Comprised of the German words for dark ( dunkel) and wheat ( weizen), the name, dunkelweizen already reveals so much of what you need to know about this Bavarian beer. It is dark in colour and made of wheat… but there is so much more to dunkelweizen.

The Benedictine monks who founded the city of Munich in the 12th century are likely to have made the earliest version of Dunkel, but it was two regulations that helped this beer become a unique style in its own right. First and foremost, the Wittelsbachs, Bavaria’s governing dynasty, established the Bavarian Beer Purity Law in 1516, ensuring the purity of the region’s beer. Which beers are malty? The taste should definitely tip the scale toward the deep, rich Munich malt character, leaving the only work for hops a perceptible but slight bitterness with no true hop flavor noticeable. Marzen beer is believed to have originated in Bavaria before the 16th century. In 1553 a Bavarian brewing ordinance decreed that beer could only be brewed between St. Michael's Day ( 29 September) and St. Georges Day (23 April). Marzen beer was typically brewed during March, which is how it got its name. Marzen always has a slightly higher alcohol content and was brewed using more hops to age over the summer and be drunk during Oktoberfest. What makes a beer a Marzen? The flavour's intensity depends mostly on the brewer but is decidedly fruity and can have hints of banana and cloves. Highly carbonated, Hefeweizen contains low to moderate alcohol content and is the most popular of all the German weissbiers. Like most German beers, they always taste best when freshly poured at a brewery and Hefeweizen (Witbier) is no exception. ABK Hefeweizen is top fermented, with specific fruity aromas. The Hefeweizen is a lively and full-bodied beer. With a wonderful honey yellow colour and a strong foam generation, Where does Hefeweizen come from?Find sources: "Dunkel"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( March 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) As the name expresses Munich malt will appear front and center in the aroma, coming through as sweet, sometimes toasty, bread crust-like maltiness. It can also show hints of nut, caramel, chocolate, and toffee. A slight noble hop nose may be detectable, but should be quite low if at all. Buttery diacetyl and fruity esters should not be present. Mouthfeel:

To get you started on your international dunkelweizen tasting journey, try these five best dunkelweizen beers right away: Dortmunder – The German export style, Dortmunders are similar to Pilsners but possess a darker, golden colouring, a slightly softer, maltier taste and generally have a higher ABV – almost always north of 5%. What you need to know: Also known as the Bavarian cappuccino, Weissbier is the popular exotic among beers because of its brewing method. It is top-fermented, meaning that it is produced using an older, simpler brewing method than Pils or Helles. You either love Weissbier or hate it. Weissbier is every bit as much a part of a Bavarian Wirtshaus as Weisswurst or pretzels – but it is mainly drunk during the day.

Altbier is an ale but only just. Technically it is both but let me explain... Altbier is hundreds of year old, way before we had lager and ales 'classes' in fact in german it literally means 'old beer.' There are a few differences between ales and lagers, these are the main three 1. Ales are top fermented and lager bottom fermented. 2. This means a difference yeast is used depending on which you want 3. It also means a different temperature is used depending on the method. Altbier throws the rule book out the window. It is top fermenting - Ale. It uses a common ale yeast - ale. It uses colder temperatures - lager. That's 2-1 on the ale lager scoreboard. I still asked Darren for his recipe since I wanted to know what tweaks he had given it. He used a touch of melanoidin malt since he did a single infusion mash, but the rest was basically what I had described. He has since gone pro and still makes this beer at the Fifth Street Brewpub in Dayton, Ohio. He calls it “Funnel” because of me; apparently, I had texted “dunkel” to him but my phone autocorrected it to “funnel” and he thought it was hilarious. Thank you Siri. Dunkel is traditionally brewed from Munich malt, which is slightly caramelized and has a toasty character. These flavours are sometimes deepened by intense mashing, which assists in developing toffee-like melanoidin flavours.