This is unchangingly a tough needle to thread, in terms of how much roast is too much or not enough. The small pale-chocolate malt wing should add a nice preliminaries roast character, and you can tinker from there to get it where you’d like it.

For increasingly on brewing schwarzbier, see how to Make Your Best.

ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.012
IBUs: 30
ABV: 5%

MALT/GRAIN BILL
4 lb (1.8 kg) Munich
4 lb (1.8 kg) Maris Otter
8 oz (227 g) British crystal 45L
8 oz (227 g) stake chocolate malt
4 oz (113 g) Carafa Special II

HOPS SCHEDULE
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus [16% AA] at 60 minutes
1 oz (28 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at flame-out/whirlpool

YEAST
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager

DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and lauter as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Swash 60 minutes, subtracting hops equal to the schedule; without the flame-out addition, whirlpool for 10 minutes. Nippy to well-nigh 50°F (10°C), oxygenate well, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for 2 weeks, then indulge the temperature to rise to 60°F (16°C) over the next 4 days. When fermentation is complete, crash to 35°F (2°C), then package and carbonate to well-nigh 2.25 volumes.

EXTRACT
Substitute 7.6 lb (3.5 kg) of stake liquid malt pericope (LME) for the Munich and Maris Otter malts. Bring 6 gallons (23 liters) of water to well-nigh 162°F (72°C) and hold. Using a mesh grain bag, steep the specialty grains for 15 minutes, then remove the bag and indulge it to phlebotomize into the wort. Add the LME while stirring and stir until completely dissolved. Swash for 60 minutes, pursuit the hops schedule. Without the boil, chill, aerate, and ferment equal to the directions above.