Well fellow Brewers time to beat up my Oktoberfest recipe. I just tapped my ofest after letting it lager since March. Here is the grain bill. 5 lb Pilsner 4 lb Munich .5 lb rye .25 caramunich. Why would it have a Carmally taste. It’s alright and it will be one of the beers I’ll serve on the 19th but not what I expected. By the way used 34/70 yeast.
- why rye – never heard of that in an ofest
- prolly caramelly because of the caramunich…and perhaps you perceive it caramelly because of higher-than-expected unfermented (sweet) sugars(?)
Sure you can use rye. I didn’t think .25 oz caramunich would be that much. Your probably right about the sugars though. .056 to .014
Did you balance the malt with any hops? 
Bittered with magnum, Styrian Golding and saaz late additions . 35 ibu
Huh…yea doesn’t seem like you could taste the effects of 1/4 lb of caramunich in that grain bill. My lagers almost all end around 1.012-1.014 and don’t taste sweet.
You also have about 10 IBU more than my recipe and mine isn’t sweet at all.
Is it fully carbonated?
I didn’t say sweet I used the word Carmel. But that may not be correct. I’ll go for another taste later. Let me stress it doesn’t taste bad it is just not what I was going for. I think it actually tastes like an octoberfest just not exactly what I was expecting. Could be the hops I used, I should have used the mittrlfruh but I used what I had in the freezer at the time.
Yes it’s got good carbonation. I’ll pull off a few more pints. Could be the sediment on the bottom of the keg, like I said I lagered it for 6 months. I think I’ll let it warm up in the glass to see if I can better describe the flavor.
You didn’t make an Oktoberfest with that grist and those hops, and that ibu… You made something, but certainly not an Oktoberfest!
Mashtemp?
What kind of munich?
Says who? I know it’s not traditional but I brewed if in March to be drunk in the fall and I call it an Oktoberfest. After a warmed up morning taste I get fresh apple aroma and I suppose taste also. Not in your face but more of hint, the kind you have to concentrate on to identify. Looking back I brewed this before I had my ferm/lager freezer done so I fermented in a swamp cooler around 55deg.
Says the BJCP thats who, and don’t even dare asking someone from Bavaria, they will probably insight WWIII!
You can call it whatever you like, thats fine.
The apple is from yeast, and most likely an underpitching.
You didn’t answer what munich. If you used US made munich 20l, that is actually a crystal malt, and would lend to that caramelly taste.
6 months of lagering is intense! Mine is just at 11 weeks and I’m bottling this weekend. I used 11 lbs of Pilsner, .5 Vienna, .5 light Munich, and .75 crystal L* 30. Bittered with hallertau and tettnang for 19 IBU. 2L starter of a Wyeast Oktoberfest yeast.
I’m currently drinking pounder cans of Dinkel Acker Oktoberfest and I love the stuff. :cheers:
It was German Munich /LT. I pitched on a cake after a Pilsner so I thought it was enough yeast. I think your right though it probably is from the yeast. My fermentation and lagering schedule was also a little different. Pitched around 60 then into an ice bath to ferment about two weeks at 55 then ambient around 60 for a couple weeks. Then it went into the refer at 41 deg on carb for three weeks. Then into the basement at 65-70 for maybe two months then went into the lagering freezer at 32 for another two then last week put in the serving fridge on carb for one week which brings us up to date. Another thing I just remembered, after I stored it and before I put it back in the cold I released some pressure and it was over carbed so it must have fermented a little in the keg. Kind of answering my own question but talking it through helps my memory which needs a boost occasionally .
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I think the color is good. I’m not getting that taste anymore, I think I cleared the bottom.
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I think the color is good. I’m not getting that taste anymore, I think I cleared the bottom.[/quote]
Man that looks good. Makes me want to move mine to the serving fridge but I’m gonna wait…
Ha ha, yah I guess I have to put mine away untill 9/19 opening day. Just making sure it’s servable.
That does look good. While I would be hesitant to add rye to an O’fest, that amount is so little it should only add a little to the mouthfeel.
A 1.056 35 IBU O’fest is right in the place where I like to be. Call it a Classic German Oktoberfest, and pay no attention to BJCP guidelines. What do a bunch of Americans know about German lager? I would rely on the BJCP to better subdivide the 50 or so varieties of American IPA. :cheers:
Is it only 50 :lol: it is laughable
I would sometimes get “caramel” in some of my malt forward lagers before I started using pure O2 for oxygenation.
Happy yeast, hella good lager.
