European Origin Lager Styles
Lager · Light brown to brown
Dark Munich malt contributes chocolate, bread, or biscuit character. Roast, when present, should stay very low; hops are restrained.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.15–25
Light brown to brown · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Explore styles overlapping this color range4.8–5.3%
Reference scale, not a limit on official guideline values.
16–25
Measured bitterness; perceived bitterness is described in the guideline below.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 37 · PDF page 46. Color graphics are illustrative.
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Malt character is low to medium, with chocolate, bread, or biscuit aromas and flavors contributed by using dark Munich malt or other specialty malts. Because small amounts of roast malt may be used to enhance color, very low roast flavors, while allowable, should be minimal and should not dominate.
Very low to low, with attributes typical of noble-type hops.
Medium-low to medium
Low to medium-low
Appearance should be clear. Chill haze should not be present
Light brown to brown
Fruity esters and diacetyl should not be present
Dunkels do not offer an overly sweet impression, but rather a balance between malt and dark malt sweetness and hop character.
Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.048-1.056 (11.9-13.8 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.014-1.018 (3.6-4.6 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.8%-4.2% (4.8%-5.3%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) 16-25 • Color SRM (EBC) 15-25 (30-49 EBC)