Munich Malt

[Covey]

Ive tried it in APA and it ruin the whole batch. Am i missing something, as i see people use it all the time

[baphomite51]

iv kinda had the same experience iv made two beers with it and didn like them theres just something about it i cant put my finger on it ruins the cleanness or something for me, i dont see the obsession either, what dont u like about it?

[Tom]

Only used it once, but if it's anything like Vienna then the
flavour improves over about a month. It's pretty
unbalanced before then.

Did you get a dark Munich or light?

[Covey]

its this https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/munich-whole-grain-14-ebc-1kg-p-2093.html. i used about 200g in a 5kg apa batch. it earthy musky maltiness masked the hops. it nearly tasted off. yet some people swear by them. Havin a brew day today and im brewing back to basics to make sure i have someting drinkable fast

[Tom]

At 200g, or 4%, it shouldn't be having that much of an impact,
and certainly shouldn't be masking your hops.

[Partridge9]

If I understand Munich correctly - its basically a strong Pilsner malt

It gives a very malty flavour. So if you are doing a APA / IPA / SNPA or something like that  I can see how this might not produce the desired tastes.

However if you are making a Hefe or Helles / Vienna lager, bohemian pilsner

I'd replace some or all of pilsner malt with either Munich or Vienna to add an extra layer of maltiness as it were.

As far as I know - Munich malt has the same fermentability as Pilsner malt.

Got that from Alex who seems to be very knowledgeable on this subject !

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

It has the same ferment ability but less diastatic power.

[biertourist]

Ive tried it in APA and it ruin the whole batch. Am i missing something, as i see people use it all the time

Yes, you're missing something; Munich malt can not contribute earthy, musty, moldy flavors; if these are truly good descriptors of what you're tasting, the fact that your beer had Munich malt in it has nothing to do with what you're tasting.

Red Herring.

[biertourist]

If I understand Munich correctly - its basically a strong Pilsner malt

??
What do you mean by "strong Pilsner malt"?

Munich is kilned for a longer period of time than Pilsner malt with a temperature ramp towards the end of it's kilning; higher temperatures as the malt gets drier.

The malting process for a Pilsner malt takes the "green malt" that has finished the water soaking and resting processes and then lightly kilning it up to 85C until it reaches its target moisture level.

The process for Munich malt performs a long, low temp drying (just like Pilsner malt) but then as the moisture levels drop (and the sugars and remaining nitrogen concentrate) the temperature is increased up to 100C; the darker Munich malts are held at 100C longer.  The purpose is to create Malliard products in the malt; those nutty, bready and even toffee flavors.  Malliards form when sugars and nitrogen together is heated and the rate increases as the temperature increases.  The initial drying concentrates the sugars and the high temp then starts forming malliard products.

The longer and higher temperature kilning degrades the enzymes further than Pilsner but leaves a DP around 50 for light Munich malt so that 100% Munich beers are possible.


Munich malt is amazing stuff, IMHO; it's like MO but with more malliards and more flavor and more color.

If I want a malty golden base beer Munich does it for me.  Many American brewers approximate Marris Otter by blending some American 2 Row and Munich malt together; you end up with a close approximation from a Protein to Starch perpsective, enzymatic power perspective, flavor and color perspective, IMHO. 


Adam