Oktoberfest Fermentation Temp confusion

[Will_the-new-brewer]

I am preparing for my second brew, an Oktoberfest beer LME recipe. The instructions on it says to ferment around 50F; however, the yeast strain it recommends using (which I bought, WLP029) recommends a 65-69F fermentation temp. Which should I go with?

Second question since I am here--if I understand correctly, the fermentation on this type of beer can take up to 3 weeks vice 7-10 days. Am I correct on that?

 

[Brewsader1]

An Oktoberfest is traditionally a lager, so you would use a lager yeast and ferment colder around 50F. I don't know why WLP029 was suggested because that is their kolsch strain. If you don't have lager temperature control, you would be better off using a clean ale yeast like WLP001 or WLP cream ale blend. You could even try using a lager yeast at warmer temps. WLP830 would be a good suggestion for this.

The gist of the temperature thing is that at lower temps, the yeast are not as active. So not only do you need to pitch more yeast, they may take longer to finish out the full fermentation. So if you use a lager yeast at 50 degrees, yes fermentation may take longer versus an ale yeast fermented at 65.

I hope that helps a little bit, but ask away if you have more questions!

 

[bpgreen]

Can you provide a link to the kit?

The instructions seem to be for a lager yeast, but the yeast is an ale/kolsch yeast. When I looked up that yeast, the description said it does not do well below 62F.

 

[Brewsader1]

I typically ferment my kolsches using WLP029 at 60 degrees and it does well, but would be way to estery for an Oktoberfest.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

Can you provide a link to the kit?

The instructions seem to be for a lager yeast, but the yeast is an ale/kolsch yeast. When I looked up that yeast, the description said it does not do well below 62F.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/special-oktoberfest-ale-extract-beer-brewing-kit-5-gallons.html

I noticed the same thing about the temperature (62F).

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

The only other yeasts I have are Safale T58 and S33, but those are for a Belgian Trippel I am brewing soon. I am not sure if they will taste well with an Oktoberfest beer--perhaps the S33 due to its bland taste. From my research, I plan to use the T58 with my trippel.

 

[bpgreen]

The instructions on the link day that if you're brewing as an ale, your temperatures should be 65-? (Sorry but I screwed up my pdf viewing).

Follow those instructions. 50 is for a true lager.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

The instructions on the link day that if you're brewing as an ale, your temperatures should be 65-? (Sorry but I screwed up my pdf viewing).

Follow those instructions. 50 is for a true lager.

Interesting...says it is a lager, but ferment at 64-72F. The PDF says to ferment @ 50F.

There was a review:
Ive done a few lagers (tried) in the past and it really is a difficult style to get right if you aren't able to keep your temps on the mark. I don't have a spare fridge or a Kegerator yet to do them right. Someone locally recommended that I try using a Kolsch yeast instead of a lager yeast since you don't have to keep the fermentation quite so cold.

I did just that with this kit. Fermented with WLP 029 Kolsch x 2 packs since I didn't make a starter, and I was able to keep ferm temps around the 58-64 range in my cool brew ferm jacket. Slow ish start, but by 72 hours it was doing its thing. Fermentation took around 3 1/2 weeks. Bottled it up and put them back into the cool brew jacket with ice blocks for 2 more weeks and then put in the fridge to "lager".

since Im impatient I decided to try one before it had a full chance to "lager". It tastes so good I don't even care. Super crisp, maarzen like flavors, medium amber color, and it is crystal clear since the kolsch has a terrific flocc out. I happened to have some fresh Tettnanger hops that were ready for harvest that I tossed into the boil towards the end when I made this and I am really happy with how it turned out. Part of me wishes Id purchased the Oktoberfest lager and done that with Kolsch to get that pilsner malt flavor but that will be my next project.

Granted, I don't have a 2nd pack of yeast.

 

[Will_the-new-brewer]

Found a good review on this:
I fermented the White Labs Kolsch yeast at 62F (the lowest temp they recommend) for 3 weeks then lagered at ~50F. This yielded great flavor... Much better than I expected possible!

For my next batch I would definitely go with a big starter since fermenting this chilly really slows down the yeast activity. Attenuation was only 65% without a starter.

NOTE: There is a typo in the recipe which recommends fermenting at 50C. Don't do that with Kolsch yeast!
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Sounds like it is a typo and I should be near the 64 range. Will it hurt to go 50F after 3 weeks?

 

[Jayjay1976]

I've had really promising results fermenting Pilsener and Munich Helles with 2565 kölsch yeast in the 52-55 range for 3 weeks, then 2 days diacetyl rest, then cold crash/lager a week at 30 to clear before bottling. That resulted in very clear beer with the characteristic crisp lager profile, grain to bottle in a month. Because it makes lager-like ales so well it has become my default strain. This yeast works well below the recommended range, and after a few generations of fermenting cold the collected yeast seems to prefer the colder temps, with a vigorous blowoff leaving a thick layer of krausen that sticks around for 10 days or more.