Dunkel Beers A Treat For A Winter's Night

Usually beer is reserved for the Summer. There's nothing like a cold brewski with a barbecue or a shared pizza on the deck. yet winter calls for it too. Dunkel beers or dark beers are perfect for this time o year.They are hearty and a complex blend of flavors - not unlike winter dishes. They are the perfect chill chasers

IN the New York Times Wednesday's Dining section Eric Asimov explains this brew. Dunkel is from the German word for dark. These beers have a chocolate color as opposed to a light golden one. The taste also has cocoa overtones thanks to a special caramelizing technique called decoction. Mr. Asimov tested several from Austria and Germany however there are some American brews that are also very good. He gave three stars to one out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin called Lakefront Eastside Dark and also to the Saranac Black Forest brewed in Utica , New York.

What goes with Dunkel beer? Not surprisingly rye breads and hearty meats. there is an extra recipe from another Times contributor Florence Fabricant. It is a mash of borlotti beans along with pastrami and various spices and mustards. I can also see Dunkels being served with hearty fresh off the bone ham and pork sandwiches on mustard slathered pumpernickel or rye bread.Dunkel beers are probably very good with sauerbraten too during these cold nights.

For an interesting variation try Dunkel beers. They are hearty and flavorful. Perfect for these chilly, snowy nights when the landscape resembles the Bavarian or Austrian Alps!