When does everyone here typically start brewing their oktoberfests? I'm thinking of brewing my first one (not my first lager) on August 18th. I'm hoping it'll be done around the end of October. I'm pretty late already I'm assuming.
Oktoberfest Timeline
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aubiecat
Well-Known Member
I am going to be doing one in the next few weeks. I want it to have at least 4 weeks of lagering behind it when I decide to bottle.
Traditionally, Oktoberfests were brewed in March (they are also called "Marzens") and lagered all summer for the Oktoberfest time in September.
But as long as you can lager for about 6 weeks, you should be just fine starting now.
But as long as you can lager for about 6 weeks, you should be just fine starting now.
Actually, I'm going to make it on August 1st. I just checked my calendar. 3 weeks primary and 6 weeks layering should do it. I'll keg it on Sept 29th hopefully and it'll be ready for October. Even though Oktoberfest is in Sept.!
A three week primary is probably twice as long as you'd need- if you pitch enough yeast, it should be ready for the diacetyl rest in 7-10 days. And then it can be racked and lagered after the diacetyl rest.
Yooper said:
Depending on the yeast... I do exactly this.
I use Wyeast 2124 my favorite O-Fest yeast: pitch at 7 ish C ferment at 10c for 10 days. D-Rest for 4days (usually only have time for transfers and brewing on weekends hence the 14 total days)
Then I lager in Corny Kegs for 6-8 weeks @ -0.5C
Last year I brewed my O-fest on Aug 23, and served it at a party on Oct 22. 10 gallons, pitched 4 packs SafLager W-34/70 at 43 deg, let rise to 49 deg for 2 week ferment, then D-rest followed by ~4 wks lagering at 34 deg. Kegged & force carb'd.
It came out beautifully clean. IMHO it was plenty of time to turn it around.
It came out beautifully clean. IMHO it was plenty of time to turn it around.
scottvin
Well-Known Member
can you lager in the keg you will be serving it in?
KirbyTails
Member
Does something like this necessarily need to be racked to secondary? I'm still new at this and have yet to do a secondary, just because it seems unnecessary most of the time.
Yes, in general most people would recommend racking to a secondary vessel for lagering.
Lagers are generally very "clean" and "crisp" and without yeasty character and any yeast flavor or character would be considered out of place and a flaw. I normally lager one week for every 8 points of OG, so for an OG of 1.060, that would be nearly 8 weeks. Between a 10 day fermentation and a 2 day diacetyl rest, you're looking at 10 weeks on the yeast cake if no racking is done. That's a long, long time, even for ales. But ales can be nice with a bit of yeasty funk character. Lagers, not so much.
Yes, that would work out fine. That was one of the advantages with kegging- racking to the keg and then leaving it sit in the kegerator for 3 months. The hard part was not tapping it for 3 months!
integra93ls
Well-Known Member
I think I'm gonna brew mine soon also. Will be my 1st Lager
voodoocurt
Well-Known Member
I brewed in March and have been lagering in the fridge since early April......
I tasted it going into secondary and it was amazing.....I haven't touched it since then and I will be bottling pretty soon and updating this thread....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/help-octoberfest-marzen-march-then-lager-299353/
V
I tasted it going into secondary and it was amazing.....I haven't touched it since then and I will be bottling pretty soon and updating this thread....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/help-octoberfest-marzen-march-then-lager-299353/
V
stubbornman
Well-Known Member
Kegged mine today after a month in primary and another 2 week cold crash.
You can do it with primary-only. I think the key is to really make sure you lager cold, consider adding gelatin to help it clear, and make sure that you have *really clean* transfer processes to rack it into your keg without picking up sediment.
So it's a bit harder to maintain the clean lager flavors & clarity, but it's definitely possible.
It's also possible to use a keg as your secondary -- if you cut ~1" off the dip tube of the keg, you can lager in that keg and push it via CO2 into a serving keg when it's done lagering. That way you'll have a serving keg entirely clear and free of sediment...
terrapinj
Well-Known Member
i'll be brewing mine on Aug 4, expecting about 14days in primary to ferment, d-rest and slowly take down to lagering temps before racking to the keg. will likely use either 2308 or 838 dep what is fresher at the LHBS
will not be tasting until my daughter is born around Oct 12
will not be tasting until my daughter is born around Oct 12
I make two batches of octoberfest a year. I brew one batch in early/mid july with a 1 month primary and a 1 month lager, so it will be ready for college football. I brew another in mid august with a 1 month primary and a 2 month lager, so it will be ready the weekend before thanksgiving. I don't have the patience or the real estate to lager anything for longer than a couple of months. I only use Wyeast 2633.
