Many people drink dark beers only in winter and while higher strength imperial stouts may be lovely when the snow begins to fall, dark beers aren’t all high alcohol nor are they all full of sweet aromas and flavors. A common misconception is that dark beers are always high alcohol and always thicker, making them only good when the weather cools. But dark beers are excellent all year round and can indeed be refreshing, quenching and delicious when the sun is high in the sky. Here are my choices for best dark beers for summer.
Kostritzer Schwarzbier
German brewed Kostriztzer schwarzbier is my favorite summer beer. Schwarzbier means “black beer” in German and sometimes is referred to as a “black pilsner,” as it is just as refreshing as those golden hued pilsners. Schwarzbiers are made with debittered dark malts so the color of the herbal hops come through as well and the body is light. A 500mL can of this on a summer day outside is delicious and it pairs extremely well with burgers and anything BBQ. I put this beer in my beach cooler to switch things up.
Dragon Stout
The Jamaicans prove everyone wrong when it comes to higher ABV, thicker beers not being thirst quenching in hot climates. Enter the tropical stout, a beer style that evolved from export stouts brought by the Europeans during Colonial rule. The Jamaicans made this style their own, using lager yeast and creating a 7.5% beer that’s dark, fruity, and surprisingly refreshing. Dragon stout is made by the same brewery as the famous Red Stripe lager.
Machine House Brewery Dark Mild
If you are looking for an authentic pub experience and live in the Seattle area, then I have a place for you. Machine House just moved locations to the Hillman City neighborhood and many of their beers are served on cask, meaning that the beer is naturally fermented and served without extraneous carbonation. The beer will be less carbonated than the normal keg beer you are used to as well as served warmer (approx 50F vs 38F for keg beer). When I went to Machine House in March the owner himself was pouring pints and the vibe was chill and relaxing. Dark milds have flavors of toast, light roasted coffee and milk cocoa and usually are around 3% or so (Machine House’s is 3.7% ABV), so they are easy to imbibe and even on hot days this beer will go down smooth. If you aren’t in Seattle then visit your local brewery to see if they are making this style; you may be surprised as dark milds are having a moment right now in the craft beer scene.
New Hampshire based Schilling Beer Co. is known throughout the Northeast for making excellent … [+]
Schilling Beer Co. Modernism Czech Dark Lager
The town of Littleton, NH is classic New England at its finest and there you’ll find Schilling, a lager focused brewery with a huge following. Lucky for you their beers are now distributed throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and even as far west as Michigan. Their Modernism Czech-style dark lager is excellent. Czech dark lagers are usually made with Czech malt and hops and its dark lager (Czechs will call this beer “tmave” which means dark in Czech or “cerne” which means black) reminds me of a more refreshing version of an American porter.
Don’t let the higher ABV fool you, New Belgium La Folie has been a low key stunner for years, … [+]
New Belgium La Folie Sour Brown
Sour fans in the beer industry will call La Folie a classic of the style (myself included), first brewed by former New Belgium brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, who previously worked at Rodenbach, makers of the amazing sour brown ale of the same name. La Folie is wood aged to create that signature dark fruit, apple and tart flavor. The sour brown ale is higher in ABV (6.5%) than most will assume for a refreshing beer but the fruit flavors are perfect for an aperitif before dining al fresco.
So explore the wide world of dark beers and be sure to enjoy these beers responsibly with the people you care about. Cheers!