Dunkel, or Dunkles, is a word used for several types of dark
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
lager
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...
. ''Dunkel'' is the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
word meaning ''dark'', and dunkel beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth
malt
Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air.
Malted grain is used to make beer, w ...
y flavor. 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
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
, this may be
Altbier
Altbier (German: ''old beer'') is a style of beer brewed in the Rhineland, especially around the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. It is a copper coloured beer whose name comes from it being top-fermented, an older method than the bottom ferme ...
.
In
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
, Dunkel, along with
helles, is a traditional style brewed in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
and popular throughout Bavaria. With
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
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 color. Other malts or flavors may also be added.
Many dunkels have a distinctive malty flavor that comes from a special brewing technique called
decoction mashing
In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of ground grains – typically malted barley with supplementary grains such as corn, sorghum, rye, or wheat – known as the " grain bill" with water and then heating the mix ...
. 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
Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German ''Weizenbier'' and Belgian ''witbier''; other types include Lambic (made with wild ...
.
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.
Lighter-colored 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
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper ...
, for example the
Franconian Switzerland, where it has been originally the most common beer type. The region has a lot of
microbreweries
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
, of which many still produce Dunkel.
One Example is
Weissenohe Abbey Brewery (''Weissenoher Klosterbrauerei'').
Examples
*
Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren Dunkel
*
Andechser Dunkel
*
Augustiner Dunkel
*
Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
*
Dunkel Fester A dunkel-style beer brewed in the
UK by the
Wychwood Brewery
*
Erdinger
The Privatbrauerei Erdinger Weißbräu Werner Brombach GmbH (also known as Erdinger Weißbräu) is a brewery in Erding, Germany. Its best-known products are its namesake Weißbiers (wheat beer).
History
Erdinger is the world's largest whea ...
Dunkel
*
Franconia Brewing Company German Dunkel
*
Hacker-Pschorr
Hacker-Pschorr is a brewery in Munich, formed in 1972 out of the merger of two breweries, Hacker and Pschorr. Hacker was founded in 1417, nearly a century before the enactment of the ''Reinheitsgebot'' beer purity law of 1516.
As one of six bre ...
Münchner Dunkel
*
Hofbräu München Dunkel
*
König Ludwig Dunkel
*
Löwenbräu Dunkel
*
Paulaner
Paulaner is a German brewery, established in 1634 in Munich by the Minim friars of the ''Neudeck ob der Au'' cloister. The mendicant order and the brewery are named after Francis of Paola, the founder of the order. Paulaner is one of the ...
Original Münchner Dunkel
*
Spaten München Dunkel
*
Warsteiner Premium Dunkel
*
Weihenstephaner
The Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan (''Bavarian State Brewery of Weihenstephan'') is a German brewery located on the site of the former Weihenstephan Abbey in Freising, Bavaria. In 2014, the total output was . The brewery advertises itse ...
Tradition Bayrisch Dunkel
*
Weltenburg Abbey
Weltenburg Abbey (Kloster Weltenburg) is a Benedictine monastery in Weltenburg near Kelheim on the Danube in Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
The abbey is situated on a peninsula in the Danube, in a section of the river valley called the Weltenbu ...
Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel
See also
*
Doppelbock
*
German beer
Beer is a major part of German culture. German beer is brewed according to the '' Reinheitsgebot'', which permits only water, hops, and malt as ingredients; and stipulates that beers not exclusively using barley-malt, such as wheat beer, must ...
*
Helles
*
Schwarzbier
, black beer, is a dark lager that originated in Germany. It has an opaque, black colour with hints of chocolate or coffee flavours, and is generally around 5% ABV. It is similar to stout in that it is made from roasted malt, which gives it its ...
References
External links
Munich Dunkel– by K. Florian Klemp – ''All About Beer'' Magazine (Volume 23 Number 5 – November 2002)
{{Beer Styles
German beer styles