Märzen recipe

Comments? Suggestions? Criticisms?

(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 7.5 lbs. light Munich malt syrup
• 1 lbs. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 1 lb. crystal malt, 20° Lovibond
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 60° Lovibond
• 2 oz. Hallertauer hops (3.5% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 60 min., 1 oz. for 15 min.
• 1 oz. Saaz hops at end of boil
• Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian lager), 1 pt. starter, or White Labs WLP830 (German lager)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Is liquid yeast the better way to go? What are the relative merits of liquid vs. dry yeast when it comes to the final product?

2.5 lbs of cara/crystal malt is much more than most Marzens have, same goes for the ounce of flameout hops. Vienna is the most common basemalt, but since that isn't available in extract for I would probably go with a mix of pils and munich extracts (50:50 is probably a good place to start).

Lagers need about twice the number of yeast cells as an ale. I've had fine luck with the dry lager strains, and it is cheap to just buy more rather than build up the necessary cells for a liquid strain. Jamil's pitching rate calculator calls for either a 4 L starter made from 1 fresh pack/tube or 20 g of dry yeast.

Good luck.

I'd stick with the liquid yeast but I have never tried dry. The other suggestions above sound about right although I wouldn't do any hop at flameout. By the way, why don't we call it an Oktoberfest since you're making it in March.

My last (and first) batch was a dunkelweizen from a kit. It had me doing a partial mash with the grains in a bag before adding the extract. It didn't mention sparging, simply draining the grain-bag. Should I sparge? Can I do it without a lauter tun and whole new setup?

binkman said:

My last (and first) batch was a dunkelweizen from a kit. It had me doing a partial mash with the grains in a bag before adding the extract. It didn't mention sparging, simply draining the grain-bag. Should I sparge? Can I do it without a lauter tun and whole new setup?

Click to expand...

You can do a simple sparge simply by pouring some hot water through the grainbag as you are holding it over the pot.

Revised:

(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 3.3 lbs. Munich LME
• 3.3 lbs. Pilsen LME
• 1 lb. Pilsen light DME
• .5 lbs. crystal malt, 40° Lovibond
• 1 lb. Caravienne
• 2 oz. Hallertauer hops (3.5% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 60 min., 1 oz. for 15 min.
• 20g Lager yeast (dry strain)
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming