This is my third attempt at the Munich Dunkel Lager style. It is a malt forward beer focused on the German Munich Malt. It is a very drinkable and favorable beer that you don't find on tap very often here in the US. So, it really is a nice thing being a homebrewer. From previous experiences brewing this style I learned that 6 gal isn't enough - this time I decided to brew two kegs worth. I'm thankful past me did that since current me is onto the second keg now.
The beer was made with only Munich malt and I performed a Decoction mash where you boil a grain heavy portion of the mash several times and add it back into the main mash to raise the temperature. This darkens the beer, helps efficiency of sugar extraction quite a bit (got 85% for this beer when I was expecting 70%), and creates some malty flavors. It makes for a longer brew day but I would do it again
The beer was hopped with Tettnanger and fermented down to 1.017 with Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast. I have been drinking it since May.
I will definitely brew this beer again and would likely use the same basic recipe. Anyhow, time for some tasting notes.
Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Bready and malty aroma with maybe a bit of caramel in there. Has a bit of lager yeast character as well
- Appearance:
- Golden brown and pretty clear. Pours with a 1 finger head that fades down to a thin foam fairly quickly
- Flavor:
- Lightly toasty and bready malt character up front. This fades into a slight bit of sweet malt character followed by a mild bitterness in the finish. There is a bit of light lager yeast character in the mix as well. The finish has a nice balance between malt and hop character although definitely more malty than hoppy. There may be a slight bit of hop flavor in there as well - herbal.
- Mouthfeel:
- Medium-light bodied and pretty dry. It drinks very smoothly and has a fairly crisp finish that urges one to take another gulp
- Overall:
- I really love the Munich Dunkel style. I think this is a pretty good one. The flavors are nice and it has a good bit of complexity. It is also very drinkable and refreshing to have on tap here during the summer months
