Malt & Grain

What is Munich malt, and why does it show up in so many Bavarian beers? It's barley malt kilned at a higher temperature than pale Pilsner malt. The kiln is the hot-air oven where germinated grain is dried. Kilned at higher heat, it develops aromas like bread crust, honey and fresh bread roll, and its color deepens to amber or golden brown.

For a Munich Helles, brewers rely mainly on pale malt. It gives the beer a clean, grainy flavor that isn't overshadowed by roasted notes. A Munich Dunkel, by contrast, needs a good amount of Munich malt, often with a small portion of color malt added. Under Bavarian rules, brewing uses only barley malt, hops, yeast and water.

When it comes to mashing, Munich took its own path early on. The decoction method boils off part of the mash and returns it to the kettle. This produces a robust maltiness often described as typical of the city's beers. It's labor-intensive, but some breweries stick with it because it gives the beer more body.

Order a Helles in the Schwemme at the Hofbräuhaus and you're drinking beer made from pale malt. The Dunkel there tastes of kilned Munich malt. A Münchner Hell and a Dunkel differ first in the grain, only afterward in hops and yeast—and you can taste it clearly when tasting both side by side.

For Festbier, brewers blend pale and Munich malt and build up more original gravity—more dissolved substances in the wort before fermentation. The result is a golden beer with a bit more body and alcohol. Märzen used to be darker and amber-colored, since a more robust malt was traditionally used.