carafa and Choc malts are malted and treated slightly differently, but are roasted at similar temps, which is why they match up colour wise. Another example is Bairds Pale Choc 900 EBC, which is the same for Carafa Spec I at 900 EBC. Weyermanns' Choc Wheat is 1100 EBC and Briess Midnight Wheat 1080 EBC. Bairds Roasted Barley is 1460 EBC and Black malt 1300 EBC.
I'm not wanting to be smart here, but there's not a huge difference in colour. The flavour contributions are quite uniquely different though I agree.

Sounds tasty, I guess my warning was for others who might have thought along the same lines as me, which incorrectly thinking "eh whats a little roasted barley/black malt"
I think a paler chocolate might require too much, probably why I was thinking in that direction since they provide less roasty flavour. Honestly I haven't used such a dark chocolate malt, but I would expect the darker chocolate would be too roasty for a schwarz as well.
Hence why I am thinking the only way is to get the carafa special which won't have that component.

 

[technobabble66]

Fwiw, and I know you wouldn't have been thinking this simplistically but might be worth keeping in mind (for others), that twice as much of something half as dark won't taste the same. Or vice versa. Eg: 300g of 600 ebc choc won't taste the same as 150g of 1200 ebc choc. It might be in the ball park, but those darker roasts definitely give out more of a hard/sharp/distinct roast element. I find this is particularly obvious in a lager.

Also, for my tastebuds, Roasted Barley in particular is a different flavour effect compared to the others (choc, carafa, etc). Not surprising given the others are from malted barley whereas RB is from raw barley.