What does dark beer taste like?

[Hulk]

What does dark brown beer or maybe even black beer taste like? Not really a fan of beer as I only drink to get wasted and I prefer something sweet like a vodka cruiser that comes in fruity flavors. I have tasted light beers, you know the yellow colored ones but haven't tasted the darker selection. What does it taste like and why is darker in color than regular beers?

[iNow]

Depends on what ingredients were used, what process, whether or not it was aged. Your question is too vague, a bit like asking what does brown meat taste like. 

[Sensei]

49 minutes ago, Hulk said:

why is darker in color than regular beers?

Some answers you will find on Wikipedia pages:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_(beer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout

 

[Ten oz]

@Hulk, how dare you disrespect beer with your vague color coded descriptions. All beer is delicious. What is your main problem!  Any beer can be darker or lighter depending on the type of fermentables used to make it. Most commonly Lagers and Pilsners lighter in color and made with yeast that ferments at cooler temperatures.  Here is the states Lagers are made incorporating cheaper grains like rice and corn and are meant to be consumed cold. At room temp the flavors of the cheaper grains are more noticeable. Ales run the spectrum. They can be very light in color as commonly seen in Belgian styled Ales or very dark in color as commonly seen in Porters. The grains, yeasts, and temp used to ferment all varies. Hefeweizen's can run light to brown too but are distinctly cloudy as they are unfiltered. Stouts are nearly all ways very dark. They are made from grains which have been roasted to create flavor notes of things like nuts, chocolate, coffee, and etc. 

My guess is you have been drinking lagers. Moving from a lager to an Ale will take some adjustment as the alcohol percentages, hops, and use of flavored malts, all tend to be greater . A common (for your local area) Pale Ale is probably a good place to start as they tend to drink like slightly heavier lagers with a hit of seasonal fruit. If you simply want something to try with a dark color any Bock should do the job. I prefer Dopplebocks. I would recommend against Stouts for awhile as they are very heavy. Drinking stout can be like eating a meal. 

[John Cuthber]

What does dark beer taste like?

It tastes like beer.

[Itoero]

Dark beer is often called Brown ale.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_ale#See_also

The beer is often more 'heavy', it contains more alcohol then blonde beer.(the ones I drank anyway) The flavour was a mix of  beer hop + herbs/fruit/nuts/caramel/chocolate. The yeast which is used also can decide the flavour.

I drank a massive amount of beer as a student  . I was student in Leuven. There is sometimes a smell of bitter yeast in Leuven due to Stella Artois.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Artois

One of my favorite beers is a brown beer with a good amount of hop and cherry.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Itoero

[iNow]

26 minutes ago, Itoero said:

Dark beer is often called Brown ale

Dark ales are called brown ales, but not dark beer in general. 

[studiot]

47 minutes ago, Itoero said:

I drank a massive amount of beer as a student

Coming from the South I first went to uni in the English Midlands (in the 1960s) where South meets North.

There I was introduced to Newcastle Brown (from the North) at the 'freshers fair' and after a bevy or three I went round the fair to see what clubs I could join.

I came across the trampolining club, with equipment set out to catch freshers.

I bounced up and down on said tramp going on stone cold sober.

Then I jumped off - drunk as a Lord.

Bend your ...............legs they shouted.

I swear the whole hall shook when I shock landed.

 

Hulk

The moral of this is that you would like Newcastle Brown, of all the dark beers because it is very sweet.

Most dark beers are quite bitter.

Edited September 15, 2018 by studiot

[OldChemE]

Most all beer is wonderful.  To really enjoy the spectrum you need to compare.  Years ago I lived in Switzerland and traveled in Europe quite a bit.  While my family collected souveniers I collected local beer (never took any home).  Every little town we stopped in I would have beer with my lunch.  I would always ask our server if there was a popular local beer-- and if so I would order that one.  The only beer I ever found that was a little unsettling was in a fishing village in Norway.  The local fisherman's favorite was distinctly fishy tasting.  In the town we lived in there was a local brewery that would deliver three cases of beer to me whenever I ordered:  1 case of Sternbrau, one case of Drei Konigs, and one case of Hexenbrau (in order, pale, dark, and strongly dark-- higher alcohol content).  I kept the cases un-refrigerated in the garage and would pick one out each day when I got home from work.  Beer heaven!

[iNow]

I’m drinking a local craft brew right now. Dark. Was just released this morning. 

Its a double milk stout brewed with fresh maple, pecans, and pecan pie. 

Last night I had another local craft beer. Also dark. Was a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with vanilla beans. 

Theres a local porter I like where they put cookies in it. It’s called Oreo Speedwagon. 

I’ve got a few in my fridge that were aged in apple brandy barrels, others in cognac barrels, some with coffee and espresso added, others with chocolate, some with cinnamon, a few with dark cherries, one with marshmallows and graham crackers like s’mores  

Even the exact same beer tastes differently when poured from a tap than when poured from a bottle, or when cold versus when warm, or when nitrogen is used for smaller bubbles and mouthfeel versus the standard carbonization. 

Now, when you ask me “what does dark beer taste like,” you can hopefully understand why I say that it depends.

[John Cuthber]

12 hours ago, iNow said:

Now, when you ask me “what does dark beer taste like,” you can hopefully understand why I say that it depends.

It still tastes like beer.

Of course, if you were in the US 10 years ago it would (famously) have tasted like "making love in a canoe".

[iNow]

30 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

in the US 10 years ago it would (famously) have tasted like "making love in a canoe".

Fortunately, that situation has improved quite a bit. Most of mine don’t tend to dip below 7% ABV, and while some regions are more fortunate with choices and available selections than others, it’s really getting pretty great overall.  

[MigL]

What is wrong with you guys...

If you want 'flavor', drink a good bourbon, brandy or scotch.
Beer, on the other hand, needs to be crisp and refreshing.
German style lagers like Stella, Heineken or Kronenberg brewed in Europe, or even other parts of the world like China's Tsing Tao or Australia's Fosters, are great thirst quenching patio drinks.

First time I tried Guinness, over 35 yrs ago, they served it warm, and I hated it.
These days, its available in cans, and when refrigerated it is quite crisp, light and refreshing.

If you're having a burger or chicken wings ( or fish and chips for you Brits ) it has to be beer; and if the chicken wings are hot, it definitely needs to be refreshing. But you can also 'pair' different style beers with different foods/meals as their flavors complement each other ( as they do with wines ).
 

[OldChemE]

You can get much more of an appreciation (good or bad) of the taste by drinking beer at room temperature.  Chilling tends to hide some of the flavor.

As for Guinness-- definitely a good one.

slightly off topic:  In 1977 or so I was at a outdoor party in Switzerland with a lot of British, American and other mostly English speakers celebrating the Queen's Jubilee.  The beer booth consisted of a stand in the soccer filed with all the beer sitting in cases on the grass (not chilled).  The man selling the beer was English.  So, when he asked me what I wanted I said "any good English beer."  At that point an Irish voice came from over my shoulder: "There isn't any!  Have a Guinness."  I later learned there are many excellent English Brews-- but that day it was Guinness.

[John Cuthber]

3 hours ago, MigL said:

If you want 'flavor', drink a good bourbon, brandy or scotch.

I presume you have lumped the Calvados in with the brandy.

[Sensei]

3 hours ago, MigL said:

What is wrong with you guys...

If you want 'flavor', drink a good bourbon, brandy or scotch.

Whisky is distilled beer.. and aged in post-wine barrels..

 

3 hours ago, MigL said:

If you're having a burger or chicken wings ( or fish and chips for you Brits ) it has to be beer; and if the chicken wings are hot, it definitely needs to be refreshing. But you can also 'pair' different style beers with different foods/meals as their flavors complement each other ( as they do with wines ).

Jews call it "kosher".. don't mix mismatching ingredients.. (because it can cause stomach issues) (orthodox turned it to absurdist level..)

 

[MigL]

My favorite is brandy ( or cognac/armgnac, even distilled from fruit like apples/pears as is Calvados, John )

Scotch ( smooth not 'peaty' ) and corm mash whiskey I can drink, but I detest rye whiskey.
Even more so after Saturday night, a double 'stag' for two co-workers. Had to drink rye whiskey, got polluted, Threw axes competitively, ended up in bars where I was wand-ed and frisked ( by a woman ) for guns and Hell's Angels provided security, and didn't get home till 4:15 in the morning.
Definitely no way for someone approaching 60 to act.
And I blame it on the rye.

[John Cuthber]

14 hours ago, Sensei said:

Jews call it "kosher".. don't mix mismatching ingredients..

I'm not sure Kosher makes that much sense.

Ask anyone who likes cheeseburgers or lasagna or.. well lots of stuff.
The usual proscription of milk and meat is that it's forbidden by the Book.

Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

 

2 hours ago, MigL said:

Threw axes competitively,

Who won?

14 hours ago, Sensei said:

Whisky is distilled beer.. and aged in post-wine barrels

And before it picks up the flavours from the barrels (etc) it tastes awful.