Festbier BierMuncher's OktoberFAST Ale (AG)

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i have a quick aging question. I've had the beer on the yeast for three weeks (well, almost three weeks). Would it be better to transfer to a keg and let age or into a secondary carboy for another few weeks before kegging and carbing?

If storing in a keg, should i carb it and let it age in the fridge or pressurize and let it stay at room temp to age?

thanks
 
Just cracked one of these open from last year. Last fall when the beer was fresh it was VERY high in melanoidins and very cloying. I'm guessing I should have used more bittering hops and mashed a little lower.

Now the beer, 6% ABV, tastes an awful lot like a doppelbock. Still a slightly cloying, but rather drinkable. It's got a lot of caramel, dried fruits, and apricots. It would be good with a nice heavy autumn or winter meal.
 
I'm getting ready to go brew this right now. This will be my third BM recipe.
The Guinness and Newcastle clones were both very tasty, I'm sure this one will be as well!
 
I'm getting ready to go brew this right now. This will be my third BM recipe.
The Guinness and Newcastle clones were both very tasty, I'm sure this one will be as well!

Your nights are getting cool enough up in IN. If you can...drag the secondary outside to a shady pot and let this beer lager for several weeks.
 
Mine is going to secondary tomorrow - been in primary for 3 weeks. I tasted a hydro sample and it was friggin amazing.
 
OMFG - This tastes amazing!!!! I used San Fran Lager yeast and it tastes like a genuine Oktoberfest. Fantastic!

The beer was so clear I didn't even secondary it - went straight to keg... Now I wish I had brewed a 10 gallon batch...
 
OMFG - This tastes amazing!!!! I used San Fran Lager yeast and it tastes like a genuine Oktoberfest. Fantastic!

The beer was so clear I didn't even secondary it - went straight to keg... Now I wish I had brewed a 10 gallon batch...

Excellent

MrBurns.jpg
 
I've got a 2 gallon cooler I use for doing partial mashes, and found some 60% Pale / 40% Munich liquid extract so I tried my hand at a partial mash recipe for this:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.049 SG
Estimated Color: 12.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 13.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 67.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Munich Liquid Extract (13.2 SRM) Extract 55.56 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 22.22 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 11.11 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.56 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.56 %
1.00 oz Tettnang [3.20 %] (60 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [3.20 %] (45 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [3.20 %] (30 min) Hops 2.7 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale



Any feedback? I plan on brewing this on Sunday (9/27).
 
I just finished brewing the Centennial Blonde this past Saturday, and am starting to look at future brews. This Saturday is likely going to be the SWMBO Slayer, well, just because of the name! But after that, I have been wanting something richer. The weather is just starting to turn here in Texas.

Couple of questions on this recipe:

1. There are two grain bills from BM, the original in post #1 and another simpler version with fewer grains given by percentage. I'm assuming I would need to figure the actual weight of the individual grains to match the same total weight of the first recipe? And is there any flavor difference.

2. What was the intended mash temperature? The first post indicates you were heading in the direction of 156 to 158. Is that what works best?

3. I have Hallertau available and noted it was recommended as a replacement. Should I computer to get similar IBU's at the same ratio's for the different additions?
 
Mash it at 156. That will be plenty high enough for a rich flavor. Hallertau is a great hop. Use in in abundance and yes...recalculate to reach the desired IBU's.

As long as your grain bill is at the right percentages...the flavor should be the same. It's just a matter of scaling. :mug:
 
Thank you for the reply, BM. The more I think about this recipe, the more it grows on me. I am really looking forward to this one. I'm going to have to have a discussion with my brewbud whether we do this one or the SWMBO slayer this weekend.
 
I brewed this some time back, mid july i think
I did 10 gal and it really tured out great
I did no secondary
i used steam beer yeast

did 3 weeks at 45°F
2 days at 65°F
3 weeks at 25°F
and them racked to kegs where it sat at 38 for 2 more weeks
getting raves on this beer.
there are no pics of this beer on the whole thread?!?
i tryed to take some but it was too dark.
its hard to photograph beer
could not capture the color and clearity right with my old cam and crappy lighting need to try again during the day time.
this beer has a huge long lasting head but the photos dont show that becoase i poured it slow and then took 10 mins to find my camra :cross:

here are 4 pics of the beer
 
So much for fast, I brewed this almost 6 weeks ago and finally got it into the kegerator today! I dont plan on drinking it until Halloween, so hopefully its tasting great at that time...
 
I'm drinking this one now. I used S-04 and S-05 and prefer the S-05 batch. Both of these seem to have a definite sweet flavor that stands out probably from the high % of crystal malts.

All in all, I enjoy the beer. Just can't drink too many in one sitting.
 
So my riff on this turned out really good! I love this beer. It is now crystal clear after a few weeks in the keg and it is almost gone. It goes great with food. One of my friends (none of which usually has very useful commentary) said "Mmm this is malty!" when he drank it and I was quite proud of him for noticing. The 1007 gives it a sort of lagery component. Great stuff.


i just brewed a twisted version of this. Inverted the grain bill a bit and got rid of the pilsner, mainly because I am lazy and wanted to do a 60m boil, and because I wanted to see how it would taste with no pilsner, because I always have tons of 2-row on hand. I also used Wyeast 1007 because I had some washed on hand. The color of this is great. I have high hopes for this beer! I realize it is quite different than the original , but reading about this one inspired me. I'm going to try to ferment the 1007 down near 60.

This got me to 1.050 @ 6gal @ 80% eff:

4 lbs Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 38.10 %
3 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 28.57 %
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 19.05 %
8.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
0.70 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] (60 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [5.50 %] (45 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 5.2 IBU
1 Pkgs German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) Yeast-Ale
 
...I love this beer. It is now crystal clear after a few weeks in the keg and it is almost gone. It goes great with food. One of my friends (none of which usually has very useful commentary) said "Mmm this is malty!" when he drank it and I was quite proud of him for noticing. The 1007 gives it a sort of lagery component. Great stuff.

Nicely done. :mug:
 
Hey all,
I picked up everything i need to make a 5g AG batch but my not-so-LHBS didn't have any safale, and they weren't sure which wyeast or whitelabs strain was equivalent. I can look it up, but I'd rather not make the 35mi trip just for a vial. I have 2 sachets each of Danstar Windsor and Munich. Can anyone forsee a disaster if I use one or the other instead of the safale? It's not for competition, so I'm not realy worried about style guidelines...I just want a tasty, malty, bavarian/german brew without having to lager for months.

Also, I need it to finish in time to keg and carb for a party in late November, so this recipe stood out as the best choice.

Thanks in advance for any input you can offer.
-Aaron
 
Hey all,
I picked up everything i need to make a 5g AG batch but my not-so-LHBS didn't have any safale, and they weren't sure which wyeast or whitelabs strain was equivalent. I can look it up, but I'd rather not make the 35mi trip just for a vial. I have 2 sachets each of Danstar Windsor and Munich. Can anyone forsee a disaster if I use one or the other instead of the safale? It's not for competition, so I'm not realy worried about style guidelines...I just want a tasty, malty, bavarian/german brew without having to lager for months.

Also, I need it to finish in time to keg and carb for a party in late November, so this recipe stood out as the best choice.

Thanks in advance for any input you can offer.
-Aaron

I haven't used them, but according to the spec sheet for Windsor it is a London Ale sort of yeast with quite fruity esters. They say it is best suited to strong bitter beers, stouts, and hefeweizens. This might be sort of similar to S-04 (an english ale yeast) but it sounds like it might have more estery qualities. It is probably your best bet.

Windsor ale yeast is a true English strain that produces a beer which is estery to both palate and nose with a slight fresh yeasty flavor. Beers created with Windsor are usually described as full-bodied, fruity English ales. Brewers choose Windsor to produce beers that range from pale ale to porter with moderate alcohol levels and the flavor & aroma characteristics of the best traditional ales.

Quick start to fermentation, which can be completed in 3 days above 17°C.
• Moderate attenuation, which will leave a relatively high gravity.
• Fermentation rate, fermentation time and degree of attenuation is dependent on inoculation density, yeast handling, fermentation temperature and the nutritional quality of the wort.
• Non-flocculent strain, but some settling can be promoted by cooling and use of fining agents and isinglass.
• The aroma is estery to both palate and nose, and is usually described as a full-bodied, fruity British ale. Does not display malodours when properly handled. Windsor yeast has found great acceptance in producing strong-tasting bitter beer, stout, weizen and hefe weizen.
• Best used at traditional ale tem


Munich on the other hand is a hefeweizen style yeast, so it wouldn't fit as well. From the spec:

• Aroma is estery to both palate and nose with typical banana notes. Does not display malodours when properly handled. Munich yeast has found widespread use in the production of German Weizen and Hefeweizen
 
i just bought all the stuff i need for an AG batch of this, but my HBS was out of the safale. I have windsor and munich on hand. would either (or both) of these screw this beer up. It's not for competition or anything.
 
i just bought all the stuff i need for an AG batch of this, but my HBS was out of the safale. I have windsor and munich on hand. would either (or both) of these screw this beer up. It's not for competition or anything.

Um... did you see my message above? :drunk: I would go with windsor, given the choice between those two.
 
hmmm, i think i forgetfully left that post half-completed and un-posted before leaving for work and subsequently posting the first one you responded to...my girlfriend must have seen it and hit send for me. Thanks, Gabe...and Pico.

Windsor it is.
 
5 gallons in the carboy with a sachet of Windsor. I'll update when i rack to secondary in a week...looks and smells great right now, though.
 
so it's been a little over a week, and the windsor is still really cloudy with little clumps on the surface. I know i should expect some degree of variance for using a different yeast than recommended, but i was wondering if the description I gave is anything like what you guys have after a week in primary. If not, should I rack anyway?

Thanks,
-A
 
so it's been a little over a week, and the windsor is still really cloudy with little clumps on the surface. I know i should expect some degree of variance for using a different yeast than recommended, but i was wondering if the description I gave is anything like what you guys have after a week in primary. If not, should I rack anyway?

Thanks,
-A

With mine, I left it 3 weeks in primary and then did 3 weeks in the keg. One week certainly isn't very long. Take a gravity reading if you are unsure what to do.
 
I think you'll be golden.

Unfortunately its not :(
Its still extremely cloudy, off flavors are dominant, and once you get past those the actual beer has no flavor.
I am really suprised. The wort tasted great and it tasted good when I kegged it.
It doesnt seem infected, just cloudy, lacking in flavor, no body, did I say cloudy? Its totally opaque...

Anyone have any ideas? I have one day to save this beer for a halloween party...
 
Mine didn't turn out as red as yours. I followed the recipe but cut the batch in half. Do you think that's why there's a difference?

img1823m.jpg

I just poured one of these made with s-04 (the second keg used kolsch yeast) and mine looks almost identical to yours, not red at all.
 
Not the best picture, taken with phone, but here's my partial extract version of BM's OctoberFAST, thanks for the recipe:

Oktoberfast-2.jpg
 
So this is a bit of a noob question I'm sure. I just finished reading the entire thread and I noticed something mentioned I don't think I ever read in Palmers how to brew. Maybe it just something you learn over time...in which case I want to learn it now!

Why the emphasis on acheiving a FG above 1.015? Is this to emphasize the malty flavour of this beer?

I also ask because I just brewed your Munich Helles and I was under the impression I should have had a more malty beer than say one of my Pilsners. It's FG was 1.009 using Notty fermented at 68 degrees for 3 weeks. I notice that it has a maltier profile but the fruity esters are definitly more dominate than the malt. It almost tastes exactly like my previous Pils.

I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong to make sure when I brew this OktoberFAST it won't end up with those same Fruity Esters that dominate the Maltiness. I must have a Malty beer!

I think it could either be the yeast I used or I should have ended up with a high FG....or combination of the two?
 
So this is a bit of a noob question I'm sure. I just finished reading the entire thread and I noticed something mentioned I don't think I ever read in Palmers how to brew. Maybe it just something you learn over time...in which case I want to learn it now!

Why the emphasis on acheiving a FG above 1.015? Is this to emphasize the malty flavour of this beer?

I also ask because I just brewed your Munich Helles and I was under the impression I should have had a more malty beer than say one of my Pilsners. It's FG was 1.009 using Notty fermented at 68 degrees for 3 weeks. I notice that it has a maltier profile but the fruity esters are definitly more dominate than the malt. It almost tastes exactly like my previous Pils.

I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong to make sure when I brew this OktoberFAST it won't end up with those same Fruity Esters that dominate the Maltiness. I must have a Malty beer!

I think it could either be the yeast I used or I should have ended up with a high FG....or combination of the two?

I stay away from Nottingham yeast. Not that it's a bad yeast...but it seems to be on attenuation steroids. Everything seems to dry out too much. Plus, you mentioned fruity esters. Seems to me there is a correlation between fruity esters and fermentation "intensity". Normally that intensity is caused by higher ferment temperatures, but maybe it's as simple as how aggressive the fermentation is (due to using Notty). Again...just thinking out loud here.

Hitting a higher FG will give you a richer, maltier profile. There are several things (outside the grain bill) that can help with that:
1) A higher mash temp. (155 ish)
2) A shorter mash rest. (40-45 minutes)
3) The yeast. (i.e., safale-04)

Go with the suggested yeast and start your fermentation in the low-mid 60 range. Keep it there for 10 days and then ramp up the ambient to 68ish for the next 5-7 days.
 
Thanks BM.

From my notes I've calculated that my Attenuation was 85%... a little high for that style no? I can follow your instructions I'm just trying to understand the science behind it all now. From what I've gathered the higher mash temp will create more unfermentable sugars which would add to the malt character correct? Same could be said for the mash rest... As for the yeast I assume s-04 is a lower attenuation yeast?
 
hey all,
i just finished off the keg of this recipe that i made with windsor. it was excellent beer and the alternate yeast seemed to work out just right. thanks for your advice.
 
We have put away three 10g batches of this brew and enjoyed every one of them. I am still nursing the last keg, which was a bit of an experiment. On brew day we realized we didn't have the SA-04 yeast, so we sub'd in a Nottingham repitch. We expected the brew to be a bit drier and it is, but still with a good malty character because we mash at a higher temperature. We are thinking about brewing this with a bit lower mash temperature and the SA-04 for a bit lighter brew for the summer. Is that the best route to go?
 
Killed our keg the other night. I'm in remorse. It barely made it a month. Even with competition in the fridge. Enjoyed by all and high on the list to do again. We fell back on the black pearl porter....killed that too. Thanks!
 

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