I discovered a fascinating beer the other day. Its a collaboration of Ommegang and Urban Chestnut strangely enough titled "Collaboration 2016". Basically its the grain bill and hops of Urban Chestnut's Oxnbrau Doppelbock made with the house Belgian yeast of Ommegang. (They made a followup of Ommegang's Dubbel recipe made with UC lager yeast I haven't found yet) I am interested in trying it out but wondered what grain percentages people have used in their doppelbock recipes. The UC website lists Pilsner, Munich, Caramel and Chocolate with no percentages given but I am not beholden to it. Thanks all!
My last doppelbock was 100% dark munich and it came out great. IMO what a doppelbock needs is a big wallop of munich. If I were planning on using the four malts above I would use a light hand with the other three malts.
For your consideration below is the grain bill from the book Brewing Classic Styles for Doppelbock: · Munich Malt: 14 lbs. · Pilsner Malt: 4 lbs. · CaraMunich (60 L): 2 lbs. Mash at 155 degrees F. Conduct a 90 minute boil. Target OG = 1.086. Best of luck with your Dubbelbock! Please report back how it turned out. Cheers!
Thanks - I always start with that book. Originally I had planned on 45% Munich, 45% Pilsner but now I think I will do 60/30 Munich to Pilsner. Next question is should I do Dark or Regular Munich? My shop carries both for Best Malz and also GWM which is closer to Dark.
I am not familiar with the Munich Malts from those malting companies. I recently brewed a Tmavý Ležák (Czech Dark Lager) and I used a combination of malts to brew that beer: Pilsner, Vienna, Munich – Light and Munich – Dark. I purchased Weyermann malts and in a conversation with another BA homebrewer I did a ‘taste test’ of the Weyermann Pilsner, Vienna, Munich – Light and Munich – Dark malts which I copied below: “I chewed on a few of each of these grains. Below are my impressions: · Pilsner: easy to chew; has a flavor that I associate with Continental Pilsner Malt. · Vienna: rather crunchy; has a toasty flavor. · Munich Light (I): medium crunchy; a very pleasant flavor! · Munich Dark (II): very crunchy; has a roasty flavor. So, by chewing on these grains I could readily distinguish one from the other. FWIW the Munich Light (I) had the most enjoyable flavor via the ‘chew method’.” Assuming that the malting companies you will purchase from are similar in nature to Weyermann I would suggest that you select Munich – Dark if you are seeking a more roasty aspect to your beer. Another option would perhaps be a combination of both such as a 50/50 mix of the Light and Dark? Cheers!
You can layer the Munich malts. Weyermann I is about 7 Lovibond, Weyermann II is around 9-10 L, Durst and Avangard make 40 EBC Munich, which is 14.7 L.
I have used Melanoidin in Oktoberfests before but never made a bock before. Would it be a 1:1 switch?
Seems like it would be a very different beer if you made that switch. I can't tell you what would be closer to the beer that is inspiring you. I suspect it comes down to personal preference. I over did melanoiden (or maybe it was aromatic) malt years ago and have avoided it since. And of course a lot say the same about crystal malts.
You could certainly do that. I just think of Melanoidin as "Super Munich". Caramunich is simply a brand of caramel/crystal malt.
I get a strong "raisin" like character from melanoidin when used at higher percentages. 7-8% would be too high, imo for an Oktoberfest. It would not be as noticeable in a doppelbock, but still might be too much. To me it works best when contributed at such low amounts that you do not notice it as a separate flavor, just an enhancement to the base malt.
I've topped out around 5% for darker styles like Marzen. Usually around 2% for lighter styles like pilsner.
Keep in mind that base malts like Munich Malt will provide notable Melanoidins. Do you think you need more? Cheers!
I do not have your palate. Only you could answer your own question. I personally would recommend that you brew your beer per your 'original' recipe of: 30% Munich Dark 30% Munich Light 30% Pilsner 8% Caramunich 2% Pale Chocolate Malt Plenty of melanoidins in that grain bill in my opinion. Cheers!
