GH Dunkelweizen recipe - which "Munich" Malt?

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I still remember having a superb pint of Dunkelweizen in Munich many (many) years so I'm aiming to try GH's recipe from his Home Brew Beer book.
The recipe calls for "Munich Malt" but I'm a bit befuddled by the number of options for it on MaltMiller...

The full grain bill is:
  • Wheat Malt 2.7kg
  • Munich Malt 2.3kg
  • Caramunich III 300g
  • Special B 300g
OK so for 'Munich' malt I get quite a few to choose from...

1604609919865.png

I wanted to get the order in quick, so I went for the Weyermann Barke stuff (top left) - but as it's almost half the grain bill I hope it's the right stuff.
Also, please can some kind person educate me as to the significance of the word 'crisp' in the description of some of these malts...?

And final bonus question... what the heck is 'Special B' ??? Is it made from breakfast cereal ? :laugh8::?:
edit: OK I looked it up: "The darkest of the Belgian crystal malts, Dingemans Special B will impart a heavy caramel taste."

Thanks in advance as usual for your tolerance and help
TETB
 
Thanks - yes, the recipe calls for 300g of the caramunich iii. I’m guessing the i/ii/iii caramunichs are in increasing order of kilning?

Yes exactly that. Munich comes in a I/II/III grades and as you say the higher numbers are kilned higher. They are all base malts. Caramunich also has the grades but they are caramel malts not base malts. When a recipe just says “Munich” I would go with the lowest grade.
 
When a recipe just says “Munich” I would go with the lowest grade.
Generally I'd agree with this, although in dark beers like a dunkelweizen a combo of I and II adds some delicious extra toastiness. Is there really a III, I've never seen that?
 
a combo of I and II adds some delicious extra toastiness
Thanks Steve... hoping I might get a bit of the toastiness of which you speak as the Weyerman Barke stuff I chose weighs in at EBC 20: something like midway between the Munich I (EBC 15) and Munich II (EBC 24).

Also thinking that my high alkalinity water could be quite well suited to a Munich dark beer - it comes out of the tap at Ca 145, Na 30, HCO3 333, SO4 42, Cl 55, NO3 31. Sulphate and Chloride are slightly higher than the Munich profile I looked at, but was thinking of just using as-is for this brew (except a little Camden for the chlorine)
 
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Weyerman Barke is a great barley, you can't go wrong with it in any form - it comes as pils, vienna and munich

My Dunkelweisse recipe is
60% Wheat malt
32.5% Munich 1
7.5% Caramunich 3

I would probably cut your water a bit, up to 50/50 with RO, but I think you'd still make a good beer with it as is
 
Weyerman Barke is a great barley, you can't go wrong with it in any form - it comes as pils, vienna and munich

My Dunkelweisse recipe is
60% Wheat malt
32.5% Munich 1
7.5% Caramunich 3

I would probably cut your water a bit, up to 50/50 with RO, but I think you'd still make a good beer with it as is
Thanks @Hanglow - really helpful.
I have an RO (actually RO+DI) setup here so I could do a dilution like that... I'd be interested to know which part of my mains water profile you'd be targeting. I was thinking I'm not too far off the Brewer's Friend Munich (Dark Lager):

Bru'n Water has the 'Munich' profile as:

Water ProfileCalcium (ppm)Magnesium (ppm)Sodium (ppm)Sulfate (ppm)Chloride (ppm)Bicarbonate (ppm)Cations (meq/L)Anions (meq/L)Total HardnessAlkalinityRASO4/Cl RatioComments
Munich771741882955.45.42622421772.3from Munich water company

Whereas Brewer's Friend goes into a little more detail and splits it between 'Dark' and 'Lighter' profiles.

Munich (Dark Lager)
Ca2+Mg2+Na+Cl-SO42-HCO3-
Ion Profile in ppm
82204216320
Munich water is high in temporary hardness and well suited for dark lagers such as Munich Dunkel, Schwarzbier or Doppelbock. Because of its high residual alkalinity, this water profile is not recommended for Munich Helles or Maibock. The mineral levels for this target are from the 2013 water quality report for Munich.


Munich (decarbonated)
Ca2+Mg2+Na+Cl-SO42-HCO3-
Ion Profile in ppm
40204755229
The munich water profile after being treated with slaked lime and the addition of some calcium chloride and gypsum. That is the kind of water treatment a Munich brewer might do to make the water more suitable for lighter beers. Well suited for Märzen and Maibock.
 
Barke is a specific breed of Barley.

Barke (Barley) is a German-bred two-row spring brewing barley variety developed by Josef Breun GmbH & Co. KG of Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, and introduced in 1996. It quickly gained a reputation for exceptional agronomic, malting, and brewing performance, and rapidly became one of the most popular brewing barley varieties worldwide.

More info: The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of Barke (barley)

I think you've made a good choice, although the Simpsons or Crisp Munich Malts would have probably also been fine.
 
Barke is a specific breed of Barley.

Barke (Barley) is a German-bred two-row spring brewing barley variety developed by Josef Breun GmbH & Co. KG of Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, and introduced in 1996. It quickly gained a reputation for exceptional agronomic, malting, and brewing performance, and rapidly became one of the most popular brewing barley varieties worldwide.

More info: The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of Barke (barley)

I think you've made a good choice, although the Simpsons or Crisp Munich Malts would have probably also been fine.
Wow so much great knowledge in this forum - fascinating :-)
 
My Dunkelweisse recipe is
60% Wheat malt
32.5% Munich 1
7.5% Caramunich 3
That's a really interesting grain bill - a really bold whack of wheat... wonder what that does to your OG?
If possible, could you share your hops and yeast too? The GH recipe uses 32g of Tettnang (at 4.5%) which seems very light in comparison to the amount of Fuggles and Goldings I'm used to chucking in :laugh8:
For yeast, I'm using WY3056
 
If possible, could you share your hops and yeast too? The GH recipe uses 32g of Tettnang (at 4.5%) which seems very light in comparison to the amount of Fuggles and Goldings I'm used to chucking in :laugh8:

I think wheat beer shouldn't really have a discernible hop character. Therefore, something with low alpha acids is required, although not as low as for a lambic (although I wonder if anyone has tried really aged hops for almost zero alpha acids in a Weizenbier).

Any of the noble hops varieties - Tettnanger, Hellertau, Spalter or Žatec (Saaz) - would all work well. Fuggles, East Kent Golding or Savinjski Golding (Styrian) would probably work well enough if you didn't throw a heap in there and added them at the beginning of the boil, although I've never tried a wheat beer with any of those three.
 
It would mainly be to cut down the calcium to more "normal" levels for a wheat beer. That amount might affect yeast flocculation etc more than usual, but I do usually put about 150ppm in bitters etc

Hops, one addition of hallertau mittelfruh at 60mins for 20IBU, although anything from 12 IBU up is fine. Any of those mentioned by phillc would be fine too

mash pH I wouldn't add any acids at all, you want it on the high side. I'd add some lactic acid at end of boil if needed to knock it down to 5.1

Yeast, dry would be munich classic ale only. I quite like this, just one packet sprinkled in a standard sized batch. As for wet, it's been ages since I used any but next time I am going to make a wheat beer I want to build up the yeast from a schneider weiss bottle. Other wise I'd go with the weihenstephan yeast, whichever one that is from WLP/Wyeast etc. Unfortunately their bottling yeast is not the right one. Just one packet, no starter assuming it's fresh

I've not used the one that you have, but I saw braukaiser recommends it in a dunkel here, which is no bad thing! makes me want to try it
http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2008/08/30/weissbier-experiment-different-yeasts/
 
I want to build up the yeast from a schneider weiss bottle.

Tap5 Hopfenweisse is absolutely the best wheat beer for me. Probable passe to say it, but I've yet to find better on a decent commercial scale.

Building up a yeast starter from their bottle sounds like a fine idea. Might have to steal that and add it to my long list of brewing things to do!
 

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