Dunkel: A refreshing dark lager

While Americans have grown savvy about many beer styles, the term “dunkel” still mystifies, said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. The word means “dark” in German, and in brewing it refers to a dark lager from Bavaria. There are many other dark lagers around—bock and Märzen, to name two. The distinctions aren’t always clear, but generally what sets a dunkel apart is that it’s designed to refresh. The best—like the three below—are lively, with “malty flavors of toffee and chocolate.”

Gösser Dark, Austria

The “best example of the dunkel style,” this Austrian beer has an “aroma of dark coffee,” a “delicate texture,” and a depth that “lingered.”

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Lakefront Eastside Dark, Milwaukee

This smooth, refreshing brew has “aromas of coffee and hazelnuts.”

Ettaler Kloster Dunkel, Germany

With aromas of “toffee and chocolate,” this dunkel has a nice balance of “sweet malt flavors with an undercurrent of hop bitterness.”