Question concerning use of Munich as a steeping grain

Hi all,

I'm new to brewing and I'm hoping someone can clarify something for me. There are a couple extract recipes I want to try that include 0.5 lb. of Munich as a steeping grain (e.g., Midwest's Copper Ale and BYO's Fat Tire Amber Ale). I've read that Munich needs to be mashed. If so, why do some extract kits include it? Is it because Munich still offers color and/or flavor even if it's not mashed?

For reference, these are the ingredients in the MW Copper Ale kit:
6 lbs. Gold LME
1 lb. Light DME
8 oz. Munich
6 oz. Caramel 80L
2 oz. Roasted Barley
0.5 oz. Chinook
1 oz. Willamette

Thanks for any help!
Jason

Not sure, but if you steep at a low temp, say under 155, you essentially would be mashing as the munich should have enough diastatic power to convert itself. You might have to mash for an hour though. A more experienced PM brewer might be a better resource so I'd wait on confirmation.

jwalker1140 said:

Is it because Munich still offers color and/or flavor even if it's not mashed?

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That's the argument. If you're gong to steep it, be conservative which I think 8 ounces is. I wouldn't do it. I'd leave it out or make a mini-mash. In this case you would have to mash it by itself as the other grains have no enzymes nor need to be converted and would just interfere.

Munich malt can convert itself. So, if you "steep" it at 145-160, you're mashing it. And it will be fine. You can mash/steep it with other grains without problem.

But even if it doesn't fully convert, it will provide flavor and aroma (and maybe a wee bit of starch haze).

I've heard munich will only self-convert about 60%, but i may be wrong.

Guys, thanks so much for the input! As a new brewer, I really appreciate the explanations, especially in this case where I wasn't finding much other than simply "do it" and "don't do it."

You can brew beer with 100% Munich malt. It's very good.

Walking_Target said:

I've heard munich will only self-convert about 60%, but i may be wrong.

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McGarnigle said:

You can brew beer with 100% Munich malt. It's very good.

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You're both right. There are different varieties of Munich malt. The one most often called German Munich is usually less than 10L in color and high enough in diastatic power to convert itself and makes a fantastic beer with no other grain or adjunct additions. However, the darker kilned Munich 10L and Munich 20L specialty grains have less diastatic power and should be mashed with a base grain like 2 Row or Vienna to ensure conversion.