Looking for a tasty dark, low gravity session brew.

[Rbeckett]

Like the title says, I am looking for a recomendation for a very tasty lower alcohol recomendation. I can do five gallon AG batches as well as extract and partials so I am unlimited by my equipment. I lived in Germany for several years and made several trips to Belgium and Amsterdam and would like to find a clone or close cousin to some of the darks I stumbled on in the Black Forest region of FRG. Any recomendations for a recipe that follows the taste profile of a lighter alcohol dark brew. I assume it will probably have to be a Lager and will require a good bit of ageing, but I have plenty of room and time so that is a non issue. Really I am interested in creating a true to style session or daily drinker kind of brew. If you have or know of a recipe that focuses on the heady, smoother drinking dark, please post or forward your best recomendation. Thanks in advance for the help and support.
Wheelchair Bob

 

[dougdecinces]

What you're describing sounds like a schwarzbier.

I plan on making one in the next few weeks. Pretty much every recipe I've read has a blend of Pilsner and Munich as the base malt and then about 6-10% roast malt. Hopping should be moderate. And forget about lengthy aging. I believe Yooper says one week of lagering/8 gravity points, so a 1.045 OG schwarzbier would only need to lager for 5 1/2 weeks. Not long by any means.

 

[Yooper]

If you want to do an English ale, I'd suggest a mild. They are fantastic session beers, and one of my favorite styles. Totally different than a schwartzbier, of course, but something just as drinkable.

 

[Xpertskir]

Dunkleweiss, or a stout could both fit your bill as well. The stout will likely take a while to taste good, as the flavorful dark malts wont have much malt backbone to mellow them. So time will be needed to smooth the acridness.

 

[BradleyBrew]

250 BYO clone magazine. Dbl Stout by Hook Norton Brewery. 4.8%. I went from grain to glass in less then 3 weeks. Kegged it and its amazing. Tons of flavor considering the abv is less than 5%.