Blue Stallion Brewing Co.’s Dunkel clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) 
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.012 
IBU = 25  SRM = 15   ABV = 5.4%

A single infusion-mashed Munich dunkel on the light side of the color spectrum with rich, sweet aroma notes, bready flavors, and a hint of caramel/toffee.

Ingredients
8.25 lbs. (3.7 kg) German Munich II malt (8 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) pale malt
14 oz. (397 g) CaraAmber® malt (26 °L)
14 oz. (397 g) CaraMunich® III malt (56 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) dextrin malt
4.9 AAU Hallertau Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.35 oz./10 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.1 AAU Hallertau Magnum hops (20 min.) (0.15 oz./4 g at 14% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops (0 min.)
SafLager W-34/70, Imperial Yeast L13 (Global), White Labs WLP830 (German Lager), Omega OYL114 (Bayern Lager), or Wyeast WY2124 (Bohemian Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Build your water profile to an “amber balanced” one with a 75:60 ppm sulfate:chloride while also making sure your mash pH is between 5.2 and 5.4. Mill all the grain and add 3.2 gallons (12.2 L) of strike water to achieve a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) for mashout, if possible. Then start a 15-minute vorlauf. Collect 5.7 gallons (21.6 L) of wort into your kettle. Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, making the hop additions accordingly. Add any finings such as Irish moss, Whirlfloc®, or Koppakleer®, if desired, in the last 5–10 minutes of the boil. 

At the end of the boil, whirlpool, then let settle for 15 minutes. Cool wort and send to your fermenter. Pitch more yeast (about double) than you would a traditional ale targeting about 1.5 million cells per mL degree Plato. Oxygenate thoroughly if using a liquid yeast strain. Ferment at 52 °F (11 °C) for the first two days and then slowly raise the temperature to 60 °F (16 °C). 

After terminal gravity is reached and there is no presence of diacetyl, you may cool down to 52 °F (11 °C) . . . this is a good opportunity to harvest yeast to use again for another batch. If not harvesting, then cold crash down to 34 °F (1 °C) and hold for a minimum of 30 days. After approximately 30 days, remove all of the yeast from the bottom of the fermenter and add a clarifying agent such as Biofine® or gelatin. Let beer clarify for a few days then keg or bottle. Bottle with priming sugar or force carbonate the serving keg to 2.7 volumes of CO₂.

Blue Stallion Brewing Co.’s Dunkel clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains) 
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.012 
IBU = 25  SRM = 15  ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
4.4 lbs. (2 kg) Munich dried malt extract
6.6 oz. (187 g) extra light dried malt extract
14 oz. (397 g) CaraAmber® malt (26 °L)
14 oz. (397 g) CaraMunich® III malt (56 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) dextrin malt
4.9 AAU Hallertau Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.35 oz./10 g at 14% alpha acids)
2.1 AAU Hallertau Magnum hops (20 min.) (0.15 oz./4 g at 14% alpha acids)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops (0 min.)
SafLager W-34/70, Imperial Yeast L13 (Global), White Labs WLP830 (German Lager), Omega OYL114 (Bayern Lager), or Wyeast WY2124 (Bohemian Lager) yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Since there won’t be any mashing, simply raise 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to a temperature somewhere around 150 °F (66 °C). A little higher or lower is fine. Put your CaraMunich®, CaraAmber®, and dextrin malts in a muslin bag and steep for 30 minutes. Remove the bag, letting the liquid drip without squeezing the bag. Next, remove the pot from the heat source, and slowly pour in about half of your total extract, stirring the entire time. Return to flame, raise to boil and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops as indicated. If you want to add a clarifier such as Whirlfloc® or Irish Moss, or a yeast nutrient, do it with 5–10 minutes left in the boil. Add the remaining extract with 5 minutes left in the boil, but be sure to take pot off the heat source, pour extract very slowly, and stir in. At the end of the boil, top up to 5.5 gallons (21 L). Follow the all-grain recipe for the fermentation and packaging instruction. 

Tips For Success:

Water profile, mash temperature, oxygen additions, and aging are all keys in making a crisp and refreshing lager. Blue Stallion’s JR Redmon recommends a second dose of oxygen 8–16 hours after knockout to ensure a solid and full fermentation.