Czech Dark Lager

[mtemple]

Trying this one out next month. Let me know what you think!
75% Dark Munich
12.5% Caramel Dark
12.5% Pale 2row
Tettnang/Saaz
2278

 

[jdauria]

Love me Czech Darks and brew them several times a year. The recipe is OK, but not what I prefer. Czech Dark should have a richness and complex depth of flavor with some, but not a lot, of roast malt flavor. While Dark Munich is a great malt for strong dark beers like doppelbocks, I think that much will bring too much sweetness for a Czech Dark. Maybe split that in half and add Pilsner or more two row? Never used caramel dark, so don't know if that brings any roast or it's just all caramel sweetness. If it were me, I would do something like:

60% Vienna
23% Munich I
6% Munich II
6% Caramunich II
5% Carafa Special II

or something like:
50% Bohemian Floor Malted Pils
30% Munich (I prefer Barke)
10% CaraMunich II
6% CaraBohemian
4% Carafa Special II

 

[easttex]

Friends of mine brewed an outstanding CDL with this recipe last year:

Bohemian Pils 63.0%
Floor Malted Pils 6.3%
Caramunich I 10.9%
Victory Malt 8.3%
Light color chocolate malt 6.9%
Carafa III 4.6%

Magnum @60min 17.6IBU
Saaz @20min 8IBU
Saaz @flameout 0IBU

Salager 34/70

I wasn't part of the recipe development so I can't comment on it's fine points. I believe some of it was written around what ingredients were on-hand or available locally. With that said however, it was an outstandingly dark, almost chocolatey lager. Smooth with a bit of roast and we were all sad when those kegs kicked.

 

[mtemple]

Love me Czech Darks and brew them several times a year. The recipe is OK, but not what I prefer. Czech Dark should have a richness and complex depth of flavor with some, but not a lot, of roast malt flavor. While Dark Munich is a great malt for strong dark beers like doppelbocks, I think that much will bring too much sweetness for a Czech Dark. Maybe split that in half and add Pilsner or more two row? Never used caramel dark, so don't know if that brings any roast or it's just all caramel sweetness. If it were me, I would do something like:

60% Vienna
23% Munich I
6% Munich II
6% Caramunich II
5% Carafa Special II

or something like:
50% Bohemian Floor Malted Pils
30% Munich (I prefer Barke)
10% CaraMunich II
6% CaraBohemian
4% Carafa Special II

that's a good point. I definitely want to avoid the cloying factor, but probably more mild pilsner malts and just a touch more specialty malt for the SRM would do nicely

 

[stevehaun]

My grain bill is as follows:
Weyermann Pilsner malt 60%
Weyermann munich 30%
Weyermann caramunich II 7%
Weyermann carafa special III 3%