Munich Malt a.k.a. Bonlander Munich
The malt that makes Märzen taste like Märzen.
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').
Best in these styles
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:
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
Biscuit / Victory Malt
Toasted-bread character without crystallized sweetness.
toasted breadcrackerbiscuit
Brown Malt
The traditional malt of historical London porter.
toasted breadbiscuitfaint smoke
Honey Malt
Honeyed sweetness without crystallization.
honeyrich maltsubtle nut