Oktoberfest in Houston

Hello All!
First off, thanks for taking the time to read this thread. I have a few home brews under my belt now and feel very confident in extract brewing as well as partial mash brewing. However, I am not ready to tackle a full blown pro project like most of you guys do on a regular basis. However, I am in a pinch and could really use your help. My wife only drinks beer once a year during the later part of September up til Halloween night. This is because her favorite beer is St. Arnold's seasonal Oktoberfest. I want to convert a recipe I found here on this website into a partial mash. Unfortunately for me, the grain bill is from St. Arnold and it has commercial measurements and its all done from grains with no extracts. The bill is as follows:

1595 lbs of 2 row malt
550 lbs of Munich
220 lbs of Cara-Munich

Can this be turned into a 5 gallon partial mash? Can the 2 row be replaced with an extract with little difference in taste? If so what would the ratios be in your opinion? I could get her to drink more beer with me if she had her favorite beer on tab through January. Oh, by the way, I am using Czech Saaz and Hallertauer hops and WLP 833 yeast. THANKS AGAIN!

First, Calculate grain ratio: For every 7.25# of 2-row, you'll want 2.5# Minuch, 1.0# CaraMunich

From St. Arnolds -- 1.061 (15.5° Plato) , Alcohol Content: By Weight: 4.8%; By Volume: 6.0%

Just plugging 7.25#, 2.5#, 1# in for a 5 gallon batch, you'll be at 1.058 which is almost right on target. I'll just use that since it's already at nice round numbers.

By using 5# Pale Extract, you can drop the 2-row to 1# and be at 1.062.

So mini-mash 1# 2-row, 2.5# Munich, 1.5# CaraMunich (5# total for the mini-mash) and use 5# of pale extract. As for the hop schedule, up to you

In short, yes. A light extract will be a fine replacement for 2-row. You can even find a Munich extract some places. You could steep the Cara-Munich (and Munich if you cannot find or do not wish to use extract).

I'd go with the same ratios as the brewery for the first trial. If you think it needs a little darkness, sweetness, or flavor, you can adjust the specialty grains. If you know the ABV, you can guess what the OG should be. I've never had St. Arnolds, so I can't really comment on hops or yeast.

Edit: What rhamilton said!

You guys, are great. Many, many thanks.

JonT said:

You guys, are great. Many, many thanks.

Click to expand...

Hey, now you have to hold up your end of the deal: Report back on how the batch turns out, how your wife likes it, etc.

Cheers!