Help with Faux-toberfest recipe

[brewSJ]

I’ve been asked to make an Oktoberfest beer by a friend for an Oktoberfest dinner. I have two problems though: first, I’ve never brewed an Oktoberfest before and second, I have no temperature control so I can’t brew lagers. What I’ve settled on is an ale brewed with a neutral yeast like Nottingham or US-05. Won’t be a real Oktoberfest, but should be at least close.

My starting point is the following partial-mash recipe (5 gal):

Mash:
2.0 lb Light Munich malt
1.0 lb Vienna malt
standard single-infusion mash

Boil:
3.0 lb regular DME
2.0 oz hops @ 60 min (22 IBU)
0.5 oz hops @ 20 min (3 IBU)

Predicted OG 1.047 (65% eff.), IBU 26, SRM 11.

If you’re used to all-grain recipes, the DME is roughly the same as 5 pounds of 2-row (or Pilsner malt if I buy extra-light DME). My mash capacity is about 3.5 pounds of grain, maximum, so there’s a little bit of space left.

How does that look? Too much Munich? Too little? Should I Keep the Vienna or go all Munich?

 

[FloppyKnockers]

You might get away with ale yeast in a Marzen as a closer Oktoberfest equivalent. That said, if you can get some 34/70, it does surprisingly well in warmer temps and probably get you closer to style.

As far as your quantities go, I would go heavier on the Vienna and a lighter on the Munich. If you're going to go the Marzen route, you'll wanna throw some CaraMunich or 120° in there for color.

 

[Jmspears]

I’ve made an Oktoberfest ale with US-05 and it was a really solid beer. If the people you are brewing for aren’t beer snobs and just know they like Oktoberfest style beers generally, it will definitely pass. I do all grain and have really never done extract with steeping grains so I probably wouldn’t be of any help on that front

 

[brewSJ]

I do all grain and have really never done extract with steeping grains so I probably wouldn’t be of any help on that front.

There's no seeped grain in the recipe -- it will be a real mash, just a small one. The DME supplements the mash because I don't have any way right now to mash 8-10 pounds of grain.

 

[leedspointbrew]

Use 34/70 or S189 and a swamp cooler. Either will get you surprisingly close to an Oktoberfestish lager, even at temps in the 60s.

 

[Bobby_M]

Add 4oz of Melanoidin malt and use 34/70 yeast even at room temp.

 

[jtratcliff]

Check out BierMuncher's pseudo Octoberfest :

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag.39021/

 

[bwible]

I went through a whole phase a few years ago trying to make a pdeudo lager. I tried all different yeasts - 1056, 1272, 1968, 1098, and a few others. In the end, none of them make anything close to what a lager is.

I went to Home Depot or whatever your big box store is, and I bought a tapless kegerator. They sell kegerators with no tap tower. I think it was a little less than $400. I liked this idea because its made to be a kegerator - which means it will hold 1/2 keg or at least 2 cornies or a good sized fermenter. The door opens front, so no high lifting like a freezer chest. It’s a refrigerator, not a freezer - so the temp control is going to be less damaging. Better than trying to get a dorm fridge and find stuff on the door in the way or a hump in the middle.

I hooked it to an inkbird and now I have temp control to do lagers.

After a little while, I bought a 2 tap tower and put it on. Now it can dispense 2 kegs when I’m not fermenting lager.

 

[hottpeper13]

^^^^ I bet you don't have any condensation issues either.

 

[dmtaylor]

I think you'll be most pleased if you use an actual lager yeast. My fave is S-189. Cheap and easy and delicious, even fermented at room temp.

Fall down a deep rabbit hole...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/warm-fermented-lager-thread.592169/

Your recipe looks great other than the yeast.

 

[leedspointbrew]

I think you'll be most pleased if you use an actual lager yeast. My fave is S-189. Cheap and easy and delicious, even fermented at room temp.

Fall down a deep rabbit hole...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/warm-fermented-lager-thread.592169/

Your recipe looks great other than the yeast.

Agreed. The last leftover w-f lager that I used S189 with was / is delicious.

 

[pvpeacock]

My go-to Octoberfest Marzen recipe uses a Kolsch yeast with excellent results. I like Imperial Deiter G03.