Dopplebock help

Hey all,

As I have not yet tried a dopplebock, I have a few questions based on this recipe:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f61/cactus-dopplebock-128997/

1- if i sub American 2 row for the Munich, am I compromising the style or just lightening the color and changing the flavor slightly?

2 - decoction....never done it, would like to try.....what volume of wort should be used to do this? When is it added back to the mash? At sparge?

Thanks for any pointers.

riverfrontbrewer said:

Hey all,

As I have not yet tried a dopplebock, I have a few questions based on this recipe:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f61/cactus-dopplebock-128997/

1- if i sub American 2 row for the Munich, am I compromising the style or just lightening the color and changing the flavor slightly?

2 - decoction....never done it, would like to try.....what volume of wort should be used to do this? When is it added back to the mash? At sparge?

Thanks for any pointers.

Click to expand...

Munich is a lot more malty that 2row, in my opinion. You'll be changing the flavor enough to make it noticeable. Plus, dopplebock's are known for the munich as far as I know.

As for decoction mashing (and I may do it differently than some), all you need to do is use the total amount of qts/lb (2.08 according to recipe) that you would want before sparging. So instead of using infusions of more water to change the mash temp (if you've ever done multi-step), you'd just remove a portion of the mash, boil it, and add it back to the mash to raise the temp to the next step.

Sparge as usual with decoction.

I've got a dopplebock in my recipe list. I've done this dopplebock with both decoction mashing and step infusion mashing. I haven't noticed a huge difference.

You really need to use the correct German malt for this brew. That substitute just won't make the same beer.

Thanks for the input guys!

Definitely leave the Munich in.

I would sub the chocolate for carafa II (huskless) to give the same final color.

Subbing 2row for Pilsner would be less noticeable than subbing 2row for Munich. But I wouldn't substitute either.

Sorry I can't help on the decoction. I've never done one.

Doppelbocks are typically made with some combination of light/dark Munich, Pilsner, Vienna, and Carafa malts. I have a 7.7% ABV doppelbock on tap right now that is 68% Pilsner, 30% Munich, and 2% Carafa, that I am very pleased with. However, I think next time, I will be increasing the amount of Munich malt.

The triple decoction mash is a lot of fun. One tip is to use the thickest part of the mash for the first two decoctions. Probably thicker than you think. I use a strainer to scoop the first two decoctions out of the mash turn. Another tip is to be very attentive with the stirring to avoid burning the decoction. If you are using Beer Smith, I would recommend pulling more volume for your decoctions than they calculate. And finally, if you miss the target temp on the low side, you can always pull another quick decoction to raise the mash temp a few degrees.

I just listened to the Basic Brewing Radio podcast with Kai as the guest and he was discussing decoction with James. They examined the similarities/difference between beers that were decocted vs. multiple step infusion mashed. What i gleaned was that, though there were differences, they were minimal enough to convince me not to decoct again. At the very least, i would use melanoidin malt, as suggested in the original recipe post.

Regarding the sub out of Munich, i wouldn't do it. Munich is the backbone of the malt profile for this style of beer.