Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: WPL810
Yeast Starter: YES
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU: 34
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 23 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 Days @ 55 F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 30 Days @ 50 F

This is a really good lager, its sort of an Americanized version of a Munich Dunkel or Schwartzbier. I had in mind a "Shiner Black" when I started making the beer, but as it turns out it is much tastier. It tastes smooth and crisp, with lingering malt and chocolate in the finish. The chocolate is surprising, because it truely has a chocolate taste and not the roasty or coffee bitterness that you might expect. At first I was a bit afraid that a half pound of chocolate malt would make the beer bitter or burnt tasting, but as it turns out it gives a nice true chocolate flavor to the Munich Maltiness.

I used the style guideliness for a Munich Dunkel and Swartzbier as a starting point only, and I shot for the more extreme ends of the style, so the beer is not really what you might call "authentic". It is however a very delicious and refreshing beer, and even though it is "dark" its still probably very approachable by BMC enthusiasts or someone who's hesitant to try homebrew.

I used WPL810 San Francisco Lager yeast from White Labs because I wanted a real lager yeast that would be tolerant of warmer temperatures in case the weather turned warmer than expected. This beer was fermented for 2 weeks in the mid to low 50s, and then moved to a secondary for another month in the mid 40s to low 50s.

Here is the recipe:

Malts:
8 1/2 #s Light Munich Malt 1.033 10L 85%
1/2 # Cara Aroma 1.036 25L 5%
1/2 # Chocolate Malt 1.029 350L 5%
1/2 # CaraPils 1.033 10L 5%

Mash:
Single infusion Mash at 153F for 80 Minutes. Sparged to about 7.5 gallons for the boil.

Hops:
1/2 oz Nugget @ 60 Minutes
1/2 oz Hallertauer @ 30 Minutes