Munich Dunkel Uncle Crunkel's Munich Dunkel (AG)

[coffeediver]

I am making this tomorrow. I am getting my well water as close to Munich water as I can and I am using Fermentis S-23 yeast.

Barry

 

[urbanmyth]

I don't care for the Flyers, but this beer in that pint glass looks amazing.

 

[coffeediver]

Here was my day...

Just finished brewing this recipe. Started at 9am and finished at 5pm.

7lbs Munich malt
1lbs 12oz Pilsner 2 row
4.5oz Crystal 120
4.5oz Chocolate malt
1oz Tettnang 75min
.5oz Tettnang 45min
.5oz Tettnang 15min
Saflager S-23 West European Lager

Mashed at 153 for 60min, collected 9.5gal and boiled for 90min. Was planning on 1.056 and hit 1.058. Measured efficiency is 94%:rockin:

Plan on fermenting at 54 until 75% complete and then raise to 70 for a diacetyl rest for 3 days and then lager for 30 days taking the temp down slowly.

Barry

 

[Brewer Gerard]

Mashed at 153 for 60min, collected 9.5gal and boiled for 90min. Was planning on 1.056 and hit 1.058. Measured efficiency is 94%:rockin:

Jesus, 94% is impressive. Efficiency goes up when i do a decoction but 72-73% is my absolute roof on a single infusion mash.

I really have to brew this again!

 

[coffeediver]

Jesus, 94% is impressive. Efficiency goes up when i do a decoction but 72-73% is my absolute roof on a single infusion mash.

I really have to brew this again!

I have a Kal clone electric brewery and get 90-95% efficiency on every brew.

I have beersmith set to 90% so it reduces the grain bill by about 2lbs and still hit 1.058.

Barry

 

[coffeediver]

Fermentation is complete, after a 3 day diacetyl rest, final gravity stopped at 1.012. With OG at 1.058 and FG at 1.012 that is 6%A ABV. Now starts to slow drop to lagering temps.

Just measured the final reading on the lager I made a few weeks ago, the starting specific gravity started at 1.058 and ended after fermentation at 1.012. This means that this dark lager or "dunkel" that I have named "Dark side of the Mun(ich)" will be 6% alcohol. It is now slowly being lowered to 34 degrees where it will sit for 8 to 12 weeks before bottling.

Barry

 

[bbbrew]

What a great recipe. Double Decoction, thin then thicker. Made 10.5 gallons by doubling the original recipe. Entered this one into the Ohio State Fair a couple weeks back. Placed for style characteristics. Each of the 3 judges gave it above 40. What a great beer.

Did crack the carafa and chocolate seperate and added at the end of the mash like Gordon Strong talks about in his book. Used the same 838 yeast and made a big starter. Just be patient with this one and you won't be disappointed.

BB

 

[Grousebane]

We brewed this one up a couple of months ago. Last weekend I took a keg out to a friend's as the house beer for her pig roast. It was gone before 10. Today a guy called up wanting to buy a keg-guess I am going to have to brew it again!

 

[barhoc11]

Brewed this up yesterday, it was my first lager and decoction so was a looong brew day. Wort tasted great, hoping it turns out as good as everyone says!

I will report back in about... 2 months.

 

[scinerd3000]

What a great recipe. Double Decoction, thin then thicker. Made 10.5 gallons by doubling the original recipe. Entered this one into the Ohio State Fair a couple weeks back. Placed for style characteristics. Each of the 3 judges gave it above 40. What a great beer.

Did crack the carafa and chocolate seperate and added at the end of the mash like Gordon Strong talks about in his book. Used the same 838 yeast and made a big starter. Just be patient with this one and you won't be disappointed.

BB

Great to hear! above a 40 is fantastic-I drank all of this long before I sent it out to contests.

 

[barhoc11]

Well I finally got this bad boy on tap and its pretty tasty. I love the sweet start with the malty finish that the decoction creates but does it get even better with age like most darker lagers?

 

[scinerd3000]

Well I finally got this bad boy on tap and its pretty tasty. I love the sweet start with the malty finish that the decoction creates but does it get even better with age like most darker lagers?

this was optimal at around 2-3 months. It was amazingly complex and balanced by then

 

[barhoc11]

Only getting better with age, crystal clear and now I am wishing I made a 10 gallon batch instead of 5.

 

[FredTheNuke]

Only getting better with age, crystal clear and now I am wishing I made a 10 gallon batch instead of 5.

Great pic! I had to borrow it to show a few brewing friends what a dark lager can look like!

 

[SloppyGriffin]

I plan on making this as my next brew and seeing how I have not done a lager yet I had a couple questions.Did you have to re-yeast after the 10 week lagering process? And did you bring the beer to a warmer temp before priming? I just have worries that the majority of yeast will have dropped out after being at 34 for like 10 weeks.

 

[bbbrew]

Brewed this on 2/4 and fermented at 50F with Wyeast 2206. Haven't had good of luck with the white labs 838. After decreased air lock activity of about 35 sec between burps, raised a deg F / day starting on 2/17 up to 56 F and held for 2 days here. Then took it back down to 35 over the next week in a similar fashion. Just put it on gas this weekend and it tastes great. My numbers were 1.060 to 1.017. One thing with Lagers you just have to be patient. Hopefully, you have made a starter and doubled it a couple of times. That always helps.

I keg my beer so don't know about activity of those little buggers after the long haul. Good Luck. BB

 

[biertourist]

It can be found using the OG and FG, his is 5.3% ABV.

I've been looking for a Munich Dunkel, I'd like to try this... Any suggestions/modifications?

1. Get rid of the chocolate malt; wholly inappropriate in a Munich dunkel; replace it with some Carafa I or Carafa II.
2. Increase the Munich malt %, decrease the Pils malt %
3. Pull the thick first runnings and cook them down on the oven top while sparging -this will get you plenty-O melanoidins without having to increase your brew day length by decocting and without having to buy melanoidin malt. Also add a TINY pinch of yeast nutrient to the first runnings. --melanoidin reactions are between proteins and sugars and increasing the protein levels with a small pinch of yeast nutrient will help speed the reactions up.


Adam

 

[Flipadelphia]

Is Wyeast 2633 Oktoberfest OK for a Munich Dunkel? I bought that instead of Wyeast Czech Pils or Munich Lager. Thanks

 

[billym99]

I brewed something very close to this back in September. I dropped the chocolate + crystal and only used carafa II special. I went about 84% munich, 13% pils, 2% carafa. Fermented with WLP 860 (munich helles) yeast, lagered at 31 for 9 weeks. It came out very good, albeit a little sweet. I mashed to high for all of the munich malt that I used. I've done a second batch that I've yet to tap with a lower + longer first temperature step in an attempt to dry it out a bit. The extra sweetness didn't stop me from kicking this in two weeks.

Great recipe though, came out super clear. Glass started to frost up in my cold garage so picture clarity is no good, but still a good looking beer.

 

[davimi]

billym99,

What mash temp did you use on the second bash? Let us know how it turns out. I'd like to make another batch of this.

Thanks

 

[billym99]

Davi,

I stepped mashed it this time around. I mashed in @ 147 and held for 50 minutes, then went up to 158 (infusion) and held for an additional 35. I got the idea for this step mash from Kai's website, it's called a "hochkurz" mash (German for high & fast). I've been using it on nearly all of my brews lately and have been able to predict (at least more closely) my FG over that of a single infusion mash. As he explains on his site you can mess around with the length and temperature of the steps (primarily the first one) to change the fermentability of your wort. The addition of the high second step aids in adding body to a beer that may otherwise be a single infusion at a low temp.

I need more brew days of the same beer to get good notes on it. The above profile got my 2nd batch of Dunkel to 1.010 which is about where I want to try it. The first batch was a single infusion at 153 for 60 which got me 1.014 (same yeast, pretty much same fermentation profile). I also just did an APA with a similar profile (147/35, 157/35) that got me to 1.010, previously the same recipe was a single infusion @ 153ish that ended at 1.014 (WLP 041). I would like to do a single infusion at a lower temp and compare the body of the beer between the two mashes as well.

Anyways, it's a work in progress right now (and enjoyable work!).

Billy

 

[davimi]

Much appreciated Billy...I'll give it a try.

 

[xeerohour]

Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe. I brewed this yesterday, did a double decoction (131 / 143 / 153), and pitched s-23 lager yeast last night.

 

[wobdee]

Question, is a little 120 crystal appropriate for the style? What does it add to the flavor? I'm thinking of adding a small amount to my next Dunkel to get that sweeter flavor similar to Hofbrau Dunkel.

My current Dunkel is 90% Munich, 10% Pils and a touch of Carafa for color.

 

[Egbert]

If you want to make it sweeter, drop the 10% pils.
It doesn't need any base malts other than Munich.
There are 2 types of Munich Malt, Munich i and ii.

If you check the Weyermann website, it has a description of both.
If you need to adjust color, select the other Munich.
If you can't do a decoction, try adding some melanoidin.

Crystal is inappropriate for the style.

 

[wobdee]

Thanks, I'll try the Munich II and a little Pils and forget the crystal.

 

[Crashola]

I just brewed up a batch of this last night. I hit the volume and OG almost dead on, pitched SF-23, and it's fermenting away in my freezer today. I haven't made a dunkel in many years, and I'm looking forward to enjoying this one when it's finally ready.

 

[CarbonTom]

I plan on brewing this Wednesday, and I am doing it with some carafa i and caramunic. I plan on doing my first decoction. The way my schedule works out, I brew at night, so starting roughly around 5pm. I was thinking that I might only do a single decoction in the interest of simplicity (kinda) and time. Is there enough benefit there? Or is it only really worth it do do a double or more?

 

[CarbonTom]

Ended up doing a double decoction kegged it yesterday to lager. This tastes amazing already. I can't wait to see how it changes in 6 weeks! Great recipe

 

[JohnK93]

Trying to decide between brewing this and a traditional Oktoberfest or Vienna Lager. I only have one carboy and room in my fridge for lagering one batch at a time, and I've been doing Oktoberfests for the past couple of years, but I might try this one this year.

John