Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh: Dark, Authentic, and Gone in February

Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh Schwarz Bier Abv 5.5

Schwarz beers used to be a rarity in what was then West Germany. Except for a few of the northern cities, brewers of dark beers overwhelmingly labeled them “dunkel.” East of the iron curtain, however, Schwarz was a more common term. IMG_9918 web small 1 Unification has sent Schwarz popularity soaring throughout the country. Schwarz beers are dark and sharper than dunkels and usually feature a bit of a lactose edge. We’ve noticed an increasing number of breweries labeling whatever dark beer they’re making as Schwarz; we assume they think it has a bit more of a mystique.

Hofbrauhaus Munich makes a Schwarz beer each January – catch it then if you want it. Their version features dark and sweet malts that run to some chocolate flavors – milk chocolate and semi-sweet chips. Some bitter from the roast and a bit more from hops don’t quite balance, but if you like dark and sweet it is a very easy beer to drink. We think it would go well with the restaurant’s schweinbraten.