1001 Beers

Beer No: 23/1001
Page No: 636
Category: Dark

The second of the two Sprecher beers in the book, this Black Bavarian is a dark, velvety, malty delight.  I'm usually not a fan of the heavily malted beers that this one was modeled after (e.g. Paulaner Salvator), but this interpretation of a German Schwarzbier balances the malts well with a nice addition of hops.  The chocolate and roasted malt flavors linger after you're done drinking and I was pleasantly surprised by this beer.

I've got just a couple of beers left in the fridge and both are porters, neither of which will go that well with the homemade pizza that is about to be put into the oven.  I think I might go with a second beer from the 1001 today as I'm fairly certain I've got a Pizza Port Hop 15 chilling in my secondary fridge.  There's just something about hops that go well with pizza.  Maybe it's the bready/yeasty crust that balances well with the bitterness of the hops, or maybe I've just grown used to hoppy beers with pizza.  Either way, here's a quick recipe for your own pizza dough.

This recipe is from the awesome My Bread by Jim Lahey.  If you want to start making your own bread, this is the way to go.  No kneading required and I get a perfect loaf every time and the pizza dough is just as easy to make and turns out perfectly.

Enough for 2 13x18 inch pies.

3 3/4 cups bread flour (500g)
2 1/2 tsp instant or other active dry yeast (10g)
3/4 tsp table salt (5g)
3/4 tsp plus a pinch of sugar (~3g)
1 1/3 cups room temp (~72 degrees F) water (300g)
Extra virgin olive oil for the pans

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.  Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds.  Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Oil two 13x18 inch rimmed baking sheets.  Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape half the dough onto an oiled pan in one piece.  Gently pull and stretch the dough across the surface of the pan, and use your hands to press it evenly out to the edges.  If the dough sticks to your fingers, lightly dust it with flour or coat your hands with oil.  Pinch any holes together.  Repeat with the second piece or refrigerate in an oiled plastic bag for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 30 days.

Top however you like.  Bake 25-30 minutes at 500 degrees F (I actually bake 20-25 usually or it burns a bit - just depends on your oven).  I also am trying right now to substitute the pans for a pizza stone I have placed in the oven.  We'll see how that turns out tomorrow.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Sprecher Black Bavarian from Sprecher Brewing Company

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.6 / 5.0

Pours dark black with a tan head that disappears quickly. A slight ring lingered around the edge, but for the most part, a creamy beer with little carbonation. Aroma is roasted coffee with hints of chocolate, and not as much smokiness as I was expecting. It’s got just the right amount of hops to balance the heavy malts and the chocolate/roasted malt flavors are delightful. Not as heavy as a porter or stout, this creamy schwarzbier delivers.