Recipe Review: Oktoberfest Lager (my first)

[Jakeintoledo]

Since I am somewhat of an amateur, only having brewed for about seven or so months, I wanted a reivew of a recipe I put together for an Oktoberfest lager, especially in light of getting my hands on a refrigerator in which I can lager.


5lbs Vienna malt
2lbs Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs 40L Crystal
1.5 Munich


1oz Hallertauer @ 55mins
0.75 Saaz @ 20
0.5 Spalter @ 7
0.5 Tettnanger dry hopped

German lager yeast

Triple decoction mash for a 6 gallon batch.

Beersmiff states that the gravity will start at 1.052, 23.1 IBUs, 10.6 SRM and an ABV of 5.7 % using my standard brewhouse efficiency I've been getting.

I'm more interested in everyone's thoughts on the hops I'm using, and the times I'm using them. I've recently discovered how nice dry-hopping is for hop accent (did I mention I'm a novice)

Before I get down the road and have a crappy recipe for the fall, I'd like to know I'm reasonably in the ballpark with this recipe, or please share with me things you'd change about this.

Thanks.

 

[BigEd]

Since I am somewhat of an amateur, only having brewed for about seven or so months, I wanted a reivew of a recipe I put together for an Oktoberfest lager, especially in light of getting my hands on a refrigerator in which I can lager.


5lbs Vienna malt
2lbs Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs 40L Crystal
1.5 Munich


1oz Hallertauer @ 55mins
0.75 Saaz @ 20
0.5 Spalter @ 7
0.5 Tettnanger dry hopped

German lager yeast

Triple decoction mash for a 6 gallon batch.

Beersmiff states that the gravity will start at 1.052, 23.1 IBUs, 10.6 SRM and an ABV of 5.7 % using my standard brewhouse efficiency I've been getting.

I'm more interested in everyone's thoughts on the hops I'm using, and the times I'm using them. I've recently discovered how nice dry-hopping is for hop accent (did I mention I'm a novice)

Before I get down the road and have a crappy recipe for the fall, I'd like to know I'm reasonably in the ballpark with this recipe, or please share with me things you'd change about this.

Thanks.

Way over on the crystal malt IMO. Personally I wouldn't use any but if you do use it cut it back to no more than 5%, or in this case 1/2 lb and add the deleted pound in additional Munich malt. An Oktoberfest should be malty from the Munich & Vienna malts and that is a different flavor than the sweetness that crystal malt imparts, especially in large doses. As for the hops, its OK but too complicated in both hop varieties and late additions. Again, this beer is about the malt. Late hop additions are not the standard here but if you want them it's your beer. My suggestion is to cut the additions down to just two with a 60 minute bittering addition and one small one at 20 minutes for a touch of hop flavor and a whisper of aroma. One hop type is enough and I would stick with a German variety, either Hallertau or Spalt. The gravity and IBU numbers should work fine although you could bump up the OG a bit if desired with another pound of Vienna or Munich.

 

[Yooper]

Way over on the crystal malt IMO. Personally I wouldn't use any but if you do use it cut it back to no more than 5%, or in this case 1/2 lb and add the deleted pound in additional Munich malt. An Oktoberfest should be malty from the Munich & Vienna malts and that is a different flavor than the sweetness that crystal malt imparts, especially in large doses. As for the hops, its OK but too complicated in both hop varieties and late additions. Again, this beer is about the malt. Late hop additions are not the standard here but if you want them it's your beer. My suggestion is to cut the additions down to just two with a 60 minute bittering addition and one small one at 20 minutes for a touch of hop flavor and a whisper of aroma. One hop type is enough and I would stick with a German variety, either Hallertau or Spalt. The gravity and IBU numbers should work fine although you could bump up the OG a bit if desired with another pound of Vienna or Munich.

That's pretty much what I was going to say. I'd leave out the crystal malt, especially with a decoction, but you could use a tiny bit if you love it. Too many different hops at too many times- simple is best with an Oktoberfest and one or two additions is enough. Dryhopping would not be appropriate in this beer, as tettnanger is a fine noble hop variety but an Oktoberfest is a quaffable malty beer and dryhopping would be very strange in it. If you really really really wanted to dryhop, I guess doing so at the last week of lagering would be the way to do it.

 

[SpeedYellow]

+1 to all the above comments. Definitely little to no, like maybe .25 lbs, crystal malt. And just one hop addition -- at 60 mins. It's not a hop-forward style.

And I like to use 30%-50% pilsner malt myself.

 

[g-star]

No crystal malt. Get rid of the 7 min hops, and definitely do not dry hop it. Decoction mash is traditional, but a single infusion with 0.25lbs melanoidin malt will get you very close without all of the effort of a triple Decoction. A single noble hop variety would probably be just fine.

The key is to pitch cold, and to pitch enough healthy yeast. That means a huge starter, probably stepped up once, and maybe 2 vials of yeast initially if it isn't very fresh. Be sure to do the calculations on yeast calc or Mr. Malty.

 

[Jakeintoledo]

So, maybe I should lose the Crystal? (LOL)

This is part of the problem with being new to the hobby....I don't have enough experience with these different ingredients to fully appreciate the pros and cons of using or not using them. I know that 'caramel' flavors are inappropriate in the beer, but I do know that past Oktoberfest beers I've had are malty up front, and the idea behind Crystal was to get a little of the sweetness of it up front. Of course, looking more closely @ Crystal on one of the wikis, it is responsible for imparting the caramel toffee-like flavors I like in the APA I brew. So that would actually be counterindicative of an Oktoberfest, according to the BJCP.

dammit.

I suppose it makes sense not to use all the hop varieties I did. I guess i cannot call it Vier Konige, guess I'd have to call it "Drei Konige" I suppose.

But thanks for the help, guys. I'm considering doing a double batch of this in advance of a fall trip with a bunch of guys to a hunting lodge, and my hope was to serve this along a steak grilled on an open fire at the hunting lodge. I am all in favor of making boneheaded mistakes if perchance to learn, but I'd rather not blow it with this. Thanks again.

I've taken out the crystal, and the 7min and dry-hopped hops. I'm at 4lbs Vienna, 3lbs pilsner and 3lbs munich.

 

[Jakeintoledo]

make that 'Zwei'

 

[SouthBay]

looks better. many okto recipes start w/ 1/3 munich, 1/3 vienna, and 1/3 pilsner. Most side an additional pound to Pils or Vienna.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Who cares what the BJCP says if you're not competing. Make beer per how you like it, and if you want a smidge of sweet, use 0.25 lbs crystal. If you want it dry, skip the crystal. This is a fun style to experiment with imho.

 

[Jakeintoledo]

Who cares what the BJCP says if you're not competing. Make beer per how you like it, and if you want a smidge of sweet, use 0.25 lbs crystal..

normally, I would. But I want to brew a recipe that's true to form. I don't at all mind throwing caution to the wind, but I'd rather get this one accurate.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Take out the 0.75 oz. Saaz at 20 min. too. It would give you a hop flavor that's just not right for the style imho. The malts have a lot of interesting subtleties that would get masked, so I would never ever ever do a late hop addition for an o'fest. Try to get out of the American IPA mentality, which is the opposite of what you want.

 

[g-star]

normally, I would. But I want to brew a recipe that's true to form. I don't at all mind throwing caution to the wind, but I'd rather get this one accurate.

Good for you. I'm a big believer in the philosophy of mastering the classic styles to truly understand ingredients before branching out on your own.