beer myth: dark beers are more alcoholic and bitter than pale beers

judges, sound the buzzer for this is a wrong answer.

taste and beer color have little correlation. color is determined by the type of malted barely used in the brewing process. for example, pale malt produces a golden beer while black patent malt creates a black beer.

different malts do impart unique flavors and aromas ranging from caramel to coffee to biscuits to smokiness. malt provides the sweetness in beer while playing no role in bitterness. hops are the bittering agent in beer but hops play no role in determining color. thus, dark beers can be bitter (imperial stouts, for example), or sweet (like oatmeal stouts), or smoky (rauchbeir), or balanced (like schwarzbier, mmm!). it is solely based on the ratio/type of malt and hops used.

furthermore, color plays no role in alcohol strength. during fermentation, yeast converts sugars, leached from the malt, into carbon dioxide and alcohol. the greater the amount of malt (sugars) and the longer the yeast is allowed to consume it, the higher the alcohol content. yeast plays no role in deciding color. and thus dark beers range widely in alcohol potency.

similarly, dark beers need not be any more filling than pale beers. heaviness is determined by the amount of residual sugar remaining in the beer. and nope, color and residual sugar aren't related either.

hope this enlightens. cheers . . ..