Its March...time for a Marzen

[ColoHox]

There aren't too many Marzen recipes on here, let alone with rye, and I love rye in my beers.

The recipe below is the "wedding march" marzen recipe from Beersmith, although I want to add rye, similar to Great Divide's Hoss.

Any comments on the recipe itself? I was planning on replacing the 0.5lbs of wheat malt with rye malt. I don't know what percentage of rye GD uses in Hoss, but 5-10% is probably plenty.

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 lb Pilsner (Weyermann) (1.7 SRM) Grain 40.91 %
2.25 lb Munich I (Weyermann) (7.1 SRM) Grain 20.45 %
2.25 lb Vienna Malt (Weissheimer) (3.0 SRM) Grain 20.45 %
0.50 lb Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.60 %] (60 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
1.00 oz Saaz [4.60 %] (15 min) Hops 7.7 IBU
0.50 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 7.6 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh [4.60 %] (15 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
1 Pkgs White Labs WLP820 Octoberfest - Marzen Yeast-Ale

 

[Yooper]

Amber malt, biscuit malt, and victory malt is very weird in a Marzen.

Typically, the grains are Vienna malt with some Munich in there for maltiness. Pilsner malt is common as well. I guess the victory malt is in there for the "toastiness"?

The biscuit and amber malt would give a drying finish, and I don't think I would like that. Even some crystal malt would be ok, as long as it's not too much.

There are a bunch of recipes in the recipe database, and I think several of them look better as a Marzen/Oktoberfest than this one, to be honest.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/

 

[GarageDweller]

Hoss is delcious and the color is awesome! Bright red, brilliantly clear. yummm

 

[ColoHox]

Amber malt, biscuit malt, and victory malt is very weird in a Marzen.

Typically, the grains are Vienna malt with some Munich in there for maltiness. Pilsner malt is common as well. I guess the victory malt is in there for the "toastiness"?

The biscuit and amber malt would give a drying finish, and I don't think I would like that. Even some crystal malt would be ok, as long as it's not too much.

There are a bunch of recipes in the recipe database, and I think several of them look better as a Marzen/Oktoberfest than this one, to be honest.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/

I thought that recipe looked a little over-complicated, they even did a decoction mash. Which, with those specialty grains would be like chewing on a dry biscuit.

I like your recipe much better, Yooper. Thank you! Not sure why I glossed over that to begin with. I see you occasionally use rye, have you ever used it to your recipe?

8 Pounds Vienna Malt
1 pound munich malt
8 oz crystal 80L
8 oz caramunich malt
1 oz Tettnang (40 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau (30 minutes)

I think I would prefer it to be spicy/malty, would that mean replacing the crystal with the rye, or as an additional component?

 

[Yooper]

I thought that recipe looked a little over-complicated, they even did a decoction mash. Which, with those specialty grains would be like chewing on a dry biscuit.

I like your recipe much better, Yooper. Thank you! Not sure why I glossed over that to begin with. I see you occasionally use rye, have you ever used it to your recipe?

8 Pounds Vienna Malt
1 pound munich malt
8 oz crystal 80L
8 oz caramunich malt
1 oz Tettnang (40 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau (30 minutes)

I think I would prefer it to be spicy/malty, would that mean replacing the crystal with the rye, or as an additional component?

I've never used rye in a lager, so I can't really say. Maybe look at some roggenbier recipes, to get an idea of the level of rye in a similar recipe? I love rye, but have only done rye APAs and IPAs and never anything else with it.

 

[kombat]

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 lb Pilsner (Weyermann) (1.7 SRM) Grain 40.91 %
2.25 lb Munich I (Weyermann) (7.1 SRM) Grain 20.45 %
2.25 lb Vienna Malt (Weissheimer) (3.0 SRM) Grain 20.45 %
0.50 lb Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %

IMHO, 7 different malts is far too many. Way too complicated, there's no way you'll be able to detect the subtlties of each malt in the finished beer. I'd simplify the malt bill down to no more than 4 malts.

 

[ColoHox]

IMHO, 7 different malts is far too many. Way too complicated, there's no way you'll be able to detect the subtlties of each malt in the finished beer. I'd simplify the malt bill down to no more than 4 malts.

Ya, I am going with Yooper's recipe instead. Plus rye somewhere.

That recipe was wayyy too much.

 

[ColoHox]

This is the recipe I ended up with:
6.5lbs Vienna
3lbs Munich
3lbs Rye
0.5lbs Crystal 80
0.5lbs Caramunich
1.0oz Tettnang (40min)
1.0oz Hallertauer (30min)
WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen
60min-154 degree mash OG 1.059

It is fermenting now at 50 degrees until ~1.020, then D-rest.

Now I need to find another 6er of Hoss to do a side by side.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Not many recipes????

You do know that oktoberfest (a festival in SEPTEMBER) is really just the popular misnomer for a maerzen?

In other words.....all of those oktoberfest recipes?....Marzen (or at least hopefully)

 

[ColoHox]

Not many recipes????

You do know that oktoberfest (a festival in SEPTEMBER) is really just the popular misnomer for a maerzen?

In other words.....all of those oktoberfest recipes?....Marzen (or at least hopefully)

Ya ya, I meant a rye marzen of course, ya that's it.

Aaand, since I brewed it in March, it is definitely a Marzen and not an oktoberfest.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Ya ya, I meant a rye marzen of course, ya that's it.

Aaand, since I brewed it in March, it is definitely a Marzen and not an oktoberfest.

Technically, unless you brewed a festival where they serve marzen in september.........



And yes technically ANYTHING you brew....well, last month, was a Marzen.