I think I’ve changed direction on my Christmas Dopplebock. After giving it some thought, the recipe above is just too much C malt for me.
I believe am going with 45% each Mecca Grade Vienna and Munich, 6.5% MG Opal 44, 2.5% Honey Malt and 1% BlackPrinze (debittered roast).
My thought is to get a bit of honey/toffee-like vibe which reminds me of Christmas. 1:1 base to Munich to emphasize strong, rich, and very malty character.
Instead of decoction, I am planning a Hochkurz mash (145°F 30 min, 152°F 45 min, 170°F 30 min). No Sparge.
I’ve lowered my anticipated efficiency from my routine 4-5% beer grist so it should clock in ~7+% ABV. I may overshoot that and have to adjust hops on the fly. We’ll see. I don’t routinely brew this big.