Festbier World's Best Oktoberfest

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It's been so long since my hydrogen sulfide sniffing days i can scarcely remember:p yep i suppose a bit sulphurous would be one way of describing it. Plenty of airlock activity too s hopefully all is well
 
Has anyone tried this with just doing a straight step mash w/o the decoction?
Wondering how it turned out. I really want to brew an Oktoberfest before temps in the celler get too warm for primary. Thought I would do some type of light lager and use the cake for this. That glass looks beautiful. Never have done a decoction mash before. I'm sure it builds complex flavors, but my normal brew day runs 8 hrs as is. I guess only because I'm brewing 16.5 gallon batches. :D
 
Got a replacement hydromoeter today and tested the sample that's been in the fridge for the last week. Well it came out at 1.051 which isn't exactly what i was hoping for but not the end of the world either. the gravity of the batch is at 1.022 at the mo which seems excessively fast progress so I've ramped down the temp to the low 40's. Had a taste of the sample and i'd drink it the way it is. I can already get the depth of flavor, in three months time it should be amazing. I think this will be a sensational first time all grainer :ban:
 
Nice! Don't worry about it fermenting too fast. As long as you hold it in the proper temperature range it can go as fast as it wants.
 
Brian - Please brew this again so I can drink some of it. I am way too lazy to do anything more than a single decoction.

Thanks,

Scott
 
Brian - Please brew this again so I can drink some of it. I am way too lazy to do anything more than a single decoction.

Thanks,

Scott

Haha, I don't have much time if i want to brew it in march. You should try it with a single decoction and we can see how it compares.
 
Haha, I don't have much time if i want to brew it in march. You should try it with a single decoction and we can see how it compares.

If I was to do that, do you think just skip the protein rest, etc and just decoct from saccrification rest to mash out?....Not that it matters - no lagering capabilities :(
 
Hmm, maybe a two step saccharification rest with mashout. Infuse to like 146, let rest 15 minutes, pull a big decoction and add enough back to hit 156, then add the rest after 30 minutes or so to hit mashout. That way you decoct a large amount of the mash to get more flavor.
 
Just took a sample today and it's down to 1.015 ish. I think after a minute some carb bubbles built up on the base of the hydrometer and started to push it up ever so slightly (is this credible?) Tasted the hydro sample anyway, cant wait for this to be fully ready.
 
Has anyone tried this with just doing a straight step mash w/o the decoction?
Wondering how it turned out. I really want to brew an Oktoberfest before temps in the celler get too warm for primary. Thought I would do some type of light lager and use the cake for this. That glass looks beautiful. Never have done a decoction mash before. I'm sure it builds complex flavors, but my normal brew day runs 8 hrs as is. I guess only because I'm brewing 16.5 gallon batches. :D

I brewed this today just as a single infusion at 155F. I pitched WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager Yeast cake from a Victory Prima Pils clone that I just racked to a lagering keg. I had other things I needed to do so I didn't do the decoctions. I will revisit this beer when I'm ready to do a decoction and it will be great to experience the difference between the two. My OG was 1.053. Mashed for nearly two hours. 90 min boil.
 
Brewed this yesterday as my very first lager! Also happens to be my first time using a decoction. Man, you guys aren't kidding it makes for a long brew day.

Anyway, I may have had an issue. My OG reading post boil was only 10.5brix (about 1.044). This is further off from the 1.059 that I read for the recipe than I would have liked. However my efficiency is typically 75% and I see that yours is 85%. So while that makes up for it in part, I think I'm still low. Also I pulled more wort than I typically get which I found odd because there was so much of the mash that was boiled and it was heated for much longer. I think I got nearly 7.5gal of wort.

So I guess my question is what are the easiest ways to lose efficiency while doing a decoction?

In any case, the boil went well and the color is good. Pitch went well also, fermentation started pretty quick for me. The aroma, oh the aroma was amazing. Gonna be difficult to wait until October for this brew.

EDIT: I did some BeerCalculus and since I still has about 6gal post boil, the numbers jive. Oh well, I'll enjoy 6 gallons of 4% oktoberfest just as much as 5 gallons of 5%! lol
 
The geek: That usually ends up being my problem, just a little to much wort.

Well, it is a few months late, but I am brewing this recipe for the third year in a row. This year, we are going to try the step mash instead of the decoction mash. Will post back with the exact schedule, and I will let everyone in the fall know how it tastes.
 
Brewed this "Decemberfest" a few weeks ago and right now it's sitting in the primary having a diacetyl rest at 58 degrees. This was the first decoction for me so I'm interested in finding out how the flavor will be affected.
With my other lagers I generally do not gas the keg during secondary/laggering phase. I read another brewer's post recently that indicated the keg should be force car bed for this part of the final fermentation.

Fact or fiction?

By the way, this brewer recently wona trip to Prague for his pilsner so I'm leaning towards the idea that gas is good here.

Appreciate any responses.

Cheers.
 
Hey all. I've managed to keep this beer out of my gut since March and I am stoked that Its nearly time to drink it. One thing. After the primary for 3 weeks I racked to a secondary and I have left it in the secondary since. Was this a good call? I was leaning toward "don't expose it anymore than necessary" but wasn't sure if sitting on the small amount of yeast layer left in the vessel would affect taste. In either case I'm kegging it tomorrow to give it a month to carb.
 
I think you'll be fine. I left a kolsch in secondary for a while in a keg and when I transferred it to the serving keg for the final leg, it tasted just like it should. You're way ahead of me on your octoberfest. I just transferred out of primary this week. Pretty tasty so far.
 
Brewed this "Decemberfest" a few weeks ago and right now it's sitting in the primary having a diacetyl rest at 58 degrees. This was the first decoction for me so I'm interested in finding out how the flavor will be affected.
With my other lagers I generally do not gas the keg during secondary/laggering phase. I read another brewer's post recently that indicated the keg should be force car bed for this part of the final fermentation.

Fact or fiction?

By the way, this brewer recently wona trip to Prague for his pilsner so I'm leaning towards the idea that gas is good here.

Appreciate any responses.

Cheers.

I've also heard that but don't know whether it is a nod to tradition or if it actually plays some role in yeast activity. I know that traditionally lagers were carbonated by allowing the CO2 produced at the end of fermentation to be trapped in the vessel and pressurize the headspace. I know that pressure can cause yeast to produce less off-flavors for a given temperature than beer fermented at ambient pressure, hence the practice of fermenting lagers at ale temps in pressurized containers.

Hey all. I've managed to keep this beer out of my gut since March and I am stoked that Its nearly time to drink it. One thing. After the primary for 3 weeks I racked to a secondary and I have left it in the secondary since. Was this a good call? I was leaning toward "don't expose it anymore than necessary" but wasn't sure if sitting on the small amount of yeast layer left in the vessel would affect taste. In either case I'm kegging it tomorrow to give it a month to carb.

What temp has the secondary been? If 50 F or below then your beer should be perfect. If warmer it should still be good, but a cold-storage or lagering would have made it even better.
 
King:

Appreciate the quick reply. Have yet to carb the secondary for a lager and so far, without secondary carbonation, my lagers have been pretty tasty. I usually burp the secondary kegs from time to time.

I also heard that too much carbonation in secondary is counterproductive at layering temps (34-39).

For now, I think I'll stick with what works for me.
 
Yup, been under 50F since brewed, its almost time to drink it. Honestly this is the longest I've ever waited to drink a brew, and being my first lager attempt, I'm really hoping it turns out nicely.
 
I brewed this today just as a single infusion at 155F. I pitched WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager Yeast cake from a Victory Prima Pils clone that I just racked to a lagering keg. I had other things I needed to do so I didn't do the decoctions. I will revisit this beer when I'm ready to do a decoction and it will be great to experience the difference between the two. My OG was 1.053. Mashed for nearly two hours. 90 min boil.

Was Wondering how this turned out with the Czech yeast?. Really would like to hear?.
 
Was Wondering how this turned out with the Czech yeast?. Really would like to hear?.

Man, this beer was fantastic. I'll definitely be brewing this again. I won't waste my time on 5 gallons though, from now on it's going to be at least 10 gallons. My OG was 1.053 and FG was 1.012. This beer was dry, very crisp and very malty. No diacetyl. My best beer of 2011.

Hats off to KingBrianI. Thank you!
 
Man, this beer was fantastic. I'll definitely be brewing this again. I won't waste my time on 5 gallons though, from now on it's going to be at least 10 gallons. My OG was 1.053 and FG was 1.012. This beer was dry, very crisp and very malty. No diacetyl. My best beer of 2011.

Hats off to KingBrianI. Thank you!

Thanks for the Info. I've gotta Czech Pilz with WY2278 that I'm gonna rack tomorrow and was looking for a good 10 gallon recipe to try out my new 80qt kettle. Thanks Again
 
Man, this beer was fantastic. I'll definitely be brewing this again. I won't waste my time on 5 gallons though, from now on it's going to be at least 10 gallons. My OG was 1.053 and FG was 1.012. This beer was dry, very crisp and very malty. No diacetyl. My best beer of 2011.

Hats off to KingBrianI. Thank you!

Was this the double decoction or the single infusion you mentioned on the previous page?

I know i am a bit late, but i really want to brew an Oktoberfest and I have been comparing this one to Yooper's and I think I want to brew this one. I have done DD in the past and it sure takes some serious time. I am hoping this is your single infusion that you are commenting about, then I'll brew it this weekend.
 
Just saw this thread and figured I would post an old review I did of this beer that the King sent me back in 2009.

Reviewed August 3rd, 2009:

Aroma: 10/12
Caramel and bread with a sweet malt​
Appearance: 1/3
Almost no head with a bit of haze, but the color is nice. (Obviously looking at the pics, the recipe can produce a very appealing beer, but my bottle wasn't quite as impressive)​
Flavor: 17/20
Sweet malt, crisp finish, subtle hops, molasses high notes shine through​
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Full up front, ends crisp, a bit more carbonation would brighten it up (I would guess this affected the appearance as well)​
Overall: 7/10
Very good with nice depth and true to style. We felt a bit more carbonation would have been better. World's Best is a bold name, but this is a solid damn beer. I rarely score a beer this high.​
Totals: 38/40
 
Was this the double decoction or the single infusion you mentioned on the previous page?

I know i am a bit late, but i really want to brew an Oktoberfest and I have been comparing this one to Yooper's and I think I want to brew this one. I have done DD in the past and it sure takes some serious time. I am hoping this is your single infusion that you are commenting about, then I'll brew it this weekend.

It was a single infusion. I have yet to do any kind of decoction.
 
Looks awesome. I researched the decoction process on youtube, real happy I did. I thought from the post that I was just drawing wort from mash tun and heating that to temps (newb). After seeing the video I think I have a better grasp on the process of removing the actual grains and getting them to a boil while constantly stirring. Going to have to wait to next weekend. Thanks for the recipe. Can't wait to try it, even better taste it!
 
Well, I just brewed the OP's recipe with one minor change. I went with a single decoction instead of a double.

I rested the mash at 133F 20 minutes, withdrew my decoction, boiled for 10 minutes, then added decoction back to main mash and rested at 150F for 60 minutes. I then batched sparged 190F and rested at 168F for 10 minutes.

OG was a tick high at 1.064, but the color and taste is excellent so far. I pitched a 4L starter at 55F that i stepped up twice throughout the week(first time using a starter...*fingers crossed*)

Start to finish I was at it about 6 hours, so I am glad I just did a single decoction to save a little bit of time. I didn't want to exclude the decoction altogether, so I compromised.

I'll let you know how it turns out in about 6 months:mug:
 
Well, I just brewed the OP's recipe with one minor change. I went with a single decoction instead of a double.

I rested the mash at 133F 20 minutes, withdrew my decoction, boiled for 10 minutes, then added decoction back to main mash and rested at 150F for 60 minutes. I then batched sparged 190F and rested at 168F for 10 minutes.

OG was a tick high at 1.064, but the color and taste is excellent so far. I pitched a 4L starter at 55F that i stepped up twice throughout the week(first time using a starter...*fingers crossed*)

Start to finish I was at it about 6 hours, so I am glad I just did a single decoction to save a little bit of time. I didn't want to exclude the decoction altogether, so I compromised.

I'll let you know how it turns out in about 6 months:mug:

The wait will be worth it, you'll see! :mug:
 
Just saw this thread and figured I would post an old review I did of this beer that the King sent me back in 2009.

Reviewed August 3rd, 2009:

Aroma: 10/12
Caramel and bread with a sweet malt​
Appearance: 1/3
Almost no head with a bit of haze, but the color is nice. (Obviously looking at the pics, the recipe can produce a very appealing beer, but my bottle wasn't quite as impressive)​
Flavor: 17/20
Sweet malt, crisp finish, subtle hops, molasses high notes shine through​
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Full up front, ends crisp, a bit more carbonation would brighten it up (I would guess this affected the appearance as well)​
Overall: 7/10
Very good with nice depth and true to style. We felt a bit more carbonation would have been better. World's Best is a bold name, but this is a solid damn beer. I rarely score a beer this high.​
Totals: 38/40

38/50. What are we if the math isn't correct?
 
Gonna be brewing this tomorrow. This is my first all-grain lager and also first time doing a decoction mash. Lot of great info in this thread so I'm confident it'll be great!
 
The wait will be worth it, you'll see! :mug:

I just couldn't wait any longer. Especially, with all the Oktoberfest and Harvest Style beers already on the shelves.

This beer is great! Flat out, great! I will brew this again and again and again.

Great recipe, thanks for sharing.
 
I'm about to go on vacation so I decide to rev up the ol' Bohemian lager yeast. Day before the trip I realize it's a triple decoction recipe. Although I was not looking forward to ~6+ hours of mashing/brewing, it ended up being a lot of fun and very interesting. I just got through reading "Tasting Beer" and was interested in traditional mash techniques so this worked out well. Hit 1.059 so I did something right.

I've brewed at my house about 10 times and have never had a single person come up and ask about what I was doing until today, when I was making this recipe. Had 6 people stop by asking what the "wonderful aromas" were coming from.
 
I've had this kegged for about a week now and have to say that this is one of the finest beers I have brewed. And also my first lager success! I've got a temp controller hooked up and working on my fridge now so I will be making this again very soon. The first batch got upto 60F during the first day and a half in primary so I'm sure I can make it even cleaner the second time. Thank you!
 
Well I tapped her today. I see I'm only 3 months from brew day but this beer is a winner. Everyone is blown away. I am a double IPA guy and I'm loving this brew. This is going in the archive and I will brew a couple batches every year. I was pretty sure I was going to mess something up along the way, during the long mash or the lagering but all went well. Thanks again for the great recipe.
 
Yum!
DSC_0709.jpg

First off,let me say, that is one good looking brew!!!

Second, I'm thinkiing of brewing this and fermenting it on top of a wyeast 2035 American Lager cake that was my first lager. Will this yeast do this brew justice? This may be my first ever AG brew as well. Is this too "involved", "advanced", or difficult for a noobs first AG brew?
 
First off,let me say, that is one good looking brew!!!

Second, I'm thinkiing of brewing this and fermenting it on top of a wyeast 2035 American Lager cake that was my first lager. Will this yeast do this brew justice? This may be my first ever AG brew as well. Is this too "involved", "advanced", or difficult for a noobs first AG brew?

I don't have experience with that yeast buy I'm sure it would do ok. This is definitely on the more involved end of AG brewing, and as such, may not be the best recipe to start with. You'll already be struggling with your timing and temps and the flow, and the complexity of the process described in this recipe would only cause more confusion. I'd suggest cutting your AG teeth on a couple simpler recipes, and when you're comfortable with that process, then you can step up to this recipe. Cheers!
 
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