Black Beer Demystified

There is a common conception that dark beers are “heavy” and more alcoholic.

To help the average consumer appreciate the difference between a Premium Lager such as a Miller Genuine Draft or Michelob and a dark lager such as a Sapporo Black, or any dunkel style, I will start with a statistical comparison. Then I will discuss the similarities and the differences.


Premium Lager
O.G. 1.046-56
F.G. 1.008-12
ABV% 4.7-6.0
IBU 15-25
SRM 2-6

Schwarz bier
O.G. 1.046-52
F.G. 1.010-16
ABV% 4.4-5.4
IBU 22-32
SRM 17>

O.G (original gravity) this refers to the amount of sugar available to the yeast to be converted. It is measured by using a hydrometer. It a similar to measuring specific gravity.

F.G (final gravity) this tells us how much of the sugar has been converted. The difference in O.G and F.G determines the amount of alcohol in a beer. It also tells us how much residual sugar is available in the beer.

Residual sugar can give the feeling of fullness of “heaviness”. In the case of these two beers, the percentage of attenuation is high. Beers attenuated below 1015 –1010 fall below the threshold of perceiving sweetness in flavor. These two beers are very well attenuated.
Granted brewers are not going to post or label beers with O.G and F.G. This information is for the purpose helping to appreciate the similarities of the beer

ABV (alcohol by volume) The biggest similarity lies in the alcohol. Both beers are pretty close. In fact a black lager can have a lower amount of alcohol than a Premium Lager.

IBU (international bittering units) this is an indication of how bitter a beer is. Bittering beer is necessary to balance the sweet malted barley used to make beer. Bittering comes from hops, which also adds to the aroma and flavor profile of a beer. Pilsners can be bitterer than a black lager.

SRM (standard reference method) this is a scale used to determine color in beer. A Light lager can be as pale as a 2-3. An Oktoberfest can be 7-14. An SRM of 17 would put a beer at a similar color as a Michelob Dark. Colors darker than that would be similar to a porter or a stout.

Here is the kicker. The amountof kilned and roasted malt used to make the difference in color is less than 4 percent of the recipe! Kilned and roasted malts of this color provide very little in the way of alcohol content or carbohydrates. It requires a small amount of kilned and roasted barley to make a difference in color, flavor and aroma that are enjoyed in these styles of beer.

Take your next opportunity to try a black lager or a dark lager. You can have the knowledge that you are drinking a beer that is the same or less volume of alcohol as some of the average beers. You also know that it is not a heavier in calories that the other beers; it may actually be lighter. While others are drinking a pale beer you can enjoy the variety of appearance, aroma, and flavor that a dark lager has to offer.

The next time you hear the comment “ Dark beers are heavy” or “Dark beers are too alcoholic” you will be empowered with the facts and help to demystify dark beer and help others to enjoy dark lagers for what they have to offer; great taste, less filling.


It is interesting to note that studies have shown that the darker the roast on the barley the more anti-oxidant properties it contains. The following is a link to the National Center for Biotechnology Information and contains an abstract on the subject. It is one of several that can be found. This one is in English.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16190672