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Oktoberfest Ale
This is written up from a kit I used to brew quite regularly when I was an extract brewer.
I tweaked it a bit to get a good mild but sweet grainy character out of it.
I've never converted it to all-grain, so all you extract w/ grain guys are in luck!
Oktoberfest is classically a lager, but you can make this passable version as an ale. The keys are in the fermentation steps.
3.3lb Amber LME
3.3lb Light LME
0.5lb Crystal 80L (or 60L if you can't get 80L)
0.5lb Munich (8L)
0.5lb Pale Malt (standard 2-row)
0.25lb Chocolate Malt (350L)
1oz Hallertau pellets -60min
1oz Hallertau pellets -15min
0.5oz Halertau pellets -2min
2tsp Irish Moss
Yeast= German Alt yeast or American Ale yeast (see below)
Crush grains and put in large grain bag. Steep grain bag in one gallon of water at 150F for 30-40minutes. Remove bag and rinse or let drain into kettle. Bring grain tea to boil. Add extracts. Once boil is reachieved start 75min boil. With 60min remaining add first 1oz hop addition, 15min remaining add second 1oz hop addition and Irish Moss, add 0.5oz addition just before the flame is killed (2 minutes).
Fermentation: Be prepared to ferment on the cool side. Use a good clean neutral flavored yeast that can ferment well at 65F. Pitch a larger start than normal or use two vials of yeast, better pitched onto some yeast cake from a previous brew. Be patient with fermentation at cooler temps (60-65F). Rouse yeast after 5 days of fermenatation to be sure yeast stays in suspension. This will help drive the beer to the final gravity. Leave beer in primary ferment for 3 weeks, secondary ferment for 3 weeks to clear, then bottle as normal.
This is one of the few times I'd recommend a secondary. Mainly because the beer does better with some age on it.
You could always brew this beer now and call it a Marzen (Ale).
Cheers.
Looks like a great brew! I'll certainly add that one to my list........BTW, what's the difference between a Marzen, and an Oktoberfest; other than Ale Vs Lager? I thought they were pretty much the same thing......
I'm getting ready to brew a Maibock recipe that I found online. I'm kind of curious about the yeast needed. I have a Nottingham ale yeast that I am going to use for a Belgian White. And then I was going to brew the Maibock when I transfer the Belgian to secondary and reuse the yeast for the Maibock.
If I follow the lagering techniques but use an ale yeast, does that make it an ale?
ricka182 wrote:
Looks like a great brew! I'll certainly add that one to my list........BTW, what's the difference between a Marzen, and an Oktoberfest; other than Ale Vs Lager? I thought they were pretty much the same thing......
I think historically Oktoberfest and Marzen are the same beer. The Marzen was brewed in the late spring, before the summer months made it to warm to brew beer. Marzen was drank recently fresh post fermentation and lagering (marzen is a lager). But then large amounts of marzen was stored cold (in caves) and then brought out in September for Oktoberfest.
At least that was my rough understanding of it.
Regardless, they are both lager beers.
BrewGod wrote:
I'm getting ready to brew a Maibock recipe that I found online. I'm kind of curious about the yeast needed. I have a Nottingham ale yeast that I am going to use for a Belgian White. And then I was going to brew the Maibock when I transfer the Belgian to secondary and reuse the yeast for the Maibock.
If I follow the lagering techniques but use an ale yeast, does that make it an ale?
Lagering is a storage process really.
But there are lager yeasts and ale yeasts. Using either one really dictactes whether a beer is a lager or an ale. Bock is fermented with lager yeasts traditionally.
Typically ale yeasts produce different flavors than lager yeasts. lager yeasts tend to create very clean beer flavors when all is said and done (meaning after the cold storage, i.e. lagering). Where as ale yeasts, fermented "warm", produce a wide dynamic range of flavors from the fruity ester characteristics of English style beers, banana and clove flavors of wiezen yeasts, to the totally earthy and funky flavors of Belgian yeasts. These wide ranging flavors are produced in ale yeasts.
Now, historically there are some yeasts that were developed to ferment at ale like temps and produce lager type results. German Alt, American Ale are two such yeasts. These yeasts were developed to allow brewers to ferment beers ALMOST as clean as a lager, but not have to go through the low temp control of lager brewing, and they didn't have to commit storage space to the long term cold storage (lagering) of their beers.
You can somewhat use these super clean ale yeasts, fermented at the lower end of their recommended ranges and get clean flavorless fermentation. That allows you to try and emmulate some of these styles like Oktoberfest with an ale yeast.
As for Maibock my buddy posted a recipe on our site if you want to compare it to your own.
Check it out here:
Dudes Maibock
Looks similar to a kit I brewed in the spring. It was great and got lots of compliments from friends.
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