3 gallon Märzen

[camonick]

Stayed home from work today because of blizzard conditions in NE Colorado yesterday and this morning. Brewed my 3rd BIAB attempt as a 3 gallon batch of Märzen to pass the time. Did quite a bit of reading about the style and morphed together a few different recipes to make my own. Used “Amber balanced” for my water profile.
Batch size 3.4 gallons
Boil size 4.75 gallons
My recipe is:
3lbs 13oz Munich malt (8 SRM)
2 lbs Vienna malt (3.5 SRM)
1 lb Pilsner malt Ger. (2 SRM)
8 oz Caramunich III (55 SRM)

Full volume mash, no sparge 152°F 60 minutes

Boil
1.25 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 3.1% 60 min
0.75 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 3.1% 10 min
Total IBUs: 20.3

3.4 gallon batch into fermenter
Estimated OG 1.056
Measured OG 1.058
Estimated FG 1.013
~SRM 11.5

Ferment
Saflager W-34/70 @ 55°

Hopefully it turns out... the hydrometer sample tasted promising.
I plan to keg and lager until September like a true Oktoberfest if I can keep my grubby paws off it that long.
Slainte

 

[McKnuckle]

Looks great. I have been trying to decide between a Festbier and a Märzen for my next lager. This one may tip the scales. Thanks for the recipe inspiration and good luck with yours!

 

[IslandLizard]

I plan to keg and lager until September like a true Oktoberfest if I can keep my grubby paws off it that long.

Oktoberfests are good all year long. No need to wait for the magic month.

I often 'lager' in a keg in my keezer, so it's not even at 32F. They're usually 99% there after a month of lagering. I do use a tsp of gelatin, and have no shame admitting that. Life is too darn short to wait and worry about those little and insignificant things.

Brew another 2 batches. One for Summer, and the other for September.

 

[EaseTN]

Life is too darn short to wait and worry about those little and insignificant things.

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[camonick]

The krausen started to appear last night and is looking good this morning. Plugging away at a nice 56°.
Sláinte

 

[McKnuckle]

I just brewed mine!

Man, there are a ton of different recipes out there. I chose 45% dark Munich (9L), 45% pils, 5% melanoidin, and 5% Caramunich II. Hopped it with Hallertau Mittelfruh to 21 IBU. Color is a beautiful rust orange, 10 SRM.

Hit 1.054 OG, and I’ll pitch yeast as soon as it cools to 60° or so on the way down to 50°.

Pics when it’s in the glass in about 4 weeks maybe?

 

[camonick]

I just brewed mine!

Man, there are a ton of different recipes out there. I chose 45% dark Munich (9L), 45% pils, 5% melanoidin, and 5% Caramunich II. Hopped it with Hallertau Mittelfruh to 21 IBU. Color is a beautiful rust orange, 10 SRM.

Hit 1.054 OG, and I’ll pitch yeast as soon as it cools to 60° or so on the way down to 50°.

Pics when it’s in the glass in about 4 weeks maybe?

I noticed the large variation of recipes when I was researching this style too. Mine isn’t a proven recipe but will most likely be beer in a month. My IBUs come in at 20.3 according to BeerSmith and I added that to my ingredient list above. I hope yours turns out too!!!

 

[McKnuckle]

@camonick Here’s an update! Forgive the inappropriate British beer glass. The Märzen inside is very clear and really soft and delicious. Hope yours worked out too.

 

[camonick]

@camonick Here’s an update! Forgive the inappropriate British beer glass. The Märzen inside is very clear and really soft and delicious. Hope yours worked out too. View attachment 621696

Glad to hear you have a tasty brew. I swore I wasn’t going to tap mine until September but I just couldn’t resist and have had 4 pints already. Mine isn’t as clear as I’d like but I didn’t use gelatin on it either. I’m very happy with the flavor though and wish I had made 5 gallons instead of 3.

 

[McKnuckle]

Just wait - it'll clear! Mine is more clear because I'm using a floating dip tube. Actually I fermented this one in the serving keg as well. I'm happy to have a small batch (as usual for me), because another delicious lager will surely follow. Prost!