24 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I was up in Northern Wisconsin fishing this past week and was reunited with New Glarus "Two Women" which is described as a "Country Lager". It is similar to a Festbier as far as my tastebuds are concerned. It's about 9-10 SRM and the package says that it uses Weyermann Malt and Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. My guess is that the yeast was Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager or an equivalent. I have been researching "Dark Munich" malt lately (because of one of Denny's recipes) and I'm confused. I usually get "Munich Light" (my description) which will add a dark gold color to a beer when you add a pound or two to the mash. This is usually described as a 10L grain. When I Google "Dark Munich" by Weyermann or "MUNICH II", I see products that range from 8.1L to 9.9L. So what's the deal? How do I get a 10SRM beer with Dark Munich? When I went onto Tastybrew's calculator and entered a beer with 6 lbs of pilsner and 4 lbs of "Munich Dark", I get a beer color of 10SRM but I don't see how. What am I missing? If anyone has other info about this beer, LMK. It's right in line with my tastebuds. Cheers.

[djinkc]

I think Weyermann's light Munich is around 6L, sounds about right to me using II vs. I.

Edited by djinkc, 13 August 2011 - 05:04 PM.

[BarelyBrews]

Thanks Ken, now im wanting this beer.Nice reviews,there are a lot of variations of Munich.I would beleive i would try a lighter version like DJ said,and move the amounts up from there if i were to make a clone .

[Big Nake]

I'm going to look for some Weyermann Dark Munich and compare the lovibond and see what I find. If the color of the crushed grain doesn't look dark enough for me, I might add a little CaraMunich to the grain bill. I was hoping to get around that but I may go that way if necessary. Also, I emailed the fine people at NG to see if they might share some info. I had this beer at a nice tavern in Lake Geneva earlier this year and thought it was great. When I saw it this week I picked up a sixer and when my wife went into town the next day and texted me Do you need anything from the store?..., I responded with Two Women! For those who have used a darker Munich and know how much to use in a 5-gal batch to get an SRM of 9-10, please let me know what the specific product is and how much to use. Cheers.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I was up in Northern Wisconsin fishing this past week and was reunited with New Glarus "Two Women" which is described as a "Country Lager". It is similar to a Festbier as far as my tastebuds are concerned. It's about 9-10 SRM and the package says that it uses Weyermann Malt and Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. My guess is that the yeast was Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager or an equivalent. I have been researching "Dark Munich" malt lately (because of one of Denny's recipes) and I'm confused. I usually get "Munich Light" (my description) which will add a dark gold color to a beer when you add a pound or two to the mash. This is usually described as a 10L grain. When I Google "Dark Munich" by Weyermann or "MUNICH II", I see products that range from 8.1L to 9.9L. So what's the deal? How do I get a 10SRM beer with Dark Munich? When I went onto Tastybrew's calculator and entered a beer with 6 lbs of pilsner and 4 lbs of "Munich Dark", I get a beer color of 10SRM but I don't see how. What am I missing? If anyone has other info about this beer, LMK. It's right in line with my tastebuds. Cheers.

Ken,A couple of things. I am going to put a link below to the Weyerman Malt website where they list their Munich I/II malts. They list Munich II as (20-25 srm) and their Munich I as (12-17). I also looked at homebrew shops like Northern Brewer, Midwest Homebrew Supply, MoreBeer and Austin Homebrew supply to see what they list for Munich I and II srm. I don't see them list the srm like Weyermann but aren't you supposed to trust the Maltster first? I use Beersmith and I did a recipe with 6 lb Pils 2srm and 4 lb Dark Munich 20srm and get a calculated beer of 11 srm. Same recipe with Munich I 10 srm says 7 srm beer. It seems that you can use get a 10 srm beer using Dark Munich. I don't brew with Weyermann Munich but use Munich is most recipes I brew but its more along the lines of a Munich I. I have seen Munich II at the LHBS but have never tried brewing with it. If you want a 10 srm beer and use Munich II it appears to me you can do it. I just look at it like this Munich II will make a darker beer than Munich I even if the suggested srm sounds off. WeyermannHope this helps,Mike

[Big Nake]

Mike: That sounds right. I use a lot of "Munich" in my recipes too because I like its character. But the stuff I use is light in color for sure. In THIS thread, Denny laid out a nice Czech Dark Lager recipe where he says he uses American Dark Munich (20L) and American Light Munich (10L) but he also says that Briess Munich is not good and he thinks it could actually ruin a beer. So I'd like to get some of this Weyermann 20L Munich because that's what I think they may use in Two Women. Not that I couldn't find a way around that but this beer uses ALL Weyermann malt so that's how I'd like to go. Good stuff, gang... as always. Cheers Beerheads.

[djinkc]

Ken,A couple of things. I am going to put a link below to the Weyerman Malt website where they list their Munich I/II malts. They list Munich II as (20-25 srm) and their Munich I as (12-17). .............WeyermannHope this helps,Mike

I don't know what Farbe is but EBC is usually a larger number than the equivalent SRM. There's a conversion formula out there somewhere. At least I think that's what I remember......... been a while since I thought about EBC.

[Big Nake]

The formula looks to be (simplified)... EBC x .375 + .46 = SRM. Farbe is German for color.So 12 to 17 EBC is about 5 to 7 SRM and 20 to 25 EBC is about 8 to 10 SRM. So the question remains... is there a "dark munich" that is more like 20 SRM? If the only place that has it is Briess, I'll probably just use some CaraMunich and call it a day. I looked at Midwest and Rebel Brewer and see quite a bit of Munich 10L but I don't know if that's light or dark. Cheers.

[Big Nake]

Just checked my current bag of Munich which I picked up at one of my LHBS's in a pinch. I knew it wouldn't be Weyermann or even German... it's a Cargill product and it's labeled as 10L and the description shows that the color can range from 8L to 11L. There was a similar conversation HERE. Also a Global Malt link HERE that is 12L. I'd have to use A LOT to get 9-10 SRM, right?

[Brauer]

Weyermann Munich I is around 6L and Weyermann Munich II is ~9L.100% Weyermann Light Munich will give you just about 10-11 SRM. 100% Weyermann Dark Munich will be closer to ~13 SRM.I've been meaning to make a Dunkel with a traditional all German Dark Munich recipe, and I'll probably do that once the weather gets cold. I've made a couple with 100% all Munich I and I find it to be delicious. American Munich (~10L) is more like German Dark Munich and American Dark Munich (20L) is almost like a Crystal Malt in effect. I wouldn't try to use American Munich Malt as a substitute for German Munich Malt, they are different animal...uh, vegetables.Is there a reason you think it's made with Dark Munich? The website says "floor-malted Bohemian Malt". Maybe they just added a little CaraMunich for color.

[Big Nake]

Weyermann Munich I is around 6L and Weyermann Munich II is ~9L.100% Weyermann Light Munich will give you just about 10-11 SRM. 100% Weyermann Dark Munich will be closer to ~13 SRM.I've been meaning to make a Dunkel with a traditional all German Dark Munich recipe, and I'll probably do that once the weather gets cold. I've made a couple with 100% all Munich I and I find it to be delicious. American Munich (~10L) is more like German Dark Munich and American Dark Munich (20L) is almost like a Crystal Malt in effect. I wouldn't try to use American Munich Malt as a substitute for German Munich Malt, they are different animal...uh, vegetables.Is there a reason you think it's made with Dark Munich? The website says "floor-malted Bohemian Malt". Maybe they just added a little CaraMunich for color.

It's very possible that they used a small amount of a darker malt like CaraMunich and I have no problem with that. I've used CM many times and I like its character. But the beer seems darker to me than you could get with all Munich malt... at least the Munich I've been using. I think I'll just use Best Malz Pils, a good amount of Munich Malt (whether 6L, 10L or whatever) and then maybe 4-6 ounces of CaraMunich and call it a day. I don't necessarily want to duplicate it, just create something in the spirit of it. Also, I emailed NG and asked about this. I got a response saying that with the competitive nature of the brewing world, they feel that they have to keep their recipes "close to the vest". No further information was given to me. I have a recipe in mind and it will probably go something like this:5 lbs Best Malz Pilsner malt4 lbs Munich Light6 oz CaraMunich (single infusion mash @ 152 for 60-90 mins)½ oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 4.3% FWH5.5 AAU Hallertau Mittelfruh for 60Wyeast 2308 Munich LagerApproximately: OG: 1.052, FG: 1.012, IBU: 27, SRM: 10, ABV: 5.0%I think I'll call it Zwei Frauen Country Lager... Zwei Frauen appears to mean "Two Women" in German. Cheers Beerheads!

[ncbeerbrewer]

It's very possible that they used a small amount of a darker malt like CaraMunich and I have no problem with that. I've used CM many times and I like its character. But the beer seems darker to me than you could get with all Munich malt... at least the Munich I've been using. I think I'll just use Best Malz Pils, a good amount of Munich Malt (whether 6L, 10L or whatever) and then maybe 4-6 ounces of CaraMunich and call it a day. I don't necessarily want to duplicate it, just create something in the spirit of it. Also, I emailed NG and asked about this. I got a response saying that with the competitive nature of the brewing world, they feel that they have to keep their recipes "close to the vest". No further information was given to me. I have a recipe in mind and it will probably go something like this:5 lbs Best Malz Pilsner malt4 lbs Munich Light6 oz CaraMunich (single infusion mash @ 152 for 60-90 mins)½ oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 4.3% FWH5.5 AAU Hallertau Mittelfruh for 60Wyeast 2308 Munich LagerApproximately: OG: 1.052, FG: 1.012, IBU: 27, SRM: 10, ABV: 5.0%I think I'll call it Zwei Frauen Country Lager... Zwei Frauen appears to mean "Two Women" in German. Cheers Beerheads!

Ken,I like the recipe you got there. I will be interested to hear what you think. You are using my favorite lager yeast. Love 2308 it makes an outstanding Oktoberfest beer as well. Nice call on the German naming, it follows my heritage. Hope the brew turns out great!!Mike

[shaggaroo]

Ken I'll be interested in hearing how this turns out.Prost!Jeff

[Dave McG]

Ken, I usually get BestMalz Munich at Brew&Grow, and they usually stock two colors, one being in the 6-8 range, and the other 9-11. You could do the simplest grainbill possible, all Munich and hit your srm. It wouldn't be Weyermann, but I sure wouldn't consider BestMalz a downgrade by any means.

[positiveContact]

Ken, I usually get BestMalz Munich at Brew&Grow, and they usually stock two colors, one being in the 6-8 range, and the other 9-11. You could do the simplest grainbill possible, all Munich and hit your srm. It wouldn't be Weyermann, but I sure wouldn't consider BestMalz a downgrade by any means.

I've been using bestmalz pils and munich and it seems like great stuff.

[Big Nake]

I ended up ordering Best Malz Pilsner and Weyermann Dark Munich which is somewhere around 10L. I started bouncing this around on our local board and someone suggested that using small amounts of Melanoidin and/or Aromatic could help with maltiness and color as well. I snapped a shot of this beer last night...I think I'll go with my original thoughts and use pils, munich, some caramunich, HM hops and 2308 and see how it comes out.

[HVB]

5 lbs Best Malz Pilsner malt4 lbs Munich Light6 oz CaraMunich (single infusion mash @ 152 for 60-90 mins)½ oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 4.3% FWH5.5 AAU Hallertau Mittelfruh for 60Wyeast 2308 Munich LagerApproximately: OG: 1.052, FG: 1.012, IBU: 27, SRM: 10, ABV: 5.0%

This looks really nice. I have yet to do a official lager but think this may be a nice one to break that cheery on. I have all on hand except for the yeast.

[positiveContact]

I think I'll go with my original thoughts and use pils, munich, some caramunich, HM hops and 2308 and see how it comes out.

sounds like a great idea - so is that going to be the light or dark munich? if you want the color to be like the beer picture above I think you're going to have to almost def go with dark munich and maybe one of the darker caramunichs.

[Big Nake]

You know how your senses of smell and taste are at their best before you drink anything? After a few beers you don't seem to be able to pick up the subtle aromas and flavors. Well when I pour this beer into a glass for the first time and inhale the aroma, it's just unreal. There is something so German about it and I'm not sure if it's one thing in particular or if it's a combination of everything but it's a big reason why I love beer and loving brewing. This is not a hit-you-over-the-head beer in any way and a lot of homebrewers who like to push limits might not be impressed by this beer. I have 4 bottles of this beer left and then it's gone. I may have to make a run for the border if I can't find a way to make a similar product. Cheers all!EDIT: DaveMcG: My Roselle B&G only has one version of Munich (Cargill) and it's 10L. They have been expanding their products nicely but not that nicely. Cheers.

[Big Nake]

sounds like a great idea - so is that going to be the light or dark munich? if you want the color to be like the beer picture above I think you're going to have to almost def go with dark munich and maybe one of the darker caramunichs.

MashleyJ: I ordered Best Malz pilsner and Weyermann Dark Munich. I forget now what the lovibond was but I think it was around 10L. I also ordered CaraMunich II which I believe is 45L. I have used CaraMunich II many times in 4-6oz amounts (for 5 gals) and it's very nice stuff when used in that amount. I also ordered fresh HM hop pellets and 2308 all from Rebel Brewer in TN... they have very good, fresh stuff and they ship quickly. I will post back when I put the final recipe together & brew this beer. Cheers!