German-Style Dunkel (2024)

FAQs

What is German dunkel beer? ›

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.

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

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 Dunkel makes a great year round option although it's okay to admit you only want one when the temperature plummets. I find I want a Munich Dunkel on those in between days between fall and winter when the temperature really drops.

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.

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.

Pilsner. By far the most popular type of beer in Germany is pilsner, generally known as 'Pils'. The light-golden beer with the dry hoppy aroma is very popular in the North, West and East. The name goes back to the Czech town of Pilsen.

1) Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier – Best Overall.

Is Oktoberfest a dunkel? ›

While a rich, malt-driven amber lager seems to be what most people in the U.S. describe as the style, the Bavarian dunkel was the favored style during the early years of Oktoberfest.

The hefeweizen glass also works great with a dunkelweizen, a darker version of a weizen, or even the dunkel, a roasty, biscuity dark lager.

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.

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

The body of dark lagers is typically very foamy. These beers have flavors of coffee, toffee, and sometimes chocolate. Dunkels are never sweet and are always light on hops. Dunkels are about 5% ABV.

The term 'bock' translates to “ram” in German, and rams are often used in logos advertising the beer. “Dunkles” means dark, referring to the beers color. Lighter colored bocks were also produced.

Brewed longer to enhance the flavors, this Munich Dunkel-style Lager gives way to a rich flavor and remarkably smooth taste. Modelo Negra contains Water, Barley Malt, Non-malted Cereals and Hops.