Not EVERY German Dark Beer Earns the Name DUNKLES
May 17 '01
The Bottom Line German brands might be the classic examples, but there are some good microbrewed dunkles too. Here's how to find the GOOD ones!
Dunkles is the German word for "dark," and that's exactly what these beers are -- they are dark lagers, usually from breweries in or near Munich. Yet not every dark German beer is a dunkles. Some are alts, and some are the rich strong bock beers that celebrate springtime, while yet others are the black lagers of Kostritzer that are simply labeled "schwartzbier". Here's your guide to knowing what to expect from a genuine German dunkles, and how to tell when you're faced with an impertinent imposter.
I want you to know what the difference is between different kinds of German dark beers, and how these beers differ from similar ale styles, such as porter.
What Makes a Great Dunkles?
The key to a great dunkles beer can be summed up in two words: Munich malt. When I taste a dunkles, I want to taste the complex sweet malt flavor of fresh Munich malt.
If you're not familiar with Munich malt, it tastes slightly sweeter to me than other malt flavors with more of a biscuit-like or slightly toasted edge. It is very distinct from the flavor of crystal or caramel malt -- which are sometimes a bit similar, but that have more of a toffee character to them.
When I'm tasting a classic dunkles, I'm looking for craftsmanship and attention to traditional German methods. I'm paying particular attention to the nature of the malt flavor and the body of the beer. The one thing I really don't want to taste in a Munich-style dunkles is any hint that dark roasted malt varieties like black malt or chocolate malt were used. I don't want to taste the sharp burnt edge or coffee or any cocoa edges to this beer. A little tiny hint of light chocolate flavor sometimes comes through even with dark Munich malts, but its never the strong chocolate flavor that you sometimes find in porters -- it's subtle and smooth.
Like bocks and wheat beers, a good dunkles will be a beer that tastes primarily like sweet malted grain. You'll know that hops are there by the way the beer is balanced, but the beer should not taste like hops (we'll leave that wonderful flavor to pilsners and IPAs).
Dunkles beers are brewed to normal strength (12 Plato) and have normal alcohol levels (about 5 percent). The color can actually vary quite a bit. Some breweries sell "dunkles" beers that are little darker than what we might call "amber" or "copper", while others sell versions that are closer to the black color of a porter or stout.
Dunkles is Different from Altbier
Pour a dunkles into a glass next to a glass of altbier, and the two might look pretty similar, but that's as far as the similarity goes. Altbiers are hoppy and have a sharp flavor. Dunkles are malty and have a smooth, somewhat sweet flavor. Both are made with Munich malt, but the hops signature is the most obvious giveaway that you've got an alt and not a dunkles.
How Dunkles is Different from Bock
Bock beers are also dark lagers from Munich and are also made using mostly Munich malt, but there's a big difference between dunkles and bock, and I do mean big. You see, bock is a big beer and dunkles is not. By German law, any beer called a bock must have a density of at least 16 degrees Plato, which will give it an alcohol level around 7 percent (sometimes higher). Dunkles is a normal strength beer (12 degrees Plato) -- so it won't be especially heavy. On the other hand, bock will have a complex malt character and might taste alcoholic. If you find that kind of character in your beer, you sure don't have a dunkles!
How Dunkles is Different from Dark Ales and Porters
The obvious difference between a dunkles and a porter is that dunkles is a lager made using cold fermentation while a porter is an ale made with a warmer fermentation. That probably doesn't tell you a lot though when it comes to flavor, does it?
The most common difference between these beers that you can taste is that porters are made using what are called "kilned" malts, which are the dark roasted specialty malts such as chocolate or black malt. These lend the flavors of chocolate, coffee, or a sometimes a slight acrid burnt edge to the beer. A dunkles will never show any of these flavors.
It's possible that you might find some fermentation-produced flavors in a porter too. Maybe just a little bit of fruitiness, or a slight toffee or the slightest tinge of butter. These are often characteristic of all ale beer styles, and are a function of the type of yeast being used and the way that fermentation is controlled.
Porters also tend to be darker than dunkles, but that can be a hard thing to gauge if you've got a really dark beer.
Finding Great Dunkles
The best examples of dunkles beer are those from southern Germany. If you look for the versions from Ayinger, Paulaner, or Hacker-Pschorr, you really can't go wrong. Compare other brands against these classic benchmarks.
Quite a few north american craft brewers make dunkles beers, but it's really hit or miss as to how well they compare to the German classics. The best that I've had was probably DeGroen's dark from the Baltimore Brewing Company. I have also had some excellent versions at the Stoudt brewery in Adamstown Pennsylvania, and at the Penn brewery in Pittsburgh. On the other hand, I've been disappointed by versions at the Karl Strauss and Gordon Biersch brewpubs in San Diego and although I generally like the Sierra Madre Brewing Company in Monterrey Mexico, I find their dunkles to be a bit too phenolic for my tastes. By all means try whatever locally made dunkles beers you can find, but always compare them to something like an Ayinger to see how smooth and malty they really are compared to the original masters.
Ein prosit!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.