Black beer styles for Summer

[Sandy Feet]

i would honestly say Savannah gets right up there temps and humidity with Texas, just less steers and stupid hats. #beefin'

I personally love a good nitro irish stout, but i currently dont have a setup to pour nitro and I feel that if i am gonna make that style(without nitro) it may as well be a lager since that is even smooother. Not to mention that my bartenders can barely pour a normal beer properly, they have no chance of pouring a nitro.

I talked to some of my bartenders about the topic and several said just more of the black lager, it is VERY popular(sells up there with my IPAs).

I have had Black IPAs on before and they generally dont move as well as the BL or an IPA. Maybe i brew another batch of black lager and then brew a big ol' quad or doppelbock and just say fuck it. Put 2 kegs on when it is ready and age the other 2?

I do like the idea of a Dunklewiezen. Ill make up a recipe and post it.

No one likes the idea of a similar recipe to the black lager just fermented out with belgian yeast instead of lager????

One of my hangouts here has a CO2 version of an Irish Stout that I like very much. I actually think I like the CO2 version better.
I think the Belgian idea is interesting, and I think that making it like a Dubbel, but with lower alcohol would be nice for the summer.

 

[J A]

I personally love a good nitro irish stout, but i currently dont have a setup to pour nitro and I feel that if i am gonna make that style(without nitro) it may as well be a lager since that is even smooother. Not to mention that my bartenders can barely pour a normal beer properly, they have no chance of pouring a nitro.

I serve my Irish Stout with CO2 through a stout faucet and really can't complain. I try to keep the carb level on the low side to start with and that calms things down a little - at least until serving pressure and headspace start to push the volumes up eventually. Still, it gets a nice rich head and even looks pretty authentic with the bubbles cascading down in the foam (though not as much or as nicely as with nitro).

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

One of my hangouts here has a CO2 version of an Irish Stout that I like very much. I actually think I like the CO2 version better.
I think the Belgian idea is interesting, and I think that making it like a Dubbel, but with lower alcohol would be nice for the summer.

So a Belgian Single then? (less ABV than a Dubbel...)

 

[Sandy Feet]

So a Belgian Single then? (less ABV than a Dubbel...)

With the darker malts. The Dubbel and Quad are usually darker. Single and Tripel usually lighter.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

I learn something new every day. I guess that means I need to drink both more often!

 

[Sandy Feet]

I love Belgian beer, but some of those get really up there on the alcohol. I try to look out for the lower alcohol ones when I can find them, and I like a big boy as a treat once in a while. I'm not as crazy about the Wits. I like Hefeweizen yeast in my wheat.

 

[Brew Cat]

i would honestly say Savannah gets right up there temps and humidity with Texas, just less steers and stupid hats. #beefin'

I personally love a good nitro irish stout, but i currently dont have a setup to pour nitro and I feel that if i am gonna make that style(without nitro) it may as well be a lager since that is even smooother. Not to mention that my bartenders can barely pour a normal beer properly, they have no chance of pouring a nitro.

I talked to some of my bartenders about the topic and several said just more of the black lager, it is VERY popular(sells up there with my IPAs).

I have had Black IPAs on before and they generally dont move as well as the BL or an IPA. Maybe i brew another batch of black lager and then brew a big ol' quad or doppelbock and just say fuck it. Put 2 kegs on when it is ready and age the other 2?

I do like the idea of a Dunklewiezen. Ill make up a recipe and post it.

No one likes the idea of a similar recipe to the black lager just fermented out with belgian yeast instead of lager????

well if your barkeeps say black lager sells I'd listen to them
probably anything with lager in the name will sell in the summer
no sense reinventing the wheel here

 

[Bigbre04]

well if your barkeeps say black lager sells I'd listen to them
probably anything with lager in the name will sell in the summer
no sense reinventing the wheel here

It sounds like the final verdict is that i am gonna brew a double of black lager and send half of it out in slims. waiting on the final word on how many and where, but that decision is made lol. not a big deal, its a really good beer, i was just getting board of it.

 

[Brew Cat]

It sounds like the final verdict is that i am gonna brew a double of black lager and send half of it out in slims. waiting on the final word on how many and where, but that decision is made lol. not a big deal, its a really good beer, i was just getting board of

but it keeps the lights on

 

[Craigerrr]

Very late to the party.
For me a dark beer, meaning like a stout or Porter are more a time of day beer for me than a time of year thing. They are like dessert to me.
Your Black Lager is probably the best call considering how much closer to the equator you are then me. I love Black IPA (don't you start with me @Brew Cat ), but it probably isn't the best choice for a Brew Pub like yours, kind of a niche beer that many don't get, or even call it the right name!

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Indeed. I live in hot. (South Louisiana is probably not too dissimilar to Tybee Island, GA if not muggier since I'm inland quite a bit) I agree that I'd rather drink a Black Lager during the day and save the Porter/Stout to the evening, especially if they are flavored/barrel-aged. I tend towards darker styles any day or time, but the really flavorful and stronger brews I save for night-caps or splitting with friends. (I'm really, really, really, tired of the punch you in the face high ABV beers out there. Can I just get a normal Brown/Porter/Stout?)

 

[Hopped-Silly]

Hey all,

I need some ideas for some black beer styles for summer at the beach. My Standard is a Schwarzbier(which is what is on right now) but i am kind of bored with that. There is a chance that i am instructed to double batch that for distribution, but that hasnt happened yet so i am still allowed to dream.

Obviously i could brew a 5-6% stout and let it ride, but that feels lame.

I built a recipe for a slighlty reduced abv black belgian ale and posted it for feedback. I will likely build a new recipe from scratch and see how that turns out.


Current draft list:
1-coconut brown 6.1% <--Brown/amber
2-maibock 6.8% <--Flexible Spot for random styles
3-apricot/strawberry sour 6.4% <-- sour(keylime sour after this one kicks)
4-IPA 7.3% <--Strong IPA
5-Golden lager 5% <--Golden lager(year round)
6-Black lager 5.8% <-- Dark beer
7-Imp Golden lager-8.3% <--Strong spot but can be something else
8-session IPA 5% <-- Session IPA(year round)

I have a black IPA in the fermenter now @ 1.015 and a week or so left before bottling. I'm planning for this to be a very hop forward beer and dry hopped with a couple ounces of mosaic next week.

 

[Bigbre04]

I enjoy black IPAs, but historically they dont rate well or sell well on the beach. Black lager is back on draft, it will probably become a summer-long staple. people ask for it if it isnt on. Still pleasantly surprised by how well it sells on the beach.

 

[Craigerrr]

I have a black IPA in the fermenter now @ 1.015 and a week or so left before bottling. I'm planning for this to be a very hop forward beer and dry hopped with a couple ounces of mosaic next week.

I love a Cascadian Dark Ale, don't I @Brew Cat

 

[Craigerrr]

I enjoy black IPAs, but historically they dont rate well or sell well on the beach. Black lager is back on draft, it will probably become a summer-long staple. people ask for it if it isnt on. Still pleasantly surprised by how well it sells on the beach.

How do you argue with that logic!
I would highly recommend, if he would be obliging enough to grant you license, to Brew the Shady Bohemian.
This a long overdue rebrew for me, will definitely be getting back to this one in the next few months

 

[Taylors Beach Brewing]

Tropical Stout

 

[Brew Cat]

I was listening to a podcast and a brewer told the story of how a beer he made wasn't selling
He took it off for a couple then put it on with a new name and it sold out
I believe it

 

[Craigerrr]

I was listening to a podcast and a brewer told the story of how a beer he made wasn't selling
He took it off for a couple then put it on with a new name and it sold out
I believe it

Names, and artwork on cans definitely have an effect on the initial sale. The beer itself will determine where things go from there.

 

[Brew Cat]

Names, and artwork on cans definitely have an effect on the initial sale. The beer itself will determine where things go from there.

I don't know, some of the best selling beers are crap IMO

 

[Herm brews]

I like Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA), but I live in Oregon, so there is that.