Last Updated on May 2, 2024 by Doug Hall
Dunkel is German for dark. I’ve always wanted to brew a Dunkel recipe but could never find an ingredients list anywhere that would list items readily available to a home brewer.
Dunkel beers are also known as Munchner dunkels and have a balanced flavor of chocolate, bread crust, and caramel. They are known for their malt-forward flavor profile but are not overly sweet. Their color is usually deep copper to dark brown.
Munich malt is the predominant grain. Munich malt is roasted at a lower temperature for a longer time than chocolate malt. The result is a brown color but not quite as nutty as chocolate malts.
Dunkel Lager Origins
Dunkel Lager was the first beer to be regulated by the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516, making it Germany’s first standardized lager beer style. It is still popular in many beer halls of Munich, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Kulmbach, and Lichtenfels. Mostly made by smaller brewers, there aren’t many true Bavarian commercial examples available in the United States. If you can find them, Flensburger Dunkel Lager and Hofbräuhaus Dunkel Lager are probably the 2 most commonly found imports.
Fortunately, there is a home brew supply store online that sells a Dunkel lager recipe. Jasper’s Home Brew Supply has both an extract and all-grain version of a recipe they call ‘Frankenmuth Bavarian Dunkel Lager’.
Here’s a link to the extract recipe: https://boomchugalug.com/products/frankenmuth-bavarian-dunkel-extract-beer-recipe-kit
Here’s a link to their all-grain version: https://boomchugalug.com/products/frankenmuth-bavarian-dunkel-all-grain-beer-recipe-kit
With SaflagerS-23 Dried lager yeast and a 5 oz bag of priming sugar, the total was $53.77. Adding their standard $7.99 flat-rate shipping, our total cost was $61.76. That’s $1.29 per bottle, $7.72 per 6-pack.
Jasper’s is one of our top 10 online brew supply stores, but as we mentioned in their review, their prices are on the high end. Having said that, I have not been able to find a Dunkel Lager recipe anywhere else. You will also pay at least $14 for a 6-pack of an imported Dunkel lager in my area.
The order shipped the same day we ordered and we received the shipment 2 days later.
Jasper’s Dunkel Lager Recipe Kit Included:
Fermentables
- 6.8 lbs Munch Liquid Malt Extract
Grains and additives
- 8 oz Melanoidin Malt
- 4 oz Biscuit Malt
- 4 oz De-husked Carafa Malt
Hops
- 2 oz oz Tettanger – broken down to 1 1/2 added for 60 minutes, 1/2 oz for the final 20 minutes of the 60-minute boil.
Yeast
- Saflager S-23 Dry Lager yeast
Brewing Supplies and Additives
- 1 Muslin Bag
- 5 oz Priming Sugar
- Bottle Labels
One of the cool things with orders from Jasper’s Home Brew Supply that I have not received from any other online supply store is bottle cap labels.
It seems like a simple thing but I have been labeling my caps with a Sharpie and the 2 or 3-character code I write is not always easily deciphered.
Again, a small but well-thought-out addition that I really appreciate.
Cooking the Dunkel Extract Recipe
This was a 60-minute boil and the directions from Jasper’s were easy to follow.
Jasper’s touts that they package all recipes to order, ensuring the freshest ingredients. They made one claim on the liquid malt extract label which I had never thought of before. They say their LME is not pasteurized, supposedly one of the freshest ways to brew. That makes sense but I have no idea if other brew supply stores offer pasteurized LME.
Anyway, the LME came in a clear plastic bag. I soaked it in tap hot water in my kitchen sink to soften it up before adding it to the kettle.
As always, heat the strike water to 150 degrees and steep the specialty grains. Jasper’s recommends 2.25 gallons versus the 2.5 I am used to with other recipes. They claim to measure 2.25 to ensure extract the proper amount of hop bitterness during the boil
After steeping the grains for 20 minutes, we heat the water up to a boil, take off the burner, and add the bag of LME. Once it had achieved a boil again, I set a timer to 60 minutes and added 1 1/2 ounce of the Tettanger hops.
The Dunkel Lager recipe kit came with 2, 1-ounce bags of hop pellets. This is, once again, where my handy $10 food scale came in handy.
I had to measure out 1.5 ounces to add to the brew pot at the start of the 60-minute boil, The scale eliminated guesswork and made the task a breeze.
40 minutes into the boil, I add the final 1/2 ounce of the hops. With 10 minutes remaining, I added 1/2 of a whirflioc tablet.
After the 60-minute boil is done, I add the brew pot to an ice bath in my kitchen sink to cool it down as quickly as possible.
The Safelager S-23 lager yeast has an ideal fermentation temperature range of 53 to 59 degrees. That means I need to get the wort cooled down below 75 degrees before pitching the yeast.
Incidentally, I had also lowered the external thermostat on my extra garage refrigerator to 56 degrees.
I added roughly 3 gallons of cold, filtered water to get the overall volume to just over 5 gallons in the primary fermenter. I always go for more than 5 gallons initially to account for lost volume from the yeast cake (trub) at the bottom from fermentation.
I aerate the wort, seal it with the gasket lid, add the airlock, and put the fermenting bucket into the spare garage refrigerator pre-set to 65 degrees.
An External Thermostat is a Great Homebrewer Addition
I mentioned earlier the food scale was one of the few extra pieces of equipment I purchased. I’m just a humble extract homebrewer and don’t need or want the latest gadgets that seem to be coming out at a fast pace. A digital, X3, jacketed uni canonical fermenter with 1.5″ TC ports? Knock yourselves out. They’re only priced up to $1,900. SMDH.
I don’t have a cellar. Brewing lagers is a challenge and even ales other than winter can be problematic unless I’m using a Lutra yeast that can handle higher temperatures. That is great, but certain styles of beer just don’t go well with those yeast strains, in my opinion.
A few years ago I spent $75 on a Penn Thermostat. I bought it at MoreBeer.com. It is an analog external thermostat. You plug your refrigerator into the thermostat, which then plugs into your wall outlet. It comes with a long wire and an elongated sensor used to regulate temperature.
The official description is;
A remote sensor connected by a small capillary tube monitors temperatures. If the temperature rises above your set point, the cooling device is turned on.
The unit features a 4-degree swing to help extend the life of the cooling unit’s compressor. For example, if you had it set at 68 degrees, it would turn on at 68 degrees and go to 64 degrees before turning off. The unit has the potential to regulate temperature from 20 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
The sensor tube can be inserted into a refrigerator or freezer and still allows the door gasket to seal tight. Temperature Range of 20 to 80F.
Of course, the price is higher now. Over $100 if you can find it in stock. Most stores offer a digital alternative that ranges in price from $150 to $200. It is still worth it in my opinion, especially if you’re like me without a basement and want to brew beers all year.
Temperature Controller Image Gallery
The primary fermentation became active after 24 hours. After 14 days, we moved the primary fermenter to our kitchen for a diacetyl rest. While we let it rest for 3 days, we lowered our external thermostat to 34 degrees.
We racked the beer into a secondary fermenter and lagered the beer for 5 weeks before kegging and bottling.
The 2, 2-gallon corny kegs were another addition to my collection. I have a friend who does nothing but keg. He has quite the setup with a 4-tap kegerator. I’ve been envious of his setup and ability to not have to mess with the cleaning of bottles, or more importantly, not having to wait weeks for bottles to carbonate to taste your new creation.
They are fun and offer near-instant gratification. I have to admit they take up a lot of room in your refrigerator. The 72-gram Co2 canisters are not cheap and never seem to last as long as promised.
Even my fellow beer-loving enthusiast neighbor (another Doug!) got a chuckle the other day from my kitchen refrigerator. 2 kegs and almost a case of bottled homebrews. Because I have to remove a shelf to make room for the 2-kegs, there is not a lot of room left over for, you know, actual food. Lol!
Dunkel Lager Tasting Notes
Wow, this beer is awesome! I enjoy most styles of brown ales but this was so smooth. Lagers make such a huge difference in taking the edge off a 2-week-aged ale.
I grabbed one of my Bavarian beer glasses from the freezer and poured my first glass from the keg just 24 hours after kegging.
Dark copper, nice compact, white head. There is a slight nutty aroma. I also detected a slight bready aroma that came from the biscuit specialty grains.
The first sip was smooth. No distinguishable bitterness but not overly sweet. Put it this way, I have a neighbor who only drinks the mass-produced light beer crap. She enjoys it. I was gobsmacked!
The toastiness of the Munich malt comes through but the extended lagering mellows the overall taste to a very enjoyable brew for many palets.
Dunkel Lager Extract Recipe Numbers
| Recipe Aize | 5-gallons | 1, 2-gallon keg & 28 bottles |
| Color | SRM Score |  21- Deep Copper |
| Malty | 0 to 10 | 6 |
| Hoppy | 0 to 10 | 2 |
| Bitterness | IBU Score (5-100) | 18 |
| Original Specific Gravity | 1.052 | |
| Final Specific Gravity | 1.012 | |
| Alcohol | ABV% | 5.0% |
Dunkel Lager Conclusions
I have always admired the Dunkel lager style but had never found a recipe kit for extract homebrewers. The kit from Jasper’s Home Brew Supply is a home run.
With very few exceptions, I always have notes of something I want to tweak should I try a recipe again. I did not have any with this recipe.
My next step might be to try the Bavarian dark wheat beer Dunkelweizen. In the meantime, this Dunkel lager has been added to my list of recipes to keep in regular rotation.
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