[Kaiser]

I don't use Melanoiden malt in my Doppelbocks and they all have a very nice malt flavor.

No kidding!  Yours was about the best homebrewed doppelbock I've ever had!

thanks. I never used melanoiden malt but have to give it a try some day to see what it is about. I think b/c some consider it as a substitute for decoction it ends up in many bocks.

I'm willing to say that it is redundant if you have a lot of Munich in the grist. Munich brings a lot of melanoiden precursors into the mash and then boil where they continue the maillard reaction that started during malting.

If you are not happy with the aroma of your DB give it some more time at cellar temps. I found that bottle conditioning delays the creation of these flavors. My thinking is that the hallmark flavor/aroma of a DB is created by oxidation.

Kai