Brewing a brewhouse munich dark lager

Im new to brewing and currently have a red ale fermenting now and will be doing a brew house munich dark lager next. I was wondering about possibly adding some this to improve this beer/ possibly up the abv slightly. This beer has the potential to get to around 7% but wouldnt mind 8ish. Any suggestions for flavor/abv increase?

Spohl1 said:

Im new to brewing and currently have a red ale fermenting now and will be doing a brew house munich dark lager next. I was wondering about possibly adding some this to improve this beer/ possibly up the abv slightly. This beer has the potential to get to around 7% but wouldnt mind 8ish. Any suggestions for flavor/abv increase?

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Not trying to make trouble but you're new to brewing and are gong to make a lager. Do you have the chilling space to lager?

C-Rider said:

Not trying to make trouble but you're new to brewing and are gong to make a lager. Do you have the chilling space to lager?

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From what I've read this kit comes with Cooper's ale yeast so unless he swaps out for another yeast actual lagering won't be an issue. Just brew it like an ale.

Sphol, if this is just your second brew I'd be inclined to suggest you just brew it as per the instructions with the following tweaks (if you use the Cooper's yeast). Ferment at three weeks at around 18degreesC, bottle condition for three weeks at around 20degreesC and chill in the fridge for a 5-7 days before drinking (not the whole batch just plan ahead a little, think you'll want a half dozen for Friday, stick em in the fridge on Monday).

Having said that, the quickest, easiest no effort way to increase the flavour/ABV of this kit would be to use less top off water. Instead of topping off to 23 litres top off to 20 litres (or less). This concentrates the flavour and the alcohol. However you lose about 3 beers per litre doing this.

Google Brewhouse beer kit hacks, there is a lot of good information out there.

Ya i was thinking of just sticking with just the kit but thought i would see what might go good with it. Ya i was worried about the "lager" part of it i didnt think of it till i got home but yes it ferments at ale temps luckily as i do everything in a spare room thats about 68-70f. Thanks for the tips and im going to snoop around on google for a while

Since you're asking for opinions, I'd say that upping the strength of a German lager which is meant to be delicate will unbalance the flavor. You can add dextrose a couple days into the primary ferment, or concentrate more to up the gravity. To best keep the balance you could do half of each, since a higher gravity ups the flavor, mouthfeel, and viscosity; adding a simple sugar like dextrose will do the opposite.

I really appreciate the munich dunkel style, so my true opinion would be don't do it. Stay with the original recipe. A good munich dunkel should be clean tasting with light mouthfeel, lager yeast snap, with sweet and slightly nutty/toasty flavor.

Ok now i just checked out the package of yeast and the best before date is august of this year. Will that be a problem? Im trying to check out online if any homebrew stores in my area sell just yeast and im not too sure. If i should replace it what yeast should i use as i cannot use lager yeast

They should carry yeast separate, most homebrew shops won't even include the yeast in pre-made recipes so that you have control over what form and strain you want to use.

I'm not sure how you would fake a lager with an ale yeast, but I would guess either a kolsch or a neutral american strain like Chico.

Im not too sure all i know is it comes with coopers yeast and it says to ferment at 65-75 and the best before date was mid august but i used it anyway but i rehydrated it first.

A Munich dunkel with Cooper's yeast? That's a travesty. I'm guessing as a new brewer you don't have a method to control the fermentation temperature? Lagers are supposed to be a more advanced style. What you'll make will probably taste fine, but it won't be a very close representation of a dunkel lager. It'll most likely be closer to a porter. I'd grab some kolsch yeast and set up a swamp cooler.
Edit: don't take this as too much a negative. You'll make beer... It might even be great. I just wanted to set the tone for your results. Don't lose faith in your efforts. Study and study some more. It's a blast.

Ya i can only ferment at roughly 70 right now but i want to work my way up and possibly convert a freezer i have one day. Nonetheless this is a good step from my mr beer kit hahaha. I tried mr beer a few years ago and just got another recently because i am off work from an injury so i was extremely bored but i am hooked this is probably my favorite hobby (aside from motocross) im just lucky a friend lent me the equipment to try better beers then mr beer and i just want to keep upgrading now

You can make good beer in a Mr. Beer fermenter. Look into small batch all grain brewing. You may already have most of the stuff you need in your kitchen to complement your Mr. Beer equipment.

The guys on Basic Brewing did an episode on partial mashing using the Mr. Beer equipment, a can of Mr. Beer extract, a different yeast,some base and specialty grains and household pots and pans. I know this method works because I've done it myself only on a larger scale with Cooper's kits in a full size fermenter.

Ok ill check it out. I just got in the mail a biere de framboise and a pumpkin spice ale to try in it. Im just going to use my mr beers to try different beers so i should definitely try that after these.