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MUNICH DUNKEL

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love technology, but there are recipes that use half Munich malt, half times when going “old school” is malt and a substantial amount i just better. I could write these of CaraMunich®. The CaraMunich® columns using the latest computer adds a caramel sweetness that some software, but I like to write them with people may enjoy, but I find it com - pencil and paper while enjoying a pint pletely out of place in this style. Even in some wonderful spot. There is moderate amounts of CaraMunich® something about writing a little slow - result in a more like a than er and sipping a pint, doing it old a Munich dunkel. The best Munich MUNICH DUNKEL by the numbers school, which makes the article bet - dunkel that I’ve had was made from a ter, right? At least it makes the simple recipe. Munich dunkel is a beer OG: . . .1.048 –1.056 (11.9 –13.8 °P) process of writing more enjoyable. rich in malty flavors, but it does not FG: ...... 1.010 –1.016 (2.6 –4 °P) The funny thing is, there are require a complex recipe. SRM: ...... 14 –28 some beer styles that feel old school, The key to brewing Munich IBU: ...... 18 –28 regardless of how they are produced. dunkel is using a very high percentage ABV: ...... 4.5 –5.6% Munich dunkel is one of those beer of Munich malt. Munich malt provides styles. It isn’t light, fizzy, and near col - all of the rich malty flavors and aro - orless. It is dark with gemstone high - mas that the beer needs. Some of the lights and rich with bready malt fla - best commercial examples are made vors. When I drink a fine Munich entirely from Munich malt and a dash dunkel, I get the feeling, right or of Weyermann Carafa® Special for wrong, that the must have coloring. The question many all-grain been producing this style of beer for brewers have is what color Munich many years, if not many centuries. malt? Maltsters produce varying Munich dunkel is the maltiest colors of Munich malt, from a low of style in the Beer Judge Certification 6 °L to a high of 20 °L or more. Program (BJCP) Dark category. Generally, the darker the Munich malt It is a beer full of toasted bread and the more intense the rich melanoidin other malt flavors and aromas from flavors and aromas. I’ve heard some the heavy use of melanoidin-rich brewers report good results using Munich malt. Most good examples dark Munich malt, around 20 °L. are balanced nearly even, leaning a lit - However, I’m not sure if that is the tle to the sweet side, which hides the best choice, as the flavors can be too restrained hop bitterness. However, it intense when that is the bulk of the is never overly sweet, heavy, or as grist. It is not good to use too light a intensely malty as bock-style . Munich malt either. I prefer Munich While will often have a malt in the 8 to 12 °L range, which slight roast note, Munich dunkel gives plenty of melaniodin rich charac - should never be roasty. Munich ter, but not so much that it becomes dunkel is also lighter in color than overwhelming. Another factor in schwarzbier, ranging from deep cop - choosing Munich malt is the source. per to dark brown. When brewing German-style beers, I Hop character in this style is prefer using malts from German malt - restrained. A touch of hop flavor or sters. While there are excellent prod - aroma is acceptable, but it should be ucts made elsewhere, there is some - no more than a subtle complement to thing comforting about using German the overall beer. malt for a German . When I’ve seen some excessively cre - purchasing European malts, be aware ative recipes for Munich dunkel, that the color listed on the bag is including everything from molasses often in degrees EBC, which is rough - and honey to roasted barley and ly twice the Lovibond scale. wheat malt. Then there are other By itself most Munich malt results

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1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved Old School Dunkel weeks or less. If desired, perform a (11.35 °P). Stir thoroughly and bring 1 (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) diacetyl rest during the last ⁄3 of fer - to a boil. Once the wort is boiling, OG = 1.054 (13.4°P) mentation. Rack to a keg and force add the bittering . The total FG = 1.014 (3.6°P) carbonate or rack to a bottling wort boil time is 1 hour after adding IBU = 23 SRM = 20 ABV = 5.3% bucket, add priming sugar and bot - the bittering hops. Add the flavor tle. Target a carbonation level of 2 hops with 20 minutes remaining Ingredients to 2.5 volumes. Cold conditionin for and Irish moss or other kettle fin - 11.0 lb. (5 kg) Durst or Weyermann a month or more at near freezing ings at 15 minutes. Chill the wort to Munich Malt (8 °L) temperatures. Serve at 43 to 46 °F 50 °F (10 °C), pitch the yeast and 5.0 oz. (142 g) Weyermann (6 to 8 °C). aerate thoroughly. Follow the Carafa® Special II (huskless) remaining instructions for the all- (430 °L) Old School Dunkel grain version. 4 AAU Hallertauer pellet hops (5 gallons/19 L, (1.0 oz./28 g at 4% alpha acids) extract with grains) Simple Mash Option: (60 min.) OG = 1.053 (13.3 °P) Use 11.0 lb (5 kg) Munich malt 2 AAU Hallertauer pellet hops FG = 1.014 (3.5 °P) instead of the Munich malt extract. (0.50 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids) IBU = 23 SRM = 19 ABV = 5.3% Crush the Munich malt and (20 min.) Carafa® Special and put it in a White Labs WLP833 (German Bock Ingredients large mesh bag. Heat 1.5 quarts of Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich 7.5 lb. (3.4 kg) Weyermann 100% water per pound of grain (~1.5L) to Lager) or Fermentis Saflager S-23 Munich liquid malt extract 163 °F (73 °C) and immerse the yeast 5.0 oz. (142 g) Weyermann grain bag. Gently stir the grain Carafa® Special II (huskless) inside the bag with a large spoon to Step by Step 430 °L make sure it is wet throughout and Mill the grains and dough-in target - 4 AAU Hallertauer pellet hops check the temperature. The grain ing a mash of around 1.5 quarts of (1.0 oz./28 g at 4% alpha acids) and water (the mash temperature) water to 1 pound of grain (a liquor- (60 min.) should now be around 152–156 °F to-grist ratio of about 3:1 by weight) 2 AAU Hallertauer pellet hops (67–69 °C). If not, add a boiling and a temperature of 154 °F (0.50 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids) water to the pot to warm it up or (68 °C). Hold the mash at 154 °F (20 min.) cold water to cool it down. Let the (68 °C) until enzymatic conversion is White Labs WLP833 (German Bock mash sit for a half hour. Add more complete. Infuse the mash with Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich heat by adding boiling water to get near boiling water while stirring or Lager) or Fermentis Saflager S-23 the temperature back up in the with a recirculating mash system yeast. desired range. Let mash sit for raise the temperature to mash out another half hour. At that time, the at 168 °F (76 °C). Sparge slowly Step by Step starches in the Munich malt should with 170 °F (77 °C) water, collecting To make an all-extract version, sub - have converted to sugars. The liq - wort until the pre-boil kettle volume stitute the Weyermann Carafa® uid in the pot should taste sweet. is around 5.9 gallons (22.3 L) and Special with 2.5 oz. (71g) by weight Heat 2 gallons (8 L) of water in your the gravity is 1.046 (11.44 °P). of SINAMAR® extract. boiling pot to 165 °F (74 °C). Lift Once the wort is boiling, add Mill or coarsely crack the spe - the bag out of the first pot and let it the bittering hops. The total wort cialty malts. Mix them well and drain for a minute before transfer - boil time is 1 hour after adding the place loosely in a grain bag. Steep ring the grain and bag into the bittering hops. Add the flavor hops the bag in 1⁄2 gallon (~2 liters) of water in the other pot. Let the bag with 20 minutes left in the boil. 170 °F (77 °C) water for about 30 sit in the pot for at least 10 minutes, Add Irish moss or other kettle fin - minutes. Lift the grain bag out of agitating the bag to rewet the grain ings with 15 minutes left in the the steeping liquid and rinse with and rinse out the sugars. Lift the boil. Chill the wort rapidly to 50 °F warm water. Allow the bags to drip bag, let it drain and discard the (10 °C), let the break material settle, into the kettle (don’t squeeze) for a grain. Add the wort from the first rack to the fermenter, pitch the few minutes while you add the malt pot, adjusting the total volume of yeast and aerate. Ferment around extract. Add enough water to the pre-boil wort by adding water. Mix 50 °F (10 °C) until the yeast drops steeping liquor and malt extract to well and take a gravity reading. If clear. With healthy yeast, fermenta - make a pre-boil volume of 5.9 gal - it’s low, add DME to bring the gravi - tion should be complete in two lons (22.3 L) and a gravity of 1.046 ty up and you’re ready to boil.

2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine byo.com © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved in a beer color that is on the light end Labs include WLP838 (South of the style. The darkest Munich A touch of German), WLP820 (Oktoberfest/ malts produce the right color, but if hop flavor or ) and WLP830 (German you don’t like the flavor profile of “ Lager Yeast). You could also try those darkest malts, you will still need aroma is Fermentis Saflager S-23. to darken the color of your Munich You will need around 375 billion dunkel without adding roasty flavors. acceptable, but clean, healthy cells to properly fer -

The proper method is to use dehusked it should be ment 5 gallons (19 L) of this beer, black malt. My preference is for which is double what you would nor - Weyermann Carafa® Special, a husk - no more than a mally use for an equivalent strength less, roasted malt. The lack of a husk “ . For a simple, non-stirred starter, means far less roasted flavors. subtle comple- one package of liquid yeast in 2.3 gal - Carafa® Special comes in several ment to the lons (8.7 L), or 2 packages in 3.7 color levels: Carafa® Special I quarts (3.5 L), will result in the right (340 °L), II (430 °L), and III (530 °L). overall beer. amount of yeast. If you’re not making I prefer the flavor of Carafa® Special a starter, you’ll need about 4 packages II for this style, although the other col - Munich extract. All it takes is paying of liquid yeast. If you’re using dry 3 ors will work fine in a pinch. attention to the water/grain ratio and yeast, use approximately ⁄4 ounce (21 Weyermann also makes Carafa®, holding the mash in the proper tem - g) of fresh, properly rehydrated yeast. which does have a husk and a lot perature range. Yes, messing with the When making , I like to get more roasted character, so make sure pH of the mash can help, but it isn’t the wort down to 44 °F (7 °C), oxy - you’re getting the huskless variety, critical for your first time and most genate and then pitch the yeast. I let Carafa® Special. Weyermann also tap water will work just fine. Other the beer slowly warm over the first 36 makes SINAMAR®, a liquid extract than that, the rest of the process is hours to 50 °F (10 °C) for the remain - of Carafa® Special, made in accor - very similar to steeping grains. der of fermentation. This results in a dance with the . It is Historically, a brewer would use a clean lager, with very little diacetyl. easy to use and provides as good a decoction mash when brewing a This is similar to a Narziss fermenta - result as using the grain itself. Just add Munich dunkel. While a decoction tion, where the first two-thirds of the it to the boil kettle. One ounce by mash might induce more Maillard fermentation is done cold and the final weight (28 g) of SINAMAR® in 5 gal - reactions, I find that with all of the third is done warmer. The idea is to lons (19 L) of liquid adds 6 SRM of rich malt flavors provided by today’s reduce the diacetyl precursor alpha- color and little in the way of roasted Munich malts, a single infusion mash acetolactate, which is created during flavor. The only problem with SINA - works well for this style. Target a the early phase of fermentation. With MAR® is that it is a bit harder to find mash temperature range of 152 to a warmer environment, more precur - at most homebrew shops than 156 °F (67 to 69 °C) and keep in mind sors are formed and more diacetyl is Carafa® Special. that Munich malt already makes a created from those precursors. Yeast Extract brewers must find wort slightly less fermentable than will usually convert some of the Munich extract for this beer. Many wort made with pale Pilsner malt. diacetyl to flavorless compounds, but Munich malt extracts are often a Generally, the darker the Munich malt the lower the initial amount of blend of Munich and Pilsner or two- the less fermentable the wort. If you diacetyl, the less there will be in the row malt. As long as the flavor is rich are making a lower gravity beer, use final beer. If you start or ferment your and full of bready malt notes a blend - the higher end of this temperature lager warmer, you’ll need to do a 1 ed Munich extract may be acceptable, range to leave the beer with a bit diacetyl rest during the last ⁄3 of fer - but it is worth the trouble to ask your more body. If you are making a bigger mentation. To perform a diacetyl rest, local homebrew shop owner about beer, use the lower end of the range warm your beer up about 10 °F (6 °C) ordering 100% Munich extract. What to avoid too full of a body, which can until fermentation is complete and the about steeping Munich malt? limit the drinkability. yeast have had a chance to eliminate Unfortunately, steeping Munich malt You can ferment Munich dunkel the diacetyl. In any case, don’t rush adds unconverted starch to your with any number of German lager things. Good lagers take time and they wort, which can result in haze and yeasts. My preference is White Labs ferment slower than , especially other problems in your beer. Luckily, WLP833 (German Bock) as it makes when fermented cold. Once the beer most Munich malts will self-convert if a beer most similar to my favorite has finished fermenting, a period of held at saccharification temperature. commercial example, Ayinger lagering for a month or more at near Perhaps this is a great opportunity to Altbairisch Dunkel. Good alternatives freezing temperatures can improve venture into creating your own wort to experiment with from Wyeast are the beer. from grains or partial some 2308 (Munich) and 2206 (Bavarian Give this style a try — maybe Munich malt along with a 60/40 Lager). Good alternatives from White you’ll feel a little old school yourself!

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