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Recipe: Sauber Traditional Dunkles Bock

Full of malt depth yet dry, leaner than a doppelbock yet sneaky in strength... Once you brew a dunkles bock, you’ll wonder why you don’t have one on tap year-round.

Photo: Matt Graves/mgravesphoto.com
Photo: Matt Graves/mgravesphoto.com

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ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.076
FG: 1.020
IBUs: 30
ABV: 7.5%

MALT/GRAIN BILL
8.8 lb (4 kg) Munich
4.4 lb (2 kg) Maris Otter
7 oz (198 g) Caramunich
7 oz (198 g) Briess Special Roast
3.5 oz (99 g) CaraRye

HOPS SCHEDULE
0.75 oz (21 g) Columbus at 60 minutes [30 IBUs]

YEAST
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager

DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 151°F (66°C) for 75 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill below 50°F (10°C) if possible, preferably to 45°F (7°C), cooling the wort overnight if necessary. Aerate the wort thoroughly and pitch the yeast. Ferment between 45–50°F (7–10°C) for up to 5 days, then slowly raise the temperature over the next 10–14 days to 60°F (16°C). When fermentation is complete, allow the beer to further condition at room temperature for another 14 days, then crash to 35°F (2°C), package, and carbonate to about 2.25 volumes of CO2.

BREWER’S NOTES
Single-malt variation: I recently brewed a version of this where I replaced the grist with 100 percent Munich from a local craft maltster, with great results. Could be worth a try!

In a Belgian Mood (February-March 2022)
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In a Belgian Mood (February-March 2022)
The diversity and creativity of the beers that come out of this small country are justifiably famous, yet often it’s the wilder side that draws all the attention.
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