Munich dunkel is an often-overlooked, but incredibly delicious beer that’s rich and dry, and tastes like molten toffee. Here, we have suggestions to make the best Munich dunkel possible.

The Schwarzbier is similar to a lightly roasted coffee, with a low alcohol content, and much more restrained in flavor than a Munich Dunkel. Longtime homebrewer Josh Weikert walks you through the process!

With the right grist and careful fermenting, you can get the best of the malt flavors in this Munich Dunkel without leaving an impression of sweetness. But, there’s an important caveat to keep in mind: don’t go too far.

Biere de Garde (BdG) enjoys more flexibility than most, as a style. Not only do the component style descriptors give ranges (as they do for most styles), it also allows for three distinct (uncredited) substyles based on color: blonde, amber, and brown.

“Light aroma; as it warms, a vigorous swirl coaxes out a roasted malt hint. Flavor presents more malt, skewing to chocolate rather than toast and bread crust. Pleasant, if not tightly adherent to style. Smooth, drinkable.”

An interesting style that is semi-hard to find commercially… this sounds like just the kind of beer that homebrewers should be lining up to make!

Not all dark beers—and most especially not all dark lagers—are the same. Take some time to parse the different dark lager styles out there and consider not only how they differ but also how we can modify our brewing approaches to produce them.

Steve Holle, founder and managing partner of the KC Bier Company in Kansas City, Missouri, describes their deliberate, details-oriented approach to brewing traditional German-style lagers.

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.

Aroma: “Moderate toasty and bread-crust malt. Slightly nutty. Grassy, grainy malt, with slight dark chocolate. Subtle noble/spicy hops. Light dried prune and raisin, too.” Flavor: “Toasty, bready crust, and nutty come through in the flavor as well. There’s also a hint of caramel. Moderate sweetness carries through into the finish with low bitterness. Grassy, grainy malt, bread crust, coffee, medium-full body with semisweet finish. Slight noble, floral, spicy hops. Well-balanced. Crisp finish with a slight lingering sweetness but not cloying.” Overall: “A wonderful malt complexity with a clean lager fermentation. Perhaps drier and roastier than a prototypical dunkel should be, but still a very enjoyable dark lager.”

Aroma: “Moderately strong toasted malt up front with dark chocolate, rich Munich-type malt, and roast behind that. There’s a touch of vanilla in the background. Slight earthy noble-hops aromas.” Flavor: “The vanilla really comes through in the flavor with a lot of rich malt and chocolate. There’s a nuttiness as well and a slight moderate sweetness up front that builds into a moderately strong sweetness before fading. The whole combination reminds one of Little Debbie Nutty Bars. The finish has a moderate bitterness and a low alcohol warmth.” Overall: “The vanilla works well overall and isn’t overpowering. Nice malt complexity. The sweetness with the big vanilla and chocolate makes it come off a bit like a chocolate bar—and that’s a good thing.”

Before he and his two brothers founded Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, Jack Hendler, the co-founder of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers talks about his fondness for the darker side of the lager style, including schwarzbier and Baltic porter.

“Fairly roast- and smoke-forward malt flavors are pleasant and, combined with a clean and slightly sweet finish, make the beer quite enjoyable. We just wish for a bit more subtle complexity in the malt flavors.”

“Toasty, bready malt character is rich and inviting, with a surprising touch of floral hops. Rich toasted malt, light smoke, and faint roast malt. Medium-light hop bitterness, floral hops; some dark, red fruit flavors. Crisp and dry finish, slightly acidic.”

Partly inspired by Flying Dog’s Numero Uno, this lager has a bready, tortilla-like backbone with some lime-like Motueka hops for a refreshing edge.

More than a decade ago, Mark Pasquinelli embarked on a quest to brew the perfect pumpkin ale. Here, he shares his finely honed recipe.

The Helles is a challenging beer to get just right, but once you learn to dial it in, you’ll have a beer that just about everyone likes to drink.

Festbier, the beer actually served at Munich’s Oktoberfest, is related to Oktoberfest but a definitely distinct style. It’s a pale lager with a clear Pilsner malt biscuit bent, with some additional toasted malt flavors in support. Here’s how to brew one.

A traditional beer, perfect for Oktoberfest celebrations.

A darker, stronger version of Bavarian wheat beer. A crisp wheat flavor is balanced by a slight chocolate maltiness. A mild clove/banana flavor accents the spicy character of Tradition hops.