Dunkel Lager Quick Guide | For Beginners (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Dunkelweizen and Munich dunkel? ›

Dunkelweizen has the same spicy/fruity character of a hefeweizen, but it also has a rich Munich malt character, similar to, but not as intense as a Munich dunkel. Dunkelweizen is often hazy, ranging in color from light copper to a dark mahogany-brown, and topped with a large, dense, creamy off-white head.

Dunkel is the German word meaning "dark", and dunkel beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown.

Start with 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Steep the Carafa® and melanoidin malts for 30 minutes, then remove. Turn off the heat.

The grain and water (the mash temperature) should now be around 152–156 °F (67–69 °C). If not, add a boiling water to the pot to warm it up or cold water to cool it down. Let the mash sit for a half hour. Add more heat by adding boiling water to get the temperature back up in the desired range.

The myth that dark beers are more filling and only suited for colder seasons is just silly. Munich Dunkel makes a great year round option although it's okay to admit you only want one when the temperature plummets.

Vienna and dunkel lagers are beers that are fairly similar in character, though the history is a little different.

Kellner /Kellnerin. German for Beer Maids and Beer Waiters. Staff at Oktoberfest Munich have to be incredibly tough!

Kostritzer Schwarzbier

Schwarzbier (“black beer”) is a 4 to 6 percent alcohol lager made from dark-roasted malt, and one of Germany's best-known schwarzbiers is Kostritzer. Produced in a brewery that's been in operation since 1543, Kostritzer offers a roasty, nutty nose and flavors of pumpernickel and bitter chocolate.

For darker lagers, like Vienna-style, Oktoberfest or Marzen-style lagers, and amber lagers, you'll want to go slightly warmer, in the 45 to 50 range. Stronger lagers, like a dunkel or doppelbock, would do well at 50.

What should a dunkel taste like? ›

The flavor profile is malt-forward, often showing notes of nuts, toffee, freshly baked bread, chocolate, and even licorice, but never veering off into heavily roasted coffee-like accents. Hop bitterness is moderate, with international bitterness units usually in the low 20s, and hop aromatics are subtle.

Schwarzbier is darker than most dunkels but also drier and lighter bodied. Many are now made with dehusked roasted malts, allowing the beers to attain a very dark brown color and chocolaty flavor while avoiding the acidic bite usually associated with heavily roasted malts.

As with all lagers, yeast is of utmost importance for the Dunkel. Some of the best options you can choose include: German Bock Lager Yeast – WLP833 (White Labs) German Lager Yeast – WLP830 (White Labs)

Rich flavors of subtle spices with a refreshing dry hop taste and a malty sweet finish make our dark lager a perfect choice for any occasion.

The German-style dunkel is a bottom-fermented lager style beer. The word “dunkel” is German for “dark,” and this dark beer style offers beer lovers balanced flavors of chocolate, bread crust and caramel.

The German-style dunkel is a bottom-fermented lager style beer. The word “dunkel” is German for “dark,” and this dark beer style offers beer lovers balanced flavors of chocolate, bread crust and caramel.

The German-style Dunkelweizen can be considered a cross between a German-style dunkel and a hefeweizen. Distinguished by its sweet maltiness and chocolate-like character, it can also have banana and clove (and occasionally vanilla or bubblegum) esters from weizen ale yeast.

A Dunkel is a lager, and is brown to dark brown in color but it is lighter bodied than a stout. A Dunkelweizen is usually brown in color, has a fuller mouthfeel, and contains the hefeweizen yeast to get flavors of banana bread and nutty caramel.

Munich Malt – In darker wheat beers such as the Dunkelweizen and Weizenbock, they have a similar mash to a Hefeweizen but they use Munich – or even Vienna – in place of the pale malt to help produce those darker colours and, as a result, a slightly more malty flavour and reddish hue.