Dunkel

These light brown to dark brown beers have a pronounced malty aroma and flavor that dominates over the clean, crisp, moderate hop bitterness. This beer does not offer an overly sweet impression, but rather a mild balance between malt sweetness, hop bitterness and light to moderate mouthfeel. A classic Münchner dunkel should have a chocolate-like, roast malt, bread like or biscuit like aroma that comes from the use of Munich dark malt. Chocolate or roast malts can be used, but the %age used should be minimal. Noble-type hop flavor and aroma should be low but perceptible. Diacetyl should not be perceived. Fruity esters and chill haze should not be perceived.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound crystal malt

• 1/4 pound chocolate malt

• 1/4 pound black patent malt

• 3 pounds light malt extract syrup

• 3 pounds Laaglander dark DME

• 1/2 pound corn sugar

• 1 ounce Tettnang hops

• 2 ounces Hallertau hops

• 1 teaspoon Irish moss

• Wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager yeast

• 1 cup corn sugar

Instructions:

1. Place the crushed specialty grains in a nylon hop bag and steep them in 1 gallon of preheated 150º water for 30 minutes.

2. Drain and discard the spent grains.

3. Bring at least 3 gallons of liquor to a boil, remove the brew kettle from the heat source then stir in the extract, the corn sugar and 1-1/2 ounces of the Hallertau hops.

4. Return the brew kettle to the heat source and boil for 45 minutes, then add the Irish moss.

5. Boil for an additional 10 minutes, then add the Tettnang hops and the rest of the Hallertau hops.

6. Boil for an additional 5 minutes, then remove the brew kettle from the heat source, cover it and drop the temperature of the wort as quickly as possible to 77º F.

7. Once the wort has cooled to below 77º F, take an original gravity reading, pour the wort into a primary fermenter through a funnel with a strainer and add enough cool water to create 5 gallons.

8. Once the wort has been transferred to the primary fermenter, pitch the yeast, stir the wort vigorously, seal the fermenter with an airlock and ferment at 38º-45º F for a week.

9. Rack the beer to a secondary fermenter and allow the beer to finish fermentation.

10. Once fermentation is complete, rack the beer to a bottling bucket, prime with the rest of the corn sugar and bottle and condition as usual.