Schwarzbier, or Black Lager if you're not into the whole Deutschland thing, is another one of those super old beer styles that doesn't want to fit nicely into our contemporary notions of what it means to be an ale or a lager. It's roasty and dark, like a stout, but light-bodied and easy-drinking, like a lager. So that's fun.

We also talk about base and specialty malts, and how to use them. You know you can't resist that, so why even try to fight it?