Dunkel

This article is about German dark beers. For other uses, see Dunkel (disambiguation).

Paulaner Dunkel

Dunkel, or Dunkles, is a word used for several types of dark German lager. Dunkel is the German word meaning dark, and dunkel beers typically range in colour from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth malty flavour.^[1] In informal terms, such as when ordering at a bar, "dunkel" is likely to mean whatever dark beer the bar has on tap, or sells most of; in much of north and western Germany, especially near Düsseldorf, this may be altbier.

In Bavaria, Dunkel, along with helles, is a traditional style brewed in Munich and popular throughout Bavaria. With alcohol concentrations of 4.5% to 6% by volume, dunkels are weaker than Doppelbocks, another traditional dark Bavarian beer. Dunkels are produced using Munich malts which give the Dunkel its colour. Other malts or flavours may also be added.

Many dunkels have a distinctive malty flavour that comes from a special brewing technique called decoction mashing. Most commonly, dunkel beers are dark lagers, but the term is also used to refer to dark wheat beers such as Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel. Dunkel weizen is another term used to refer to dark wheat beers, which are fruity and sweet with more dark, roasted malts than their lighter counterpart, the hefeweizen.

Munich dunkel

Dunkels were the original style of the Bavarian villages and countryside, and it was the most common style at the time of the introduction of the Reinheitsgebot (1516). As such, it is the first "fully codified and regulated" beer. Its ABV is rarely higher than 5.5%, and it has low bitterness, a distinctive dark color, and a malty flavor. Dunkel is brewed using lager yeasts.^[2]

Lighter-coloured lagers were not common until the later part of the 19th century when technological advances made them easier to produce.

Franconian dunkel

Dunkel is also widespread in parts of Franconia, for example the Franconian Switzerland, where it has been originally the most common beer type. The region has a lot of microbreweries, of which many still produce Dunkel.^[3] One Example is Weissenohe Abbey Brewery (Weissenoher Klosterbrauerei).

Examples

Andechser Dunkel
Augustiner Dunkel
Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Dunkel Fester A dunkel-style beer brewed in the UK by the Wychwood Brewery
Erdinger Dunkel
Franconia Brewing Company German Dunkel
Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel
Hofbräu München Dunkel
Konig Ludwig Weissbeir German Dunkel
Löwenbräu Dunkel
Paulaner Original Münchner Dunkel
Spaten München Dunkel
Warsteiner Premium Dunkel
Weihenstephaner Tradition Bayrisch Dunkel
Weltenburg Abbey Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel

In Literature

The character, Dunkel, is one of the two main characters found in the short story "Dunkel and Kweequel: A Fairy Story" by C.J. Cala, which can be found in the book Four Different Faces.^[4]

References

↑ http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/dunkel.html
↑ Oliver, Garrett (2011). "Dunkel". The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford UP. pp. 310–12. ISBN 978-0-19-991210-0.
↑ www.bierland-oberfranken.de
↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=w7AtBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

External links

Munich Dunkel – by K. Florian Klemp – All About Beer Magazine (Volume 23 Number 5 – November 2002)

Beer styles

Ale Lager

Beer in Belgium	Dubbel Flanders red ale Lambic Framboise Gueuze Kriek Oud bruin Quadrupel Saison Tripel Witbier

Beer in Germany	Altbier Berliner Weisse Bock Dortmunder Export Dunkel Gose Pale lager Kellerbier Kölsch Märzen Roggenbier Schwarzbier Smoked beer Wheat beer Zoigl

Beer in the UK	Barley wine Bitter Brown ale India pale ale Mild ale Old ale Porter Scotch ale Stout

Beer in the US	Amber ale American Pale Ale American wild ale Cream ale Ice lager Kentucky common beer Pumpkin ale Steam beer

Other	Baltic porter Bière de Garde Copper ale Corn beer Grodziskie/Grätzer Hard soda Irish red ale Light beer Malt beer Millet beer Pale ale Pilsner Rye beer Sahti Small beer Sour beer Vienna lager

See also	History of beer Beer and breweries by region Beer sommelier Adjuncts Low-alcohol beer Seasonal beer

Beer portal

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.