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Munich Malt a.k.a. Bonlander Munich

The malt that makes Märzen taste like Märzen.

Category
Kilned malts
Color
5–10 °L (light); 10–25 °L (dark)
Max Use
100% of grain bill

What it tastes like

Munich malt is one step deeper than Vienna — richer bread crust, more caramel hint, with the deep amber-orange color that defines Munich lager. Used at 100% it produces dunkel and traditional Bavarian Märzen; used at 10-50% it adds depth to almost any beer style without becoming dominant. Two grades are common: light Munich and dark Munich (sometimes 'Munich II' or 'Bonlander').

bread crusttoastcaramel hinthoneysubtle nut

Best in these styles

Munich dunkelMärzenOktoberfestVienna lagerdoppelbockamber ale
Tasting Tip
Augustiner Edelstoff and Spaten Premium Lager are heavy Munich users — that 'malty German lager' character you can't quite name is mostly Munich malt.

For brewers — technical profile

Color (Lovibond)
5–10 °L (light); 10–25 °L (dark)
Color (EBC)
12–25 (light); 25–60 (dark)
Max Use
100% of grain bill
Diastatic Power
Moderate (light Munich) to low (dark Munich)

Where to source

Maltsters that produce or distribute this grain:

Weyermann Specialty Malts
Germany · Bamberg
Briess Malt & Ingredients
USA · Chilton, Wisconsin

History

Developed by Gabriel Sedlmayr at Spaten in Munich in the 1830s-40s. Sedlmayr's continental-malting innovations (along with Dreher's in Vienna) directly enabled the lager revolution that followed.

Other kilned malts

Aromatic Malt
Concentrated Munich character at higher color.
rich bread crustdeep maltsubtle caramel
20–25 °L
Biscuit / Victory Malt
Toasted-bread character without crystallized sweetness.
toasted breadcrackerbiscuit
20–28 °L
Brown Malt
The traditional malt of historical London porter.
toasted breadbiscuitfaint smoke
60–70 °L
Honey Malt
Honeyed sweetness without crystallization.
honeyrich maltsubtle nut
20–25 °L

Explore more

→ Browse all malts

→ Browse maltsters

→ Hop varieties

Flavor twins across Freshie

Drinks and foods across Freshie that share Munich Malt’s flavor fingerprint — matched on shared flavor axes via the Freshie Taste Graph.

Veggie · Variety91% match
Leek
Shared sweetness
Veggie · Variety89% match
Red onion
Shared sweetness
Coffee · Varietal88% match
Yellow Bourbon
Shared bitterness
Fruit · Variety61% match
Nectarine
Closest flavor match
Fruit · Variety61% match
Strawberry
Closest flavor match