The Kostritzer Brewery was founded in 1543 as the house brewery of a popular inn in the town of Bad Kostritz in eastern Germany. The brewery produced a unique "black beer" that quickly became popular in the surrounding province of Thuringia and was eventually exported in casks throughout the German states. The beer they produced stood on the shoulders of a longer brewing tradition: town records indicate that the recipe and techniques for brewing schwarzbier existed for at least 50 years prior to the opening of the Kostritzer brewery.
As if a heritage that dates to before the voyages of Columbus weren't enough, Kostritzer has woven its way through modern German history. As every article about the brewery will tell you, Kostritzer was the preferred drink of the writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), who is said to have consumed it daily while thinking deep thoughts and composing such masterpieces as Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther. In 1806 the owners of the brewery, noblemen of the Reuss family, became connected with German royalty; Kostritzer was then known as the "Princely Brewery." The Kostritzer brand is currently owned by the Bitburger Brewery Group, which produces several distinctive German classics including Bitburger Premium and Konig Pils. Like most German beers, Kostritzer is still brewed according to the strictures of the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian purity law of 1516 which states, among other things, that beer may only contain three ingredients: water, hops, and barley (the law wasn't officially repealed until the 1980s).
I first tried Kostritzer at a German restaurant about five years ago and was instantly hooked. I spent the next few months checking for it at every specialty beer store I knew of, but to no avail. I was only able to find it at that one restaurant and one or two enlightened watering holes. Over the past couple years, however, Kostritzer seems to have made some inroads in these United States (at least on the east coast). I've seen it in several specialty stores (including Total Wine) and at least one supermarket. It's still relatively hard to find, but hopefully you'll come across it if you spend enough time browsing your local beer supplier.
I love how insanely well-balanced this brew is. It's not as jet black as its name implies - more of a warm, coppery-black - and is brilliantly clear. It's rich and malty without an overly sweet "caramel" flavor. It gives you a tinge of bitterness while leaving almost no hop flavor. It is a true lager with an ultra-clean, crisp finish, yet it's not as assertive or alcoholic as other traditional dark lagers like bock or Oktoberfest. And it has absolutely nothing in common with your dark ales (stout, porter, brown ale, etc.) save its color. It goes down as easy and refreshing as any light continental pilsner and you certainly won't get that "full" feeling that some complain about after drinking a Guinness or what have you.
Nowadays there are a few German breweries who produce a schwarzbier, though Kostritzer remains the archetype of the style in Europe and abroad. In terms of American microbrews, there really aren't very many options available. Shiner Bohemian Black Lager is a solid American approximation of the style from a brewery that has built its fortunes on producing dark, German-style lagers (think a smoother, less full-bodied version of Shiner Bock). Sam Adams Black Lager is also pretty good. However, neither of these can really be considered microbrews and I'm sure beer snobs would rather funnel a Natty Light than be caught drinking a Shiner or Sam Adams. But the schwarzbier style hasn't really caught on with independent craft breweries. I imagine this is due in large part to the relatively small percentage of microbreweries who attempt to brew lagers of any kind, much less a fairly obscure style as schwarzbier, focusing their attention instead on English-style ales. (More - much more - on this subject to come in later posts.) I've read good things about Sprecher Black Bavarian out of the Sprecher Brewing Co. in Wisconsin, but have never personally come across this brand. There is also a Brazilian beer called Xingu that describes itself as a schwarzbier. It's a good brew, but much maltier and sweeter than Kostritzer.
After 468 years of existence, Kostritzer remains a truly unique brew that is still somewhat under the radar in the U.S. It really is very different than other dark beers you may be used to and is well worth a try.
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