Hey all. Looking at making a Munich dunkel. Recipe I’m looking at is 10plus pounds of Munich and 4 oz melanoidin and 4 oz of carafa ii. Going for a malty but dry finish and want to keep it simple.
Any suggestions or critiques on the recipe?
have you ever done a decoction mash?
I have not done a decoction. My limited research led me to using some melanoiden in lieu of that.
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I’m going to keg my lager tomorrow… the one I sort of decocted… I will weigh back in later this next week as it starts carbing… IF this experiment has the elusive flavor… I’ll be throwing out my biscuit malts! Well, the backyard critters will get a treat I mean…
Maybe Chris… this would be an adventure for you?
Sneezles61
Maybe so. I’m slowly but surely expanding my horizons. The only thing that slows the experiments is the aching back after a brew day😣
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Recipe sounds great. One thing to keep in mind with recipes with Munich malt as the primary base malt – Munich malt has less enzymes than other base malts. It will still convert but it is beneficial to mash for a little longer time than you normally would. So you might want to plan on a 90-minute mash, or even longer. And this is assuming a single infusion.
Personally I am not convinced that a decoction is necessary or very beneficial. It may be somewhat beneficial in improving extraction efficiency, and due to the length of the rests involved you could ignore the above problem about extending the mash time. But other than that… people have mixed feelings on it, myself included. It’s something you can experiment with later, if you are so inclined. But at least for the first few batches of this style, I wouldn’t bother with it at all.
You didn’t mention yeast or hops. I assume for hops you’ll aim for something in line with the old noble hops. Any of those will work great, and you only need to add a full boil addition, no need for late hopping in this style.
And for yeast, most of the lager yeasts on the market today will give you great lagers. There are a few stinkers but mostly they’re all great. If you have some ideas in mind, we can give you our experiences with them. I’ve tried most of them, so I have opinions… 
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Good to hear from you Dave…
I am doing decoction more from a “flavor” profile… I have just gotta try it before abandoning or jumping on the wagon…
Sneezles61
I didnt know that about munich malt. Normally i blend the munich malt with some pilsner. As far as decoction im a believer. Its not for all styles but i decocted my last Bock and really noticed a difference. It might be because i boiled the decoction longer and harder than in my pilsner because i wasnt worried about the darkness. People say to just add melanoidin malt but i think it ads more than that. Color and other flavor
Thanks. Great comments. I’ve used Munich a couple times now but more in the 50 percent range with a marzen and Vienna. Good conversion but only 60 minute mash…lazy on my part. I certainly intend to extend the time as you wisely recommend and think I will try to keep it at 150F to maximize conversion.
Yes, I typically use hallertau mostly based on what my supply shop has. As for yeast, I have had incredible luck with Imperial Global. It just does a great job.
Thanks again Dave and happy brewing.
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Finally got around to brewing this batch. Because of the high percent of 30L Munich that I used, I mashed low and slow. 150f for 75 minutes. OG was 1.056 and to my pleasant surprise my FG was 1.015.
First pre keg taste is pretty good. Thanks to all for input.
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