Anyone brew a good 100% Munich (grain) ale?

[DSorenson]

I just tried to make a low ABV "bitter" with 100% munich, nottingham, and nelson sauvin. This was just for fun- not to recreate any particular style. After a 2 hour mash at 152 while I got my tooth drilled, the wort tasted and smelled awesome.

Well the bad part is that I [accidentally] pretreated my distilled water with Calcium Carbonate instead of Calcium Chloride... so the beer turned out pretty awful. It was grainy and strange with a weird nose on it.

My technique is solid, so I'm fairly confident that it was the Calcium Carbonate that did it.

I also used Nottingham, which ferments to about 1.008 and certainly did in this case. I am not sure I got any of that munich "sweetness/maltyness" that people talk about. Perhaps it's because the tannins that were extracted from a high pH covered it up, but I also suspect that Nottingham isn't the best yeast to show off a malt profile...

So what say ye, HBT? Any thoughts/experience?

Thanks as always...

EDIT: Also, part of the reason why I'm asking is because Ray Daniels' book "Designing Great Beers" only ever seems to claim that it might be okay to use 100% munich in bock style beers. VMO beers seem to use a blend of 4 grains, but never does munich take up 100% of the grist.

 

[RonPopeil]

Nottingham is going to be a bit estery and give some by products for sure. Certainly not a clean yeast.

Munich Smash beers are fairly popular. I don't see why an all Munich beer wouldn't be good. Munich as the only base malt could run into conversion issues in a complicated grain bill but that doesn't seem to be an issue here.

Add a bit of wheat, swap the nelson for noble hops to 20 IBU and use a clean yeast cold and you could have a nice mockbock.

 

[indianaroller]

I just tried to make a low ABV "bitter" with 100% munich, nottingham, and nelson sauvin. This was just for fun- not to recreate any particular style. After a 2 hour mash at 152 while I got my tooth drilled, the wort tasted and smelled awesome.

Well the bad part is that I [accidentally] pretreated my distilled water with Calcium Carbonate instead of Calcium Chloride... so the beer turned out pretty awful. It was grainy and strange with a weird nose on it.

My technique is solid, so I'm fairly confident that it was the Calcium Carbonate that did it.

I also used Nottingham, which ferments to about 1.008 and certainly did in this case. I am not sure I got any of that munich "sweetness/maltyness" that people talk about. Perhaps it's because the tannins that were extracted from a high pH covered it up, but I also suspect that Nottingham isn't the best yeast to show off a malt profile...

So what say ye, HBT? Any thoughts/experience?

Thanks as always...

EDIT: Also, part of the reason why I'm asking is because Ray Daniels' book "Designing Great Beers" only ever seems to claim that it might be okay to use 100% munich in bock style beers. VMO beers seem to use a blend of 4 grains, but never does munich take up 100% of the grist.

Did you use 2-row Munich or 6-row? I ask because I have made a bock with 6-row Munich and it came out just like you describe.



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[DSorenson]

Did you use 2-row Munich or 6-row? I ask because I have made a bock with 6-row Munich and it came out just like you describe.



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I assume it was 2 row, since it was not specified otherwise...

I cannot imagine anyone would ever use 6 row anything if there was even a small chance it could come out like mine did... haha.

I am aware that 6 row is known to be grain-y, but the ill effects that I'm experiencing must be what some know as tannins. The other flavors I cannot describe well enough, but are unlike anything I've ever gotten out of any beer I've ever tried.

I will take heart and assume that I significantly through off my pH with the CaCO3. I will try it again and this time not screw it up!

 

[thaymond]

The Brazos bock recipe is a 100% Munich bock. I did my own variation of it and it turned out pretty tasty. It was a little grainy, but I attributed that to a 154 mash. Had I mashed lower, I think it would have been better. It was super malty, and exactly what I was looking for on a cold fall day.

 

[dannypo]

My Munich Dunkel recipe is 97% Munich and 3% Carafa II. It comes out fantastic. It took first place in the first round of the nationals a few years ago.

I think Nottingham may have been the issue. It has a fruitiness that I don't think would blend well with the big malty flavor of the Munich.