Most Radler beers produced by breweries have an alcohol content anywhere between 2.5% and 4 % making them an ideal summer drink. ABK Radler is 2.8% ABV and is a refreshing drink any time of the year. Unlike the novelty beer that it is today, Rauchbier was commonplace before British engineer Daniel Wheeler invented the drum kiln in 1818. All the drying had to be done over and open flame before then, which gave the fermented beer a smokey taste. For the malt masters and brewers of the day, this smokiness was an unwanted element that they wanted to get rid of. The Rauchbier's flavour was determined by which type of fuel was used in the drying process. Different types of wood would impart its flavour such as wood straw, with the least popular source being coal because of its expense.

As we've enumerated above, Germany has a remarkably diverse beer culture. Compared to the craft beers that many US beer enthusiasts have become acquainted with, however, it's fair to say that many of the classic German styles place more of an emphasis on malt, and all of its attendant flavors (bread, caramel, toast), than on hops (spice, bitterness, herbaceousness).

Authentic Bavarian Beers Delivered to Your Door

Dunkel is the dark lager style that for many years was the everyday beer of Bavaria. Although it has now been dethroned by helles, dunkel can boast a reign that lasted centuries. The German word “dunkel” simply means “dark,” and most dunkels have colors that range from a deep reddish mahogany to full, rich brown. The flavor profile is malt-forward, often showing notes of nuts, toffee, freshly baked bread, chocolate, and even licorice, but never veering off into heavily roasted coffee-like accents. Hop bitterness is moderate, with international bitterness units usually in the low 20s, and hop aromatics are subtle. Lager yeasts lend these beers clean flavor profiles; they are round and brisk, with a hint of malty sweetness, but devoid of spice or fruit. They are average in strength and rarely exceed 5.5% alcohol by volume. The best of them are wonderfully direct, deeply satisfying, and a great accompaniment to hearty Bavarian food. Step mash: Mash in Munich malt at 131 °F (55 °C) and rest for 10 minutes. Increase to 146 °F (63 °C) using direct heat or hot-water infusion and hold for 40 minutes.

Lambic: Belgian wheat and barley beer, distinguished by the wild yeasts and spontaneous fermentation employed in its brewing process.

Shedding Light on the German Dunkel

The BJCP classifies this style as a “Dark European Lager.” It can be found in their guidelines as category 8A. The only other beer style in this category is: Schwarzbier (8B). Appearance: Bavarian lagers developed due to some regulatory and technological influences in medieval times. The Reinheitsgebot of 1516 was a beer purity law, but also was designed to keep wheat out of beer. Summer brewing was outlawed in 1553, which led to cool weather brewing and storage methods that favored the selection of lager yeast and brewing methods. Beer in Bavaria was dark by necessity until the early 1800s due to how malt was kilned. So a regional preference for these types of beers was established in Bavaria, although similar beers were made in Czech lands. Dunkels were the original style of the Bavarian villages and countryside, and it was the most common style at the time of the introduction of the Reinheitsgebot (1516). As such, it is the first "fully codified and regulated" beer. Its ABV is rarely higher than 5.5%, and it has low bitterness, a distinctive dark color, and a malty flavor. Dunkel is brewed using lager yeasts. [2]

This classic Dunkel has a dark appearance ranging from reddish mahogany to deep brown and has a malty smooth taste that is accompanied by biscuit, caramel and chocolate tone. Does that sound delicious? Shop our ABK Dunkel Online, one of the oldest in the world! Is Dunkel A Lager? Where to drink it: Pils is drunk in the pub, traditionally in the “Boazn” (local/corner pub), but also in restaurants. It is a classic beer on tap, and is often poured very slowly, which is why it is less carbonated than other beers. If you like the original taste with carbonic acid, you should therefore advise the waiter to use a normal tapping speed. Schwarzbier is a moderately carbonated beer with no harshness despite the roasted malts; it is also one of the lightest dark beers you are ever likely to drink. ABK Schwarzbier is a good choice for those that may want a bit more intensity to their beer, yet are still looking for a refreshing lager experience.To a certain extent, dunkel was the world’s first beer style to be fully codified and regulated. When the Reinheitsgebot first came into force in 1516, most of the beer made in Bavaria was an early form of dunkel. The dunkel beer style did not stay home in Bavaria. The Czech černé pivo style is a very close relative, if often slightly sweeter. Dunkel jumped many oceans, and the style was once very popular in the United States and Mexico and also throughout parts of South America, where many Germans settled in the 1800s. Today, many American craft brewers, no doubt inspired by trips into the Bavarian countryside, are starting to brew their own versions of one of the great quaffing beer styles of Europe.

Simply put Hell beer is easy drinking, light Bavarian beer. Essentially it is a lager and very similar to a pilsner. This beer is beloved in german as a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink on a hot, summer evening. In German, Helles means ‘pale or light’, which nicely sums up the colour and taste of this type of beer. Who drinks it: Eisbach surfers, Americans (microbreweries are hugely popular in the USA), anyone wishing to demonstrate their cosmopolitanism. Phenotypically speaking, ale brewers and ale drinkers are similar (tattoos, beards, t-shirts bearing cryptic prints and, in extreme cases: plug earrings). Dunkel’s are smooth, rich and complex, without being too heavy or heady. There are many varieties of the Dunkel beer. Below, are some of the top rated Dunkel’s you should try: Weißbier – Also known as Weizenbier, this is the German term for wheat beer, a type of top-fermented beer which, as the name suggests, is made with a greater proportion of wheat to hops. Within this category are filtered varieties such as Kristallweizen and cloudier, unfiltered styles such as Hefeweizen, among others. Are there lighter options available? At one time, all beer would have been dark and rather murky because of an incomplete understanding of the process of making beer and primitive kilning technology.

Dunkel – This catch-all term refers to a variety of German dark lagers. Dark lagers, as opposed to pale lagers, are usually made with darker malts or roasted grains and have maltier flavours than pale lagers. Notes of chocolate, caramel and the like are not uncommon. Not to be confused with dunkel lager, dunkelweizen is an unfiltered ale, brewed with a very high percentage of wheat. What Is The History Of Dunkelweizen?