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Helles, Dunkel, Schwarzbier - three Bavarian lagers from pale to black

Germany is famous for lagers, and three classic styles arrange themselves into a beautiful axis of colour: from pale, through dark, to almost black. They are Helles, Dunkel and Schwarzbier - three Bavarian (and German) lagers, set apart mainly by the malt and the colour, and joined by the same clean lager base. Helles is pale and malty-mild, Dunkel dark and bready-caramel, and Schwarzbier black, with a note of roast, but contrary to appearances not bitter or burnt. It is a great example of how the choice of malt alone paints a beer in different colours and flavours. Here is a guide to these three lagers: where their colours come from, how they differ in flavour and how to recognise them in the mug.

A shared base: clean lager

Before we move to the differences, it is worth stressing what joins the three: they are lagers. All three ferment cold, with bottom-fermenting yeast, which gives a clean, neutral yeast profile with no fruity esters. All are also usually moderately hopped, with malt in the leading role. This means the difference between them lies not in the yeast or the hops, but almost solely in the malt - its kind and the amount of dark varieties. This is why the three are best understood as one clean lager skeleton painted in three different colours by malt. It is elegant in its simplicity: the same base, three faces. Understanding that they are joined by their clean lager nature and set apart by malt is the key to the rest. We cover the division of beers more in lagers and ales. We cover the role of malt and colour more in dark beers.

Helles: pale and malty

Helles (German for pale) is the palest of the three and the beloved lager of Munich. It is a bottom-fermenting beer of a pale gold colour, a clearly malty profile and low bitterness, usually with about 4.5 percent alcohol. Unlike the sharp, hoppy pilsner, Helles bets on gentle maltiness: a clean, bready, slightly sweet flavour of grain, with hops only delicately balancing the whole. It is an exceptionally drinkable, refreshing beer, but warm and round in its malty character. It arose as the Bavarian answer to the Czech pilsner - a paler beer, but less bitter, more focused on malt than hops. Helles is the model of a gentle, malty lager, the everyday beer of Bavaria. The pale colour here announces delicacy, not sharpness. It is the lightest end of our axis of colour.

Dunkel: dark and bready

Dunkel (German for dark) is historically the first, traditional lager of Munich, popular throughout Bavaria for centuries. It has a colour from amber to dark, reddish-brown, and a smooth, malty flavour. Its colour and character come from Munich malt - a dark, bready malt, rich but light, with notes of bread and toast, often also nuts, caramel and chocolate. It is these malty notes that define Dunkel: warm, bready-caramel, gentle and balanced, with no sharp bitterness. Despite its dark colour Dunkel is not heavy or burnt - it is rather a round, soothing beer with a bready soul. It is a good example of how Munich malt alone builds colour and depth without roasted grains. Dunkel is the golden middle of our axis: dark, but gentle, malty without roast. We cover malty notes more in the Maillard reaction.

Schwarzbier: black, but not burnt

Schwarzbier (German for black beer) is the darkest of the three, of a deep, almost black colour. Here appears the key surprise: despite its black colour Schwarzbier is not heavy, sweet or burnt. Compared with Dunkel it is darker, but at the same time drier on the palate and with a note of roasted malt - though not an excessive one. It is the only one of the dark lagers with a clearly, if moderately, roasted character, with notes of coffee, chocolate, toffee, sometimes caramel. It is also often a little more bitter than Helles and Dunkel, but never burnt or heavy. This beer proves that a black colour need not mean density or burnt bitterness - Schwarzbier is surprisingly light and drinkable for its colour. It is the black end of our axis: roasted, dry, but still a clean and airy lager.

A table: three lagers

Let us gather the three in one place:

The table shows the axis of colour and flavour: from the pale, malty Helles, through the bready Dunkel, to the roasted, dry Schwarzbier. The darker the malt, the deeper the notes, but all remain clean, drinkable lagers.

Where the differences come from

The whole difference between the three comes down to malt, and specifically to how strongly it was dried and roasted. Helles uses mainly pale malt, giving a pale colour and a delicate, grainy flavour. Dunkel draws its colour and bready notes from Munich malt, darker but still not roasted. Schwarzbier adds a touch of heavily roasted malt, which gives the black colour and notes of coffee and chocolate, but in a dose moderate enough not to be burnt or bitter. This shows how the maltster paints a beer: the same yeast and similar hops, and the colour and flavour grow with the darkness of the malt. The Maillard reaction and the roasting of grains build the whole palette of colours and notes here. It is an elegant lesson that the colour of a beer is directly a promise of its malty character. We cover malting more in the Maillard reaction.

Why black does not mean strong

It is worth debunking a popular myth that Schwarzbier perfectly illustrates: a dark colour does not mean a heavy, strong or bitter beer. Schwarzbier is black as tar, and yet light, dry and drinkable, of moderate strength. The colour comes from a small amount of heavily roasted malt, which colours the beer dark but does not make it dense or strong. The same goes for Dunkel: dark, but gentle and balanced. The strength of the alcohol and the body of a beer depend on the amount of malt and the fermentation, not on the colour. This is why dark lagers should not be feared as supposedly heavy - they are often lighter and more refreshing than many a pale beer. It is one of the most common beer myths, and the Bavarian dark lagers are its best refutation. A black colour is the flavour of malt, not a measure of strength. We cover this myth more in dark beers.

How to recognise them in the mug

The three are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. Helles: pale gold colour, clean, gentle, slightly sweet flavour of grain and bread, low bitterness - a delicate and refreshing beer. Dunkel: amber-brown colour, smooth flavour of bread, toast, caramel and nuts, with no roast - dark, but warm and round. Schwarzbier: almost black colour, notes of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate, drier and a little more bitter, but still light and clean. It is best to taste them side by side, going along the axis of colour: you will feel how the malty profile deepens with the colour, from the delicate Helles to the roasted Schwarzbier. It is a great exercise showing the role of malt alone. Over time you will recognise each of them by colour and the first sip. We cover German and Bavarian beers more in Oktoberfest beers.

The essentials in brief

Let us gather it up. Helles, Dunkel and Schwarzbier are three Bavarian lagers with a shared, clean lager base, set apart almost solely by malt and colour. Helles is the palest: pale gold, malty, bready, gentle, low bitterness, the beloved beer of Munich. Dunkel is dark: amber-brown, from Munich malt, with notes of bread, toast, caramel and nuts, smooth and without roast. Schwarzbier is black: with a touch of heavily roasted malt, with notes of coffee and chocolate, roasted and drier, but surprisingly light and not burnt. The whole difference is malt: the darker, the deeper the notes, but all remain clean, drinkable lagers. A black colour does not mean a heavy beer. Now you know how to tell these three classic German lagers apart.

Note every beer in GustoNote - including the style and the malty notes you sense. Over time you will start to recognise Helles, Dunkel and Schwarzbier by colour and flavour.