A fellow homebrewer at work is having an end of Oktoberfest brew party and I am trying to figure out what to try.
So I am up for some suggestions.
It would be nice if it was German (but not that important).
I can’t cold lager.
I would be going partial mash or extract (but if you have a good AG recipe I can do the leg work converting)
I was thinking of an Amber Rye or Rye PA. They aren’t German, but they have a good fall feel IMO.
I could go with a Dunkel, but I have never had one and I am starting to tire of wheats this summer.
Dusseldorf Alt? But that would involve some cold fermenting/conditioning.
Yeah I was thinking of an ALT too, but saw the cold conditioning. I just don’t have the space to add a dedicated fridge/freezer.
Just an FYI, I’ve been using a Cube Cooler, a little bit of water and some ice packs to get down to 60 no problem, (swamp cooler). You probably could get lower if you wanted. The cooler is kind of nice cause it holds the temp pretty well. I took the lid off andjust cover with a couple beach towels, Swap ice packs once every day or two.
How many and how large of ice packs?
I am using a cube cooler right now to keep my fermenter in the mid-60s. I am using 2 ice packs (probably 5"x5"x2") swaped daily (well during strong fermentation, after that I kind of slacked off). But I just left the cooler open (no blanket/lid).
But I kind of forgot about that option for colder conditioning.
I use 1-2, probably 6" x 8" depending on how strong the fermentation is going. Got them in my basement, ambient air temp 68-70.
Cool! (oh bad pun)
Sounds similar to my basement. I’ll just have to insulate the top of the cooler and chnage the ice more religiously.
Now leaning back towards an ALT.
Thanks!
You have any good recipes? I’d be interested in seeing it. I made my first one, Denny’s “Milo’s Alt”. VERY good, although he says it’s “not very true to style”, it was gone in a week. I have the Brewing Classic Styles “Cowboy Alt” on deck for my next brew.
Nothing decided yet still kind of in the preliminary stage.
Have you considered a pumpkin ale? Depending on the crowd, it could be a pleaser.
I will be doing the smashing pumpkin kit around labor day for Thanksgiving. My pumpkin patch is going nuts, and they should be ripe around that time. Last year I roasted the pumpkin on the grill and it added just a hint of smoke to the beer. this was one of my families favorites.
Bottling Barley wine for Christmas in September and I will be doing a Raspberry wheat for early Fall.
If you haven’t done a Black IPA yet I highly recommend it. Higher IBV, malty, hoppy…Just a really great fall brew to get you into some of the heavier winter brews. I’ve done the N.B kit and my own recipe. My suggestion is to add an extra 1/2-1oz of hops to the 60min boil and maybe some extra late addition. With all the dark malt it felt slightly lacking in the hops. Still, I love this style.
This is not making choosing easier. :cheers:
LOL, well, how many carboys do you have?
[quote=“ibeentired”]Cool! (oh bad pun)
Sounds similar to my basement. I’ll just have to insulate the top of the cooler and chnage the ice more religiously.
Now leaning back towards an ALT.
Thanks![/quote]
To help drop those temps, place a tshirt around the carboy, fill with enough water so it stays wet, and put a fan on it. With that and many ice packs you could easily drop the temps low enough to get some cold conditioning. Also, if you have any empty plastic pop bottles, they work very well and are thicker so they should stay frozen longer.
