Oktoberfest

[Jag75]

Gonna brew this in late march. Never done a Lager before so can anyone tell me if my plan is ok .

Total batch in fermenter 5.5 gallons
Grain bill - mashed @152* 60min / 167* 10min
5.5# pilsner
5.5# munich
1# caramunich

Boil time 60 min
Hallertau 3 oz 60min

Wyeast octoberfest lager blend 2633
Primary @ 54* 14 days
Diac rest @ 66* 3 days
Racked into a keg @ 38* for 180 days (lagering)

Using 100% RO water
CaCI 1.44 g mash / .95 sparge
Lactic acid 1.20 ml mash / 1.36 ml sparge

This will give me per brun water
Calcium 48
Sodium 35
Sulfate 45
Chloride 72
Ph 5.38

With a srm approx 10

When it comes to lager process should I lager with co2 or no pressure?

 

[Yooper]

I like it! I could be wrong, but I'd probably cut the caramunich as you should get enough sweet malt flavor from those malts. I like the water profile and the pH target.

You can lager with the co2 hooked up, assuming FG has been reached with the diacetyl rest.

 

[Lefou]

If you can wait 6 months for this to lager you're way more patient than I am.

 

[balrog]

If you can wait 6 months for this to lager you're way more patient than I am.

Beat me to it.

 

[Jag75]

Its gonna be tough not sampling lol. That's why I was wondering about lager without pressure in the keg or pressure . If there is no co2 hooked up then it wont be as tempting. However I'm pretty patient when it comes to stuff like this . I'll have other beers available.

 

[Jag75]

Yooper , would you lean to .75 # of caramunich instead ?

 

[camonick]

If you can wait 6 months for this to lager you're way more patient than I am.

I've been thinking about brewing a Marzen sometime in March but not tapping it until late September also. It's definitely going to test my willpower. My recipe that I have been toying with is different however. It's interesting to see how many different variations there are for the same style of beer.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Agree with Yooper. 1# of Cara is going to make it pretty sweet. Then again, it depends what kind of O'Fest you like.
If you're going for a sweeter/caramelly one like Sam Adams, then the full pound is probably appropriate.
If you want more classic German Festbier (not necessarily Marzen, there is a difference), I'd go with a half pound of Caramunich II. Proper German Festbiers should be highly quaffable.

 

[Jag75]

Let's say I lager for approximately 5 months . I plan on doing that in my torpedo keg in my kegerator. If I put gas on it wont it be way over carbonated by the end ? If I just put it in a keg with no co2 at all does it go bad ? Or do I put some co2 in , purge then put a certain amount of co2 in and then disconnect from gas and let it sit ? I'm just curious as to how much co2 as I dont want it over carbed by the time the lager process is complete

 

[camonick]

Let's say I lager for approximately 5 months . I plan on doing that in my torpedo keg in my kegerator. If I put gas on it wont it be way over carbonated by the end ?

It will reach equilibrium at whatever temp/pressure combination you have it set at.

 

[Yooper]

Agree with Yooper. 1# of Cara is going to make it pretty sweet. Then again, it depends what kind of O'Fest you like.
If you're going for a sweeter/caramelly one like Sam Adams, then the full pound is probably appropriate.
If you want more classic German Festbier (not necessarily Marzen, there is a difference), I'd go with a half pound of Caramunich II. Proper German Festbiers should be highly quaffable.

Yes, 1/2 pound is probably about perfect!

 

[Lefou]

Five months?
I couldn't last five days knowing fresh beer was somewhere in the house.

 

[MaxStout]

Brew another, faster beer, right behind it. Then you'll have something to keep your mind off the O-fest for a while.

Looks like a good recipe.

 

[Jag75]

Yes lol, if everything goes as planned I will have 2 kegs on tap to keep my mind off the fest beer. Maybe irish red , Neipa and a Mexican type cerveza during those months

 

[ncbrewer]

I'm about to brew my first Oktoberfest next week, and I was planning on using some aroma hops, based on the BJCP description. I noticed you don't have any in the recipe. Did you consider it?

 

[Jag75]

I'm about to brew my first Oktoberfest next week, and I was planning on using some aroma hops, based on the BJCP description. I noticed you don't have any in the recipe. Did you consider it?

Ya know I never gave it a thought . Maybe saaz hops at end idk.

 

[Jag75]

NC brewer what are thinking of aroma hops ? What other ones would work ?

 

[Cavpilot2000]

It would seem a no-brainer to use Hallertau.

 

[Jag75]

So hallertau at the beginning for bitter then hallertau at the end for aroma eh

I guess hallertau is more an aroma hop then one for bittering ?

 

[Cavpilot2000]

So hallertau at the beginning for bitter then hallertau at the end for aroma eh

I guess hallertau is more an aroma hop then one for bittering ?

I use it for both, but more often use SPalt or Tett for bittering, since the Hallertau I normally get is usually only about 2.6% AA.
Nothing wrong with all Hallertau though.
Nothing at all.

 

[Lefou]

Agree with Yooper. 1# of Cara is going to make it pretty sweet. Then again, it depends what kind of O'Fest you like.
If you're going for a sweeter/caramelly one like Sam Adams, then the full pound is probably appropriate.
If you want more classic German Festbier (not necessarily Marzen, there is a difference), I'd go with a half pound of Caramunich II. Proper German Festbiers should be highly quaffable.

Dipping into the Sam's Winter seasonal bock amber lager ahead of the cold front.
I typically don't buy Sam's but this bock version is done with wheat, Spalt and Hallertau around 20IBU with some Crystal. Surprisingly, it's very good despite my personal bias against Sam's, but this brew is different.
Winter warmer is an excellent description for this beer. Very very similar to the darker Oktoberfest marzen style.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Dipping into the Sam's Winter seasonal bock amber lager ahead of the cold front.
I typically don't buy Sam's but this bock version is done with wheat, Spalt and Hallertau around 20IBU with some Crystal. Surprisingly, it's very good despite my personal bias against Sam's, but this brew is different.
Winter warmer is an excellent description for this beer. Very very similar to the darker Oktoberfest marzen style.

I know SA gets a bad rap among beer snobs like us, but they actually make some fantastic beers, especiallly if you try some of the local pilot brews. Hell, if gotten on a fresh draft account (I don't like it in bottles or cans), SA Boston Lager is an outstanding any-time beer.
Funny, because 20+ years ago I thought it was aggressively hoppy.
Anyway, their NEIPA is excellent (better than a lot of local craft NEIPAs like Trillium offerings, IMHO), and I have a particular affinity for Cold SNap (a coriander-heavy seasonal witbier).

Oh, and their cream stout is very solid as well.

 

[Jag75]

I am going to brew this on Thursday . LHBS didnt have caramunich so subbed with crystal 40. They also dont dont carry wyeast so I got WLP820. Picked up the inkbird for the temp control . 1st Lager and I'm stoked.

 

[Conehead]

How come no Vienna malt? I use 16% in my Octoberfest.

 

[Jag75]

How come no Vienna malt? I use 16% in my Octoberfest.

Not sure tbo. I didnt even think about it . I just wanted a simple basic Marzen . Love
Munich and Pilsner . It probably wouldn't hurt to have Vienna in the mix . Maybe next time

 

[Conehead]

I haven't made one without Vienna malt. Just following Jamil's book brewing classic styles.

 

[Jag75]

I haven't made one without Vienna malt. Just following Jamil's book brewing classic styles.

What's your grain bill ?

 

[Jag75]

So far so good . I was about 3/4 of the way attenuation so I started raising the temp 4 degrees a day until I hit 66. Kept it there for 3 to 4 days and hit the Fg and tried it ,no diacetyl. Nice taste a little green still but I think its gonna come out really good. Now I've been bringing it down daily . Today just dropped it to 50 . When it gets to low 40's I will keg and lager until Sept.21st.