Octoberfest w/ European Ale yeast

I'm thinking of doing a partial-mash Octoberfest as a first attempt at mashing. I don't have lagering capabilities, so I'd have to use European Ale yeast.

My basement corner "beer cellar" is a very constant 59-61 degrees.

My question: should I go ahead and brew it this spring, as is traditional, and store it (at 59-61 degrees) over the summer, or is there no real benefit to the long storage without a lager yeast and lager temps?

there is still a benefit, it rounds it out, and gives it that smooth lagered characteristic, even if you use ale yeast. 59-61 is too cold for most ale yeast though, i think kolsch yeast has a lower temp range, so maybe try that. its also too warm for lagering, so throw as many as you can in some sort of refrigerated place.

drengel said:

59-61 is too cold for most ale yeast though, i think kolsch yeast has a lower temp range, so maybe try that.

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Thanks. My basement has many different climate zones, 59-61 is just the coolest corner. I can always hit the optimum temp if I get creative enough with location.

SWMBO thinks I'm nuts--I'm always leaving thermometers in various places to test the temp and variability of locations. Because our basement is a partial basement with crawl spaces under the rest of the house, I have a good mix of exterior walls, partial exterior walls, etc. Lots of different micro-climates.

Another thought: California Lager is said to keep lager-like characteristics at temps up to 65. That'd be another possibility.

Anyone tried any of these?

i'd use the european ale yeast, or the German Ale/Kolsch yeast. it would be closer to the style than the cali common yeast. just my $0.02 worth.....

If you use the grain bill for an Oktoberfest and an ale yeast, this would make it much closer to an Altbier in style. One of my favourites.