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7/28/2016

Black Lager

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Black Lager a.k.a. Schwartzbier 
Of all the lagers we brew when we have the Bavarian lager yeast strain in house, the black lager is among the most interesting. It seamlessly combines two apparent opposites—rich roast malt notes and a clean refreshing character.


The Civil Life’s black lager is a very dark but refreshing traditional German style beer that is easy to drink at 4.6% A.B.V. We use a blend of Munich, pilsner, and pale malts along with a handful of deeply roasted malts. It’s both darker and dryer than our dunkel and has an especially rich roast malt character that combines chocolate with a deep earthy note approaching char. The finish is very dry and clean. This is a black beer you can drink in any weather.


The style is an old one, but for a while, it was not widely known. The most popular variety, Köstritzer, has been brewed since the 1500s. After the Second World War, the brewery was part of East Germany. When the wall came down in 1990, West Germans were reminded of this excellent beer and started drinking it in quantity again. That was something East and West could easily agree on. This refreshing beer was both roasty and clean at the same time. That was surely a model for reunification, with two apparently contradictory elements married in perfect harmony.


That beautiful balance is the key to the beer’s greatness. Perhaps noted German beer authority Horst Dornbusch says it best:


“The Schwazbier grain bill is composed of large quantities of Munich malt with sparing additions of the more high-temperature-kilned color and roasted malts. The resulting maltiness may be spicy but must never be acrid. Though a dark beer, the clean lager taste must always be evident.”


Prost, Herr Dornbusch! If you ever make it to Saint Louis, stop in to try our authentic German-style lagers; you won’t be disappointed.


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3 Comments
mike hines
7/28/2016 11:34:15 am

excellent post. interesting and informative as always

Reply
Sara
8/9/2016 05:53:08 pm

Hands down, my favorite go to beer in the Lou...always keeps me coming back for more to share with my friends and family!

Reply
Bill B link
7/13/2020 02:20:29 am

Dark beers always go down a treat!

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    The Civil Blog has returned.  It is predominantly authored by Civil Life Barman, Dr. Patrick Hurley, who can be found tending to our bar patrons on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  He is also responsible for tending to our draft lines, which is recognized as one of our most important tasks. Special guest writers will appear from time to time. We hope reading this blog will give you much insight about the Civil Life and most importantly help you understand a bit more about all of us that work here and the beers we put our hearts into.  

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Due to COVID19 our Pub will remain closed until further notice.  We are now selling direct out of our online store at https://civil-life-online.square.site/ Until then, please look for our beer at St. Louis retailers and grocery.   If you have any further questions please use the email link below.  Thank you. 

Pickups are Fridays and Saturdays 2 to 6  & Sundays from 2 to 5 pm.  Orders will be only taken on line and will be paid prior to pick up.  

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NO PHONE NUMBER.  
  • Due to our small inside pub space we currently do not feel we could be safe to open for our staff and customers.  We currently are hoping to get our patios re-modeled during this shutdown and are hoping for an outdoor only opening in late September or early October. Hopefully.
  • Until then OUR PUB IS SADLY CLOSED FOR THE TIME BEING DUE TO COVID19.   WE WILL RETURN AND PROSPER.

PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS!
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  •  Please access our online store by clicking the link above 
  • ​PLEASE ALSO LOOK FOR OUR BEER AT LOCAL RETAILERS
The Civil Life Brewing Co. 3714 Holt Ave. St. Louis, Mo 63116, USA, Planet Earth 
  • BEER TO GO
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