Product of the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX, this is a beautiful, ebony lager ($7.99 for a sixpack at my Bevmo) in the Schwarzbier tradition. It pours black with a bubbly tan head that leaves light lacing. The nose is full of molasses, licorice, coffee and darkly roasted malts.

But don't let the nose fool you. This is a lager, not a stout. The mouthfeel is refreshing and surprisingly light, with some back-of-the-mouth spicy/carbonation tingle and hop sharpness from Czech Saaz (the classic pilsner hop) and Styrian hops (known as Fuggles domestically and in England where it is used liberally, but Slovenian-sourced Styrian Goldings in Europe), followed with a long, softening, malty finish. My first impression was that it was thinner tasting than the aroma would have led me to expect, but the beer was too cold. If you let it warm up to cellar temperature, however, you will be rewarded with a lot more flavor.

The German Beer Institute (see link above) sez:

In a glass, Schwarzbier looks much like a British dark ale, but looks can be deceiving. Schwarzbier, unlike a British ale, has a clean lager taste that leaves next to no perception of fruitiness on the palate. Instead, Schwarzbier produces very mild, almost bittersweet, notes of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Like most traditional German lagers, Schwarzbier has a malty middle, but the sweetness is never cloying or overpowering. The beer is moderately to well attenuated and the finish tends to be dry. Its alcohol level by volume is in the range of 4.5 to 5%, rarely higher. To accentuate the Schwarzbier's dark elegance and appealing head, always serve it in a tall, fluted or tulip-shaped glass.

Schwarzbier is to lager what stout or porter is to ale. Essentially, it is a darker version of the Dunkel. This is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to understand the true nature of this beer style. The Schwarzbier style originated in southern and southeastern Germany.

So sue me. I don't actually have any tall, fluted beer glasses, so mine went in a regular ol' pint glass (scandalous, I know; something I need to rectify).

Anyway, as you can see, I chose this beer to accompany dry-rubbed, barbecue pork ribs*.

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

I was pleasantly surprised by this beer, as I am not a huge fan of Shiner Bock (although I love bocks). It was a very respectable rendition of the style. Not in Köstritzer's league, and not the best of the style I've had from American brewers. But a fine beer well worth a try.

*Culinary note: [I know this is Banjo's turf, but, hey, a man's gotta eat even when Banjo isn't On the Grill] I am fundamentally opposed to baby-back ribs at home. I love rib tips and I enjoy the skirt meat as well, so I always by a full rack of regular spareribs and trim them myself (on sale for dirt cheap this week at my grocery store). Remember: Know Your Rack.

I trimmed the ribs and rubbed everything with my own "secret rub" (don't ask for the recipe, since I make it up on the fly every time; basically, just start with one of Steve Raichlen's basic rub recipes and modify as you see fit). I use a rib rack, which keeps the ribs vertical, exposing all sides to smoke and, I think, making for more even cooking. On to the Weber over a drip pan, indirect heat with a handful of soaked hickory chips on each side. I rotate the rib rack every half hour or so and add extra coals and more hickory chips at about 1:30. At 2 hours I remove the ribs to a big sheet of heavy-duty foil, wrap 'em up and return to the grill for another 15 minutes or so. This helps prevent the ribs from drying out. Off the grill for a short rest before serving.

These were served with a green salad (as a tide-the-boy-over course, since I didn't get the ribs on the grill until 6:00, which meant we wouldn't eat them until 8:30 or so) and a side of couscous salad (couscous, vinaigrette, grated zucchini, grated cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes).