Dark lagers

The two basic types of beers are ales and lagers. ale yeasts prefer warmer temperatures and are considered “top fermenting” based on the location of the fermentation activity in a fermentation tank.

Lager is the most common type of beer in the world. The bottom-fermented techniques used to brew it result in a crisp, refreshing beer, though it's a surprisingly diverse group. Lagers utilize yeast that work at cooler temperatures.

Both ales and lagers can be light or dark. The color of beer comes from the different levels of toasting or malting on the grains used to brew the beer.

In the late nineteenth century, German brewers started brewing the Marzen, or Oktoberfest style of beer which quickly became more popular than the Vienna Lager. 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.

German brewers also created a dark, rich lager known as the Munich Dunkel which is still popular in Bavaria and through many parts of the world today. In German, Dunkel is German for "dark" and it's a classic pub beer from Bavaria, specifically the Munich area. Some form of Dunkel was probably first brewed by the Benedictine monks’ who established the settlement of Munich in the middle of the 12th century,

The original lager style, it's made with dark roasted malts with a red-tinted color from amber to mahogany. Munich Dunkels are typically dark brown beers that are heavy on malt flavors (sweet), in part because of the moderately carbonate water in the Munich area. Dark lagers range in color from dark brown to black and range in alcohol from 4.5-5.5%.

The color in beer is imparted by the malt bill—and in the case of certain recipes, additives like fruits, spices, and other random ingredients—and has nothing to do with the yeast being used.

Their malty richness and pleasant, sweet flavors also tend to pair well with a variety of foods. Most of them are also strong enough in flavor to stand up to spicy dishes, barbecue and other flavorful foods.
Dark lagers