Getting ready to brew an Oktoberfest batch next weekend. Any suggestions for a good yeast to use?
I have a stir plate and all set with my temp controlled freezer for fermentation. Seems to be lots of choices for yeast, my son put the recipe together which suggested A California lager yeast. Just wondering if there was a better option .
Thanks,
Tom
34/70 German lager yeast. It’s the weihenstephan strain it’s cheap enough to pitch 3 or 4 packs unless you rather spend your time making starters instead of making beer.
wyeast 2633 Oktoberfest lager blend.
The first pitch does lag a bit but not that long if you hydrate it. Do you hydrate? Second and subsequent pitches it takes right off. I haven’t tried 2633 I’ll see if they have some at the brew store for this winters lager series
Wlp838 is my fave.
I’ve used Wyeast 2633, 2124, and this year 2308. Any good lager yeast that lists a festbier or Maerzen style in its wheelhouse should work. I obviously haven’t tried this years version with Munich Lager 2308 yet, but I have high hopes. Beer stores already have both Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers and have had them since July!
You guys better get brewing Oktoberfest starts early this year. 9/16
I like all those as well as the 2001. I’m just kind of a wyeast fanboy I guess.
To be fair I don’t think I did hydrate it…can’t remember and it’s not in the notes. It didn’t perform any better on second pitch for me either. I did aerate both very well.
I actually have about 4 gals of Marzen left from the batch I brewed March '16. It’s quite tasty.
Yeah, I brewed mine mid June so it’s been lagering all summer in a keg😋
Still could be done but times a wasting!
I want mine ready for Big 10 football !! Woo hoo!
Wow, lots of good proven suggestions , thanks!
Seems the wyeast 2633 is out of stock locally. My son will check his local source in Boston tomorrow. I can get it from NB but would have to pay 20 bucks shipping to get it in time. Lots of ocktoberfest batches being brewed I guess.
It’s disgusting if you ask me… 
Big enough batch, try an ale along side of your lager… You’d be surprised… We’ve got 20 gallons of it going over here, different yeasts, hops and water profiles… We are just curious which the crowd will go to… Sneezles61
Even my wife was incredulous, “when did they brew these?! February?!”
Give us an update on the results
Well my son got the 2633 from his source in Boston. We want to brew next Sunday so I hope to get the yeast from him by Saturday am to build up a starter. Maybe Friday.
This is our first lager ( it’s all grain), any suggestions or things that are different than brewing an ale? I know the primary will be fermenting in the temp chamber at whatever the suggest range is. I hear that the yeast ferments on the bottom(?) so I guess there may not be much activity up top to see?
I have to read about it in the palmers guide this week. Love to brew with my sons…
, and the Kama citra will be carbed and pouring from the new upstairs kegerator by next weekend. Life is good.
Pitch it cool and keep it cool. Don’t worry about that top vs bottom fermenting nonsense. You should (you better) have a nice krauesen ( my Oktoberfest looked like meringue, which I’ve found is a good sign). What temp do you plan to ferment at? 50* is a nice place for German lagers.
Thanks voodoo, good info. I have not looked at the yeast yet to see the recommended temp range, but 50 sounds good. I can pretty much set it to what’s needed.
When you say pitch it cool, should both the beer and the starter be at 50 when pitched? And as I am thinking about it…should the starter be also made at a cool temp?
I have read warnings about pitching a warm starter in a cool wort…it can stall I guess, and I am sure it’s not good to pitch too warm. I could put my stir plate in the freezer and set to 50 or so if that helps.
