Same recipe, different source, different amount of LME. Hmm...

[JasonScott]

Hey guys, I'm getting back into brewing and I have a question. I want to brew Jamil's "Munich Madness" Oktoberfest recipe. The recipe in the book calls for:

- Pilsner LME, 4.4lbs
- Munich LME, 4.4lbs
- CaraMunich steeping grains, 1.0lb

But when looking at AHA link for the same recipe, it's different.

- Pilsner LME, 3.0 lbs
- Munich LME, 3.0 lbs
- CaraMunich steeping grains, 12.oz

My question, is that if these recipes are both attributed to Jamil and supposed to be the same recipe...why the difference in amount of LME?

Here is the AHA link that I referred to:
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/beer-recipe-of-the-week-munich-madness/

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Not really sure why that would be. I guess the question you'll have to ask yourself is which recipe would you rather make. If I had to take an educated guess, I'd say the recipe using less LME will give you a lot lighter beer versus the recipe calling for 4.4 pounds of LME. I think the other thing to consider would be which recipe will put you closer to style if you're shooting for something that's as close to an authentic Ocktoberfest as you can come. Hope that helps.

 

[Yooper]

In Brewing Classic Styles, those recipes are for 6 gallons. It looks like the version from the AHA is a 5 gallon batch.

 

[JasonScott]

Excellent points. I really wouldn't want to find out what a 'lighter' Oktoberfest would be like. I think that I'll err on the side of caution and go with the book recipe. Weird that one extra gallon would seemingly call for an additional 2.8lbs of LME, though.

 

[chickypad]

As mentioned the book is for 6 gal, but the book also is targeting an OG of 1.055 while the AHA one is targeting 1.046. Don't know why they changed it.