Oktoberfest with Ale yeast ??? any suggestions ...

I am trying for my next batch to brew an Oktoberfest but unfortunately I do not have an additional fridge any more so I cannot lager my Oktoberfest.

I am thinking about using Ale yeast...??? Have any of you tried this before ???
any recommendation on what type of Ale yeast to use ???

Widmer here in Portland, OR makes their Oktoberfest with an ale yeast and it isn't all that bad. Its just a malty amber/alt. For yeast maybe the Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast?

I made Biermuncher's Octoberfest Ale with Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast. Fermented around 64 and it came out pretty good.

I do my Oktoberfest with Kolsch yeast, I think it's a happy medium between temp control and lager flavor.

I would imagine you'd want as clean of a yeast as possible... flavor emphasis in Oktoberfests should be on the malt, so if the yeast leaves too much/many flavors behind, it might impact the end result. I'm not saying that's bad or good, just different from how it traditionally tastes.

So if you want as close to a lager experience as you can get, then go with a clean yeast, otherwise, experiment and have fun! Either way, I think fermenting at as low of a temperature you can get that still works for the yeast is generally a good practice.

-Steve

I don't really have the set up...or the patience maybe to really do a lager right so I usually make do. I did an Oktoberfest over the winter. Used the 1007 German Ale yeast & in my lowly opinion it turned out fantastic. My basement was around 58 to 60 at the time. Personaly, I don't think the kolsch yeast woud finish malty enough. I think a California lager yeast (steam beer)would work well too.

I was impressed with Ed Wort's Oktoberfast.

I brewed and Oktoberfest-styled Ale last Year with Kolsch Yeast. It portrays a more clean taste compared to other yeast strains. Mine turned out great, everyone who enjoyed oktoberfests in general really liked my brew. It isn't quite the same, but it's as close as you'll get without lagering. Enjoy if you end up doing it

I am going to try using White Labs WLP011 European Ale Yeast for a Octoberfest/Marzen "Ale" that I am going to brew very soon. My receipe will be using 6.6 lbs Briess Munich LME and 1 lb of Amber DME.

If I rember from my receipe correctly, SG is going to be around 1.054

Information from Whitelabs is shown below.
http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp011.html
WLP011 European Ale Yeast
Malty, Northern European-origin ale yeast. Low ester production, giving a clean profile. Little to no sulfur production. Low attenuation helps to contribute to the malty character. Good for Alt, Kolsch, malty English ales, and fruit beers.
Attenuation: 65-70%
Flocculation: Medium
Ideal Fermentation Temperature: 65-70°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

My SG was slightly higher...about 1.057
The kolsch yeast I used was about the same; very low ester production and a very clean, yet malty, taste. I still have a few left I happened to forget at my friends house that we t\had the other day. Still tastes good, yet it tastes boozy now. It was 5.71% ABV to begin with and it wasn't this boozy...I wonder if the ABV went up. is there a way to test it?

Hah, back from the dead, but I was thinking about this same thing earlier. I want to brew an Oktoberfest and lager it until Sept. I can lager it in the keg in my keggerator, but fermentation is the main issue. The cellar is about 58*F right now and will only get warmer. I was considering a swamp cooler, a tub of water with the fermenter in it, replacing jugs of ice every 12 hrs. OR, using a Cali or San Fran Lager yeast, which can ferment warmer. I think I may try the swamp cooler. I just hope the temp doesn't fluctuate too much.