PittATL

Recipes 

Hello all,


I'd love to do an Oktoberfest for my next batch (just 4th overall) but I understand those need to be lagered and fermented at colder temps.

I have no equipment to ferment at such and don't really want to mess with an ice bath for over 2 weeks potentially....

My LHBS guy told me "you could still do an Oktober at room temp, it won't have as clean a finish, but you should be fine".


Is it worth doing at room temp?? Or mostly a waste?


Also...what would be a good recommendation as a replacement for an Oktoberfest party coming up in the Fall? Something else German that I can do at room temp?

Thanks for your help.

chef90

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I just made an Oktoberfest with Ale yeast. Check back in 3 weeks
not authentic but I read some where its good
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Yooper

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I wouldn't use a lager yeast at room temperatures but you could use a clean well attenuating ale yeast for a fest-style beer and get pretty good results. It won't be an oktoberfest without the cold fermenting and lagering, but it will still be a very good beer.

If your room temperatures are above 70 degrees, you'll still want to do a water bath or a swamp cooler to keep the fermentation temperature down. I like to ferment "clean" ales in the low 60s to keep them more like a lager.

I don't like hefeweizens, but many people do and they are fermented at ale temperatures with ale (hefeweizen) yeast. I'm a fan of alt biers, http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2009/12/16/brewing-german-altbier-recipes/, and kolsch, http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/K%F6lsch.html, for German ales. Most of my favorite German styles are lagers.

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PittATL

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Sorry all, I should've searched. I'm normally good at that but did not realize how popular a question it's been....


So...I've seen that it's good to just ferment at room temp; with the lager yeast so that you get the closest flavor to a true Oktoberfest as possible but have also read it's good to just ferment with an ale yeast....


Which is best???


Any further insight would be appreicated...

markg388

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kolsch yeast is the next best thing IMO.

dcp27

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biermunchers oktoberfast sounds like what you want: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag-39021/

ksbrain

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I am about to make mine this weekend with 1338. Last year I used US-05, which was fine, but I expect the 1338 to give it a little something special, and at least 1338 is German.

Reno_eNVy

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+1

If in doubt, do what BM does

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g-star

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I just pondered this myself, and brewed this past weekend using WLP029, pilsner DME + vienna, munich, and some specialty malts along with some noble hops.

I'm using the swamp cooler method which seems to be working well -- temps holding around 62F (according to the stick-on LCD therm) with only changing frozen water bottles once per day (in my basement). The airlock is bubbling away nicely now. Hoping for something that approaches a true Oktoberfest, even though it will really be an ale.

Hope this helps.

PittATL

Recipes 

Awesome, great feedback guys.


I'm gonna go with the dry Safale-04 from the recipe mentioned and do a swamp cooler with frozen ice packs to get it between 60-65 degrees.


Thanks!