A brewer can mask a lot of flaws with roasty flavors, in such styles as stouts and porters. Which is one of the reasons Yellowhammer head brewer Keith Yager originally elected to do a schwarzbier for the Huntsville craft-brewery's third flagship beer back in 2010.

"A schwarzbier is a lot more challenging to brew," Yager says. Clinking of glass from the Huntsville craft-brewery's bottling line can be heard in the background. "A schwarzbier is delicate and clean. It's a lager. A lot of the bitter character comes from a husk. So we use a roasted wheat malt so you don't get that harsher husk character."

Last week, Yellowhammer bottled and shipped 240 cases of Lost Highway Black Lager, the final of their flagships to be released in six-packs, following Rebellion Red in August and Belgian White in December. The circle, er, triangle is now complete.

A 5.8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) schwarzbier, German for "black beer," Lost Highway should be on the shelves of craft-beer centric retailers by this weekend.

"It's a big deal for us," Yellowhammer general manager Ethan Couch says, "because it will be the third of our flagship beers on the shelves and allows us to have a variety to offer somebody. If you know you like Yellowhammer but you've just had the Rebellion this weekend, well now you've got something else to go to. And it gives us more presence on the shelves. Whereas before one (beer at retailers) can kind of get lost but three together looks pretty impressive, and the marketing we've tailored to go together so it generates a look."

Well before Yellowhammer poured its first beer commercially, Yager brewed schwarzbier over and over as a homebrewer. The craft-brewery decided on the beer name Lost Highway as an ode to Hank Williams, whose 1949 version of the Leon Payne song "Lost Highway" is particularly captivating. "The name reminds you of a kind of dark, nighttime and we thought that was a cool name for a dark beer. Plus, we like Hank Williams," Yager says.

In terms of Yellowhammer draft sales, Lost Highway runs a distant third to Rebellion and the top-selling White. But it's Couch's go-to YH beer and Yager says he notices "'craft-beer snobs' really like the Lost Highway" and the black lager pairs well with foods including roast beef, steak and sauteed vegetables.

Up next in packaging for Yellowhammer, which brews dozens of beer styles throughout a year: four-packs of the 9.2 percent ABV Hop Revival Imperial India Pale Ale in March.

Visit Yellowhammer's website here.