1970s "Dark" Beer?

[easttex]

I've seen vintage pull-tab cans of Pabst Bock in various places. I assume that would suffice as a "period correct" dark beer?

 

[kevin58]

It was a dark beer I had in the 1970s that led me to homebrewing. Somewhere between 1976 and 1979 while hanging out in the pubs and arcades of Ann Arbor, Michigan a group of us stopped into a pizza joint called Bimbo's and someone ordered a couple pitchers of beer. It was a brown ale which was foreign to me at the time but tasted great. I never found out what it was and many years later when craft beer started creeping into the landscape I would try to find something like what we had at Bimbo's. Having no luck I kicked off my homebrew hobby in an attempt to recreate that mysterious brown ale.

 

[InspectorJon]

I remember taking a liking to dark beer in high school, early to mid ‘70s. San Francisco Bay Area. Heineken, Lowenbrau and San Miguel all made dark beer. I wondered why nobody in America made such a thing. Then we discovered Anchor Steam. It was an epiphany. Besides the standard steam beer they made a porter that I still like today.

 

[pvpeacock]

Lowenbrau Dark (when it still came from Germany and not from Azusa, CA)
St. Pauli Girl Dark
Heineken Dark
Carlsberg Dark

 

[bracconiere]

they didn't sell modelo in the 70's?

 

[sibelman]

Dark meant various things to different people back then. American light lager was so synonymous with "beer" that some waitrons believed that anything amber was "dark".

 

[InspectorJon]

And then there was Carlsberg Elephant . . .

 

[Gusso]

In the 70's, A local Philadelphia brewery (Schmidt's) would have a Bock beer in the Spring.

 

[MicroMickey]

Perhaps it was Michelob Classic Dark beer. Michelob has since retired this beer.

 

[kivabrewer]

Lone Star dark at college pizza parlors, College Station, Texas, 1972+. Great stuff

 

[rhorwitz]

I remember taking a liking to dark beer in high school, early to mid ‘70s. San Francisco Bay Area. Heineken, Lowenbrau and San Miguel all made dark beer. I wondered why nobody in America made such a thing. Then we discovered Anchor Steam. It was an epiphany. Besides the standard steam beer they made a porter that I still like today.

Jon,
I grew up in the SF bay area too (Santa Clara Valley) and the mentioned beers provoke found memories. Heineken dark was my favorite, but alas they stopped making it. PBR- used to offer a dark Bock beer that they would release every fall. As kids we were told that this beer was bottled from the bottom of the vats, which they cleaned annually in the fall, hence the dark and rich taste. We were gullible back then.

 

[rhorwitz]

And then there was Carlsberg Elephant . . .

Yes, the original skunk beer!

 

[madscientist451]

The Joy of Homebrewing book (1984) includes a recipe for an "American Bock" that might be similar to the 70's dark beers being discussed here.
Its on page 204 in my version of the book and named Purple Mountain Bock. It's an extract brew with steeping grains: malted barley, chocolate malt and crystal malt. The instructions call for the malted barley to be toasted in the oven for 10 minutes.
The OG is supposed to be 1.038 to 1.040 and the FG 1.008 to 1.012 so that would give an ABV of just under 4%, which I guess was about average for the 70's?
Looks interesting, while still simple and I'm on a low ABV trend these days, so I might try it.
Any other 70's dark beer recipes out there?

 

[pvpeacock]

 

[ba-brewer]

I was a "Dark Beer" drinking in the late 70's early 80's, Michelob Dark was the first one I think. From vague past memories I would say it was probably just a normal lager with carmel color. In the british recipe thread someone made a comment that if you add enough carmel coloring to change the color of a beer then it would also add noticable flavor. Seeing how dark those beers were maybe that is why it seemed different.

I grew up in the upper midwest so not many choices back then but I do recall drinking a dark beer from Leinenkugel as well. The propaganda for their current version sounds like it is more than just a carmel colored lager don't know if it was always that ways.

I don't recall drinking any Bock beers back then but I do remember people saying/thinking Bock beer was stronger because it taken from the bottom of the fermentor or something like that.

 

[Jayjay1976]

It was Lowenbrau dark for me at Shakey's Pizza circa 1975. Likewise, I did not initially take to Guinness stout, but I did like Bass Pale ale. Colt45 was my malt liquor of choice back then.

Damn I miss Shakey's. Specifically, their pizza, potato spuds, those little fried apple things, and a bowl of chocolate pudding with mysterious bits of other foods mixed in.

If I had a time machine, Shakey's ca. 1983 would be my first stop. But then I'd be out of plutonium and have to pump quarters into that rotating hen vending machine and hope it would lay an egg filled with yellow cake.

 

[bracconiere]

Bock beer was stronger because it taken from the bottom of the fermentor or something like that.

but with a gravity of 0.768 for ethanol...wouldn't it float if not miscible with water?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

This made me laugh.

 

[BigEd]

I remember visiting the Festhaus at Bush Gardens in Virginia back in the 70s and there was a beer they had there called Anheuser Bush Classic Dark, which a google search shows may have become Michelob Classic Dark. I’m wondering if it was that.

I was pretty young at the time and only had it the one time, but it wasn’t bad and good enough in fact that I remember that visit and the name some 40 odd years later.

View attachment 784142

Michelob Dark was the only AB beer that I ever bought for myself. In the days before the craft beer revolution I had been told that most of the dark beer produced by the mega and still-in-business regional breweries was pretty much one of their standard beers colored with Porterine. That was (might still be made) a dark adjunct syrup that added the color and a bit of flavor. Many of the breweries made a "special dark" that often was only available on tap at restaurants and bars. Where I was, in New England, Narragansett made a tap only dark beer and a bottled porter.

 

[bracconiere]

Porterine

i so had to google that to see if it was a real word!

 

[ba-brewer]

but with a gravity of 0.768 for ethanol...wouldn't it float if not miscible with water?

beats me I was still a kid then and had no brewing experience at that point, even now I had to google miscible.

 

[bracconiere]

even now I had to google miscible.

usually kids don't have to do that till big dope is trying to get them!

 

[Jayjay1976]

Michelob Dark was the only AB beer that I ever bought for myself. In the days before the craft beer revolution I had been told that most of the dark beer produced by the mega and still-in-business regional breweries was pretty much one of their standard beers colored with Porterine. That was (might still be made) a dark adjunct syrup that added the color and a bit of flavor. Many of the breweries made a "special dark" that often was only available on tap at restaurants and bars. Where I was, in New England, Narragansett made a tap only dark beer and a bottled porter.

Sounds like Sinamar, a Weyermann colorant product patented in 1902, so this tomfoolery goes back a ways.

 

[CleanEmUpIves]

Any other 70's dark beer recipes out there?

Not a recipe per se but various caramel colorings are available to color a base beer as opposed to the specialty grain route.

It would stand to reason that in addition to darkening beer these colorings would be the reason why some beers appear brighter in color.

Not sure of the percentage or amount needed for "caramel color" to be listed on ingredients labels.

Brewers Caramel is available from the UK. Not sure if any UK homebrew shops ship to the US.

https://homebrewoutlet.co.uk/shop/ols/products/brupaks-yeast-vit-nutrient
Various caramel colorings are available as samples from DD Williamson:

https://www.ddwcolor.com/
Request a sample of the desired color:

https://www.ddwcolor.com/colors/brown-natural-food-colors/
One would think a dark beer from coloring vs a dark beer from specialty grains would be easily distinguished by flavor but perhaps perception is reality.

 

[CleanEmUpIves]

I have an old homebrewing book "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy" by Dave Line (1978?).

IIRC it has several recipes for these "style" beers (Lowenbrau, etc...) and several of the recipes do use the Brewers Caramel.

IIRC it was a UK, Europe centric book w/ a few US beers in the mix.

I'll look some up and post back.

 

[CleanEmUpIves]

To my dismay there was no explicit American "Dark" beer recipes (that I noticed).

Most recipes in this book that use Brewers Caramel specify 1 - 2 tsp (5ml per teaspoon).

These are 1970's recipes with a different specification method and need to be "upgraded" as such.

My book has a Lowenbrau Light Blonde Special recipe.

To make it "dark" add an appropriate amount of Brewers Caramel.

For 4 gallons (my translation):

9 lbs. Crushed Lager Malt
3 oz. Crushed Crystal Malt
1 oz. Hallertau Hops ( 90 mins )
1.5 oz. Saaz Hops ( 90 mins )
.5 oz. Saaz Hops (15 mins - whirlpool)
Lager Yeast (Expected 1.015 FG)

Some of the recipes specifying Brewers Caramel explicitly are:

King & Barnes (Horsham)
Lion Ale (South Africa)
Barnsley Bitter (Barnsley)
Youngers (Edinburgh)
Mackeson (Whitbread)
Manns Brown Ale (Whatney Mann)
Whatney's Cream Label (Whatney Mann)
Harp Pilsner (Harp)
Long Life (Ind Coope Burton-On-Trent)

There may be more recipes in the book (that use brewers caramel) but the point is that caramel coloring can be used to darken a light beer although the light beer recipe may use a small amount of caramel/roast malt(s) to elevate the flavor (and match the color).

 

[leedspointbrew]

The Joy of Homebrewing book (1984) includes a recipe for an "American Bock" that might be similar to the 70's dark beers being discussed here.
Its on page 204 in my version of the book and named Purple Mountain Bock. It's an extract brew with steeping grains: malted barley, chocolate malt and crystal malt. The instructions call for the malted barley to be toasted in the oven for 10 minutes.
The OG is supposed to be 1.038 to 1.040 and the FG 1.008 to 1.012 so that would give an ABV of just under 4%, which I guess was about average for the 70's?
Looks interesting, while still simple and I'm on a low ABV trend these days, so I might try it.
Any other 70's dark beer recipes out there?

I'm interested in this recipe also, but don't have the Papazian book. Any chance you could post it?

 

[teddy4xp]

I remember Michelob Dark from the early 80's... Was that produced during the 1970's?

 

[Miraculix]

View attachment 784327

Wow, never heard of it before. Apparently, it's still being produced. Also the special dark version of it. It's being produced in the city I live in.

 

[greywolf]

Back then I bought the dark versions to satisfy my inner beer snob. We have better beers now, but, for the time they were the exotic choice. A Lowie Dark went particulary well with a steak.