What can I do with this Oktoberfest Lager kit?

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BRUbaker

BRUbaker

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I was given a Brewer's best German Oktoberfest LME kit as a gift. It's a lager but i don't have a fridge or temperature controlled area to make it in. It's from out of state so i cant return it either.

Is there something i can do with it to make some sort of an Ale instead?

Thanks
 
I brewed this kit. It says in the instructions that you can brew this as an ale. Has a yeast that tolerates a wide range of temperatures. Brewing it as an ale will give it more of a fruity flavor. I did it as a lager, my brother in kaw did it as an ale and it tasted fine. Go for it.
 
I would think you could use ale yeast and ferment at the proper temp for that yeast. I may be wrong though.
 
I brewed it as an ale and it came out great. Try to find the coolest temperature steady place you can find. Mine fermented around 60*.
 
ENS said:
I brewed it as an ale and it came out great.
Click to expand...

When you say you brewed it as an ale does that mean you did something different than what the directions said to do? OR do you mean make it as directed but ferment it as an ale?
 
Brewing as a lager takes better control of temperature. If you don't have a way to keep it at ~50 degrees for the primary and then cool it to near freezing and hold it there for a longer period, you will be fermenting it as an ale. Ales generally ferment between 60 and 70 degrees which most of us can manage.
 
Yeah I've done something similar to my first brew. Was given a lager kit. Seeing as its summer here and averaging around 26 degrees C (79F), its quite frankly impossible without a bunch of kit I dont have (honestly it takes a great deal of effort to keep it under 70F at the moment).

Turned out fine :) Good luck
 
The Brewferm yeast that comes in that kit will do a nice job fermenting at warmer temperatures.
I would suggest that you brew as normal, cool and ferment at the coolest consistent temperature that you can maintain (swamp cooler for the first week), bottle and condition @ +/-70 degrees for 2-3 weeks and then keep it cold.
Bull
 
BRUbaker said:
When you say you brewed it as an ale does that mean you did something different than what the directions said to do? OR do you mean make it as directed but ferment it as an ale?
Click to expand...

The instructions actually say you can brew as an ale. Look over on the side margin. Basically it just means you can ferment in the 60s instead of the 50s. No need to do the lagering step after fermentation either
 
exactly. I followed the directions as per the enclosed sheet, but fermented it in the low sixties (with Hard Days Night and Beatles for Sale playing in the back ground). I think my average temp was 62-63. That was in October. If I did it now I could get temps about 60. It tasted good and went fast. Has a slight ester flavor, but not bad. I think it could use a little more hops.
 
If you have a freezer, a bucket that has a larger opening than the outer diameter of your carboy and water you can do a lager. Search for something called a swamp cooler and check it out. Plus you are in VA, so you can sub handfulls of snow for the frozen bottles.
 
ENS said:
exactly. I followed the directions as per the enclosed sheet, but fermented it in the low sixties (with Hard Days Night and Beatles for Sale playing in the back ground). I think my average temp was 62-63. That was in October. If I did it now I could get temps about 60. It tasted good and went fast. Has a slight ester flavor, but not bad. I think it could use a little more hops.
Click to expand...

I'm lucky. I live in MN and have a heated garage. brought my garage up to 50 for fermentation. Now it's down to 36 for lagering. Can't say my wife was a big fan of this plan
 

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