Oktoberfest question

[jaketothemax1000]

Is it really necessary to brew Oktoberfests in March? Does aging contribute anything to the taste or just the clarity? Also, The recipe I made isn't terribly hopped or alcoholic (25.6 IBU, 5.5%abv). Is there any risk of your beer spoiling if it is aged that long?

 

[menschmaschine]

Brewing Oktoberfests/Marzens in March is strictly old time heritage. Modern day German commercial versions aren't even brewed in March (necessarily) or lagered for 6 months. They can be brewed and lagered like any other lager. A good rule of thumb is about a week for every 8 points of OG. So for the average Oktoberfest, 7 or 8 weeks lagering is probably about right.

 

[KingBrianI]

My oktoberfest had changed significantly from when I drank it in Sept/Oct. to when I tried the last bottle I had about a month ago from BMBFing a couple. The bitterness had died down a bit and the maltiness was waaay higher. I was completely surprised by the transformation. I brewed mine in March.

 

[malkore]

for it to really be a marzen, yeah it should be brewed in March, and it should be lagered til early Fall.

 

[menschmaschine]

Here's a good German beer site that discusses these styles: German Beer Institute

Here's an excerpt regarding modern-day German brewers of these styles:

As a general practice, Märzen-Oktoberfest beers that are marketed without the Oktoberfest suffix on the label may now be lagered no longer than six to eight weeks, while beers that carry the hyphenated Märzen-Oktoberfest designation (or the Oktoberfestbier name just by itself) may have stayed in lagering tanks for about 12 to 16 weeks.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Both imo! Brew one in March and call it a Marzen, then brew another in May/June and call it an Ofest.

What is the fest bier served during Fruhlingsfest like? Same as Ofest or no?

 

[Guildenstern]

I did a Marzen-Oktoberfest for my wedding in september last year and I can tell you it definatly had an effect on the flavor. The beer became significantly more rich and mellow from laggered secondary in spring to the final product taped in September. I did the initial laggering in a corny, then racked off into an immaculatly clean (Not really just clean) corny and chucked it in my laggering fridge all summer. No problems. This thread reminds me I need to make another batch in a fiew weeks for the annaversary party.

 

[patto1ro]

The rule of thumb amongst German brewers used to be 1 week lagering for every degree Plato (or 4 gravity points). So a 14 Plato Oktoberfest would be lagered for 14 weeks.

Though I doubt any large German breweries still lager for that length of time. But I've drunk a Franconian Spezial of 13 Plato that had been lagered for four months. It was superb.