Oktoberfest

Classification: lager, oktoberfest, vienna, maerzen, all-grain

Source: Marc de Jonge (dejonge@geof.ruu.nl), HBD Issue #1156, 6/4/93

I decided to throw in another recipe for munich oktoberfest. This one is so simple it's hardly a recipe but the taste comes out great: Strong malty flavour, might do with a bit more hops, the taste is definitely 'in style' (so the style might do with a bit more hops.

The malts I've used for this recipe are Belgian munich and Munich munich, they come out a bit different (the German version was somewhat darker), but very nice.

Ingredients: (for 20 litres)

5.5 kg Munich malt
40 g Hallertau hops (whole, 5.1% alpha)
lager yeast

Procedure:

I make this with a 2-stage decoction mash, fairly high temperature (for German beer). Add strike water to get a temperature of 53C (pH of the mash around 5.4) while 60% is at this temp. Do a quick infusion step of 67C with 40% of the mash (20 mins), boil (20 min) and back,(temperature should be around 67C) rest 45 mins, boil 1/3 of the mash for 10 minutes, back and rest 20 minutes (around 72C), sparge.

Add 30 g of hops at the beginning of the boil, the remainder some 20 minutes before the end.

Pitch bottom fermenting yeast, primary at 14C, secondary at 9C, lager at 6C for a month.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.053-1.057
F.G.: 1.012-1.014