Oktoberfest Recipe

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jcaddy35

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I'm trying to create a recipe for a martial mash Oktoberfest. The plan is to ferment it in the primary for 2 weeks and secondary for about 2 months. Here's my original thoughts:

Mashed at 150 for 60 minutes:
German Vienna Malt - 3 lbs
German Munich Malt - 1 lb

In Boil:
Pilsen LME - 3lbs (15 minutes)
Munich LME - 3lbs (15 minutes)

Hersbrucker Hop Pellets - 2oz (60 minutes)
Hersbrucker Hop Pellets - 1oz (30 minutes)

Wyeast 2633 Oktoberfest Yeast

Any thoughts, or changes to this that I should make?
 
Looks fine. I like adding some caramel malts to my Oktoberfest recipes, and like adding more head retention bits like carapils or wheat. With the extracts though, you're probably fine.

Can you, in a mini mash like that, hit multiple rests on the mash, then boil the grains before straining them out and adding the extract? It'd simulate a decoction mash, and you might get some melanoidin reactions going on that'd boost the oktoberfest flavors.
 
Would boiling the grains cause any off-flavors, like tannins? How long would you boil the grains for?
 
Normally, when doing a decoction mash, you boil the grains after hitting all of your mash temperatures and rests. I forget why, but tannin extraction is really minimal, if any occurs at all. I think it had something to do with the small amount of grains thats actually being boiled, compared to the overall gravity producing components of the beer (extact in this case)

I've been thinking about your recipe, and here's what I'd do, based off my personal preferences:

Mini-Mash: 2 1/2# Vienna, 1# Munich, 1/2# Caramel 60. Dough in at 105 degrees, rest 15 min off the heat, in your boil pot. Slowly raise temperature to 133, remove from heat, rest again for 15-20 minutes. Slowly raise temperature to 152 (the rest at 133 is a partial sacc rest anyways, so I like 152 for more balanced body), remove from heat, and rest 30 minutes. Raise temps to boil, and boil from 10-30 minutes. I'd start with a thinner mash, due to evaporation loss; 1.5qt water to 1# grain. Strain grains out, rinse them to be sure you're getting those sugars out, and go bake bread with them.

For hops in your boil, really, any german hop will do. I like my Okto's malty, so I aim for 2:1 in my Gravity:Bittering ratio. Just make sure you correct for any late addition DME, so you don't end up with a German Bitter instead!

And for yeast, I've never used WYeast (LHBS carries White Labs), so I can't comment on it. I've used the White labs German Lager yeast, and am currently fermenting an Okto using their Bock yeast, and been happy with both. Their Okto yeast is a notoriously slow starter, and I havent read much good about it... Maybe WYeast's is better?

So, thats my take on it. I hope that helps a bit!

::Edit - I forgot to add, on that Okto i've got fermenting now, i did a similar boil schedule for the decoction mash, and while i havent tasted the finished product yet, the smell and sweet liquor taste were vastly improved over my past Oktoberfests. It gives it that little extra something, it seems ::
 
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