Just thought I'd prod those of us along who like to do the Oktoberfests according to the traditional schedule. No need to do an Oktoberfast in the last 4 weeks before the festival if you get it going now.
I'm brewing one tomorrow but I'm almost 100% sure it won't last until mid-September. I'll brew another in early June or so for fall (I call this one the Marzen and the second one the Ofest). My recipe is very similar to yours except I'm using a pound of dark munich instead of cara/crystal. And I just got some Mittlefreuh yesterday.Just thought I'd prod those of us along who like to do the Oktoberfests according to the traditional schedule. No need to do an Oktoberfast in the last 4 weeks before the festival if you get it going now.
IMO, it should be very malty but not sweet and no caramel. IME, if you stick with a combination of Lt. Munich/Vienna/Pils/Dk. Munich you can get that. Then I often use some Carafoam for some body/creaminess (Ofest needs that creaminess) while still having a fully attenuated beer.Is this overly sweet like the commercial examples i've tried? Supposedly Paulaner is supposed to be a great oktoberfest beer, it tasted like peach syrup to me.
Per the Mr Malty Pitch Rate Calculator you'd need about 450 billion cells. Do you have a stirplate? If not it's gonna require a 12.5L starter (and that's IF your yeast pack is brand new). That's ginormous and illustrates why using a couple packets of dry is so much easier (I still always use liquid though).Ordered the OP Recipe yesterday. Thinking about doing my first starter with this since I only got one yeast pack. What size starter you all recommend for a 5.5G lager?
My 2 cents: I wouldn't do a 2L starter and then step up to a 4L starter. The reason why is because when you do that second step you are way 'over-pitching' that 4L starter. When you way over-pitch, the yeast end up depleted of their reserves plus you don't really get that much increase in cell mass anyway (there's so much yeast that the fermentation is over before the yeast can multiply much OR build their reserves). That's why the recomendation is for each step to be 5x-10x the previous step.Going the wyeast route, three activators pitched into a 2L, 1.040 @ 70 degF starter w/o a stir plate for 36 hours would do the trick. Three activators is pretty expensive for yeast though... 2 activators with a stir plate. 1 activator pitched into 2L for 36 hours then stepped up to 4L for another 36 hours would get you pretty close.
Question: if you do step up to a 4L starter, is it good practice to then refrigerate the starter for a couple days and then dump off the excess wort just keeping the cake or is that going to cause you to lose a lot of much-needed yeast?
Get more than one! I couldn't find my stirbar the other day...then I turned on the disposal. Oops, there it is. I think I need to put a big piece of tape at the mouth of any vessel that I put a stirbar into that reads: STIRBAR YOU EEEDIOT!...but I am missing a stir bar.
Get more than one! I couldn't find my stirbar the other day...then I turned on the disposal. Oops, there it is. I think I need to put a big piece of tape at the mouth of any vessel that I put a stirbar into that reads: STIRBAR YOU EEEDIOT!
When you way over-pitch, the yeast end up depleted of their reserves plus you don't really get that much increase in cell mass anyway (there's so much yeast that the fermentation is over before the yeast can multiply much OR build their reserves).
I brewed up my oktoberfest yesterday and will be pitching tonight after racking the now clear wort to a carboy and oxygenating! BTW, I am pitching 2 packs of W-34/70.
I will certainly do it, I heard some great reviews about this yeast (specifically from menschmachina sp?). Assuming I can get my basement + waterbath to hold around the 50s I have high hopes.
I brewed up my oktoberfest yesterday and will be pitching tonight after racking the now clear wort to a carboy and oxygenating! BTW, I am pitching 2 packs of W-34/70.
So what is everybody doing for long term lagering? Will you be using a carboy/better bottle, or will it be in the keg? I see that Boerderij Kabouter is doing 3 weeks in secondary and 8 in the keg. I'm thinking of doing something similar; maybe go longer in secondary and move to the keg a little closer to serving time. Maybe a month...?
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