Munich Dunkel is a dark lager that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Lager malt, and leans on Magnum 11% to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Munich Dunkel |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.048-1.056 |
| Final Gravity | 1.012-1.016 |
| ABV | 4.5-5.5% |
| IBU | 16-28 |
| SRM | 14-30 (brown to black) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (lager patience required) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Lager malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Magnum 11%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 12C (54F) Pitch White Labs WLP830 German Lager once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 4 weeks at 3C (37F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. My Brew Supply Flaked Maize Premium Beer Making Grain)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Hop Pellets 1 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Craft A Brew – Safale S-04 Dry Yeast – Fermentis)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. Carboy Caps 4 Pk Silicone Caps)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Dextrose 50 Lb)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Northern Brewer Homebrewing Starter Kit w/Equipment, Chinook IPA)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Munich Dunkel is best served in a mug or pint, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter Zazolyne 5Pack Fermentation Airlock,Twin Bubble Fermenting Improved |
Priming Sugar Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N |
Equipment |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Munich Dunkel
Equipment
- 1 Mash tun or large pot
- 1 Heat source (such as a stovetop or propane burner)
- 1 Thermometer (digital or analog)
- 1 Grain mill (if using whole grains)
- 1 Mash paddle or large spoon
- 1 Large strainer or lautering device
- 1 Boil kettle or large pot
- 1 Immersion or plate wort chiller
- 1 Fermentation vessel (such as a plastic bucket or glass carboy)
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Hydrometer and test jar
- 1 Sanitizer (such as Star San or iodophor)
- 1 Bottling or kegging equipment (if carbonating and packaging the beer)
- 1 Cleaning supplies (such as PBW or OxiClean)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 14 Litres (24 1/2 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°C (149°F)
- 4 1/2 lb Lager malt Quantity 2 kg
- 6 oz Munich malt Quantity 3 kg
- 7 oz Biscuit malt Quantity 200 g
- 3 1/2 oz Chocolate wheat Quantity 100 g
- 2 3/4 oz Carafa special II malt Quantity 80 g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47 1/2 Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 3/4 oz (Hops) Magnum 11% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 26.9)
- 1/4 oz (Hops) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh 5% When to add – For last 5 mins of boil (IBU 0.5)
- 1/3 oz (Hops) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh 5% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other -When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 12°C (54°F) – Conditioning 4 weeks at 3°C (37°F)
- 1 White Labs WLP830 German Lager Yeast
Instructions
Mash:
- Heat 14 litres of water to 65°C and add the malted grains (Lager malt, Munich malt, Biscuit malt, Chocolate wheat, and Carafa special II malt) into a mash tun or large pot. Stir well to ensure there are no clumps or dry spots. Allow the mash to rest for one hour, maintaining the temperature at 65°C.
Lauter and Sparge:
- Drain the liquid (wort) from the mash tun or pot into a separate container, leaving the grains behind. Pour 27 litres of water over the grains to rinse off any remaining sugars (sparging). Collect this liquid and add it to the wort.
Boil:
- Pour the wort into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the Magnum hops and boil for one hour. In the last 5 minutes of the boil, add the Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops. In the last 15 minutes of the boil, add the Protofloc.
Chill:
- After the boil is complete, chill the wort rapidly to 12°C using a wort chiller or an ice bath.
Ferment:
- Transfer the cooled wort into a sanitized fermenter and pitch the White Labs WLP830 German Lager Yeast. Allow the beer to ferment for 2-3 weeks at 12°C.
Condition:
- After primary fermentation is complete, move the fermenter to a cooler environment and condition the beer for four weeks at 3°C.
Carbonate and Package:
- Once conditioning is complete, carbonate the beer using either priming sugar or force carbonation. Bottle or keg the beer and let it sit at room temperature for a few days to allow the carbonation to fully develop.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Munich Dunkel and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Munich Dunkel the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, Munich Dunkel has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on lager malt and magnum 11%, and White Labs WLP830 German Lager is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.5-5.5%
- Bitterness: 16-28 IBU
- Color: 14-30 (brown to black)
- Serving temp: 40-45F (4-7C)
- Glassware: a mug or pint
- Food pairings: roast pork, rye bread, smoked cheese
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
