Skeptical as to the inclusion of a crystal malt, though the website does say 5 types of malt are used. This is different than some earlier authors report. Of course recipes change over time. Were I to craft a recipe using 5 types of malt, they would probably be: Munich II, Vienna, Pilsner, Caramunich and Carafa Special II.
An older article on dunkel, but still an interesting read:
Though I’m not certain, the recipe in the linked document seems to have been helped by information from the then brewmaster at Ayinger, “Iwan, Jans Jurgen”, of course recipes change over time and some breweries do tend towards disinformation (don’t know that’s the case here) while others are just straightforward.
I’ve come pretty close to the real thing. The “dark” character just seemed to develop over months of sitting in a keg on my basement floor. Almost entered it in NHC again.
be warned that with 4B and especially 5C, if you create a beer that has as much chocolate as Ayinger’s Dunkel and especially Celebrator, you can expect a great number of judges to find that a fault. sigh
4 hours?!? Don’t enzymatic conventions stop right around 2 hrs? Would you carry the same mashing method over to the homebrew level? I am just asking in the spirit of conversation, not debate… cause I think my understanding must be wrong if Ayinger is using a 4 hour mash. And that’s amazing information by the way that they carry only those 5 malts… is that really the ONLY malts they stock?
The mashes in production German breweries are long. I got the impression at Schönram that they mash in at 50C and step up. Others that have been on the Ayinger tour say 3 to 5 hours. The Dunkel maybe be decocted.
Without the mash profile it is hard to say exactly what they do. I like the results!
Edit - production breweries minimize the malts on hand to streamline the operation and eliminate errors. Sierra Nevada has 2 row, and C60, and some roasted malts.
That somewhat aligns with the prevailing opinions about the grain bill.
Certainly Jamil advocates 100% Munich 10L with a touch of carafa special II or blackprinz in Brewing Classic Styles and on The Jamil Show, but I’ve read that it doesn’t get quite there.
God, it’s crazy how good a fresh bottle of Ayinger Altbairish Dunkel is. That is definitely way uup there on my list of favorites. Like so many “tame” beers, it is way underappreciated.
Thinking I may just go ahead and start with this. I’m drinking an Ayinger now and looking forward to freeing up some space in the keezer for Kai’s/Jamil’s recipe.
Reviving an old thread: Denny, ever find that recipe?
“Old Bavarian” Dunkel is going to be on deck soon. The web site says five malts (two of which are torrified dark). Neither the Kai nor Jamil recipe have five malts (two torrified dark) in their grist. If you can’t find yours I may go with the BCS recipe.