SOME HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL OCTOBERFEST
This month's newsletter celebrates the coming of Fall with an article on Oktoberfest and a special pumpkin ale (if you make it now, it may be possible to have some young "testers" just in time for Halloween!)
It may be a little late to have an Oktoberfest ready in time to coincide with the world famous beer festival but it may be ready by October at least. And if you use one of the ale yeasts recommended in this article, the beer will be ready a bit sooner than if using the traditional lager strains.
As you may already know, Oktoberfest is an amber colored lager, originally brewed in the Spring for consumption during the Fall harvest festivals. The original brewers would store (lager) their beer in underground caves which held a constant cool temperature during the warm summer moths.
What's that you say? You don't have a cave built into your house? If you're lucky enough to live in a state that actually experiences Winter, you can use a cool corner of your basement as a replacement for those caves the Germans used. As long as you can find a corner that gets down to about 60 - 65 F., you will be able to brew a good Oktoberfest. In this case, we suggest that you use a clean fermenting ale yeast such as Wyeast 1056, 1338, or 1007 (I would recommend using 1338 in order to get a nice malty flavor). As long as you keep the fermentation temperature below 65 F., these ale strains should produce a clean tasting lager very reminiscent of lagers. If your basement gets down into the 50's, feel free to use a lager strain (we have found Bavarian Lager 2206 to be one of the most forgiving if your temperatures get a bit out of the ideal range).
If you cannot achieve this temperature, then you have two choices. First, you can purchase a spare refrigerator and ideally a temperature controller (these two items will cost about $150 - $200) and do a good old fashioned lager. The big bonus of making this expenditure is that you can be brewing wonderfully refreshing light lagers during the summer when your home brewing buddies are making very fruity tasting ales. You'll be the envy of your neighbors. Or, you can use wet towels or an ice water bath to keep your fermenter cool enough to brew an Oktoberfest Ale as outlined above.
As far as fermentation time goes, if you are making an Oktoberfest as a lager, the initial fermentation will take about 10 - 14 days, and the secondary will take another 2 - 3 weeks. If you are making an ale Oktoberfest, allow about 1 week for the initial fermentation and 2 weeks for the secondary.
Finally, when it comes to bottling, there are two philosophies. The impatient brewer will carbonate the beer at warm temperatures (70 - 75 F). The advantage of this method is that your beer will be carbonated in 1 - 2 weeks. The disadvantage is that the beer will taste a little bit fruity and yeasty, and your hard work of maintaining a cool fermentation temperature will have gone to waste. As a rule of thumb, we have found that the best way to carbonate beer, is to carbonate it at the same temperature as the initial fermentation temperature. If you have lagered the beer cold for 2 months or more, we suggest either adding the contents of a 12 oz. start culture made with a Wyeast lager package or 1/4 package of a small pack of dry lager yeast.
Although your Oktoberfest may not be on time, if you follow the guidelines above you will have a thoroughly enjoyable beer to consume during the early part of the winter!
KIT SPECIAL: Oktoberfest & Pumpkin Ale
Oompapa Octoberfest
KIT SPECIAL: Oktoberfest & Pumpkin Ale
Oompapa Octoberfest
This amber beer goes well with fall colors and the sound of polka under the big tent. This beer has an above average alcohol content to satisfy the masses during the big fall celebrations. Octoberfests are generally brewed in the spring and cold lagered all summer long for a smooth rich flavor and color. This beer is a favorite of many year around . The kit includes: 6 lbs. Gold Malt extract, 3.3 lbs. Amber Malt extract, 1/2 lb. Crystal 60°L & 1/2 lb. Carapils grain blend, 1 oz. Centennial bittering hops, 1 oz. Hallertau aroma hops, yeast, and priming sugar, grain bag and instructions.
| Oompapa Octoberfest with Wyeast 2206, was |
Oompapa Octoberfest with dry yeast, was |
Spooky Pumpkin Ale
Spooky Pumpkin Ale
Here's a great recipe for the Fall which requires some additional work if you're used to making extract beers. Although the spices used in the recipe provide much of the flavor in this brew, the pumpkin adds some body. This beer should come out every bit as good as the spiced pumpkin ales that will soon start to appear on the shelves of your favorite liquor store. If you get an early enough start, it may even be ready for Halloween!
This recipe calls for the use of real pumpkin which needs to be prepared ahead of time. Although you can use canned pumpkin meat, we do not suggest doing so for several reasons. The main drawback is that, after fermentation, the residues from the pumpkin meat cause a concrete like slab to form on the bottom of your fermenter. Furthermore, the pulpy consistency of the canned pumpkin mush will invariably lead to a lot of chill haze in the finished product (although this can probably corrected by using pectic enzyme). If you are dead set on using canned pumpkin, make sure that you use a brand that contains no preservatives. Otherwise, your pumpkin ale might not ferment.
Great Pumpkin Ale Ingredients:
1 Lb Crystal 60 L.
3.3 Lbs Liquid Amber Malt Extract
3.3 Lbs Liquid Gold Malt Extract
1 Oz. Willamette Bittering Hops
1 Oz. East Kent Goldings Aroma Hops
4 Lbs fresh pumpkin
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1 teaspoon Irish Moss
3/4 - 7/8 cup dextrose
Wyeast 1338 or dry ale yeast of choice
Instructions:
1. To prepare pumpkin, slice it into 6 or 8 equal sized wedges, remove seeds
and rinse well. Place wedges
skin-side down in a roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and cook in a
preheated oven at 300 F. for about
30 minutes or until the flesh is soft. When it has cooled, divide the
pumpkin into 2 equal portions. Scoop out
the pumpkin meat from one portion and set aside. This will be added to the
brew pot and the remaining
wedges will be added to the fermenter.
2. Crush specialty grains and pour into a muslin grain bag and steep grains in 3 gallons of water heated to 140 - 170 F. for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove the grain bag after steeping, allow excess liquid to drain and discard.
3. Remove pot from heat and dissolve malt extract in brew pot and add Willamette bittering hops at this time. Bring to a boil. When boil begins, add cleaned pumpkin meat and boil for 45 minutes.
4. After you have boiled for 30 minutes, add the Irish moss. Add aroma hops after you have boiled the wort for 35 minutes. Add the spices after you have boiled for 40 minutes. Boil for another 5 minutes and remove pot from the stove. Allow spices to steep for 5 - 10 minutes before cooling wort. Although you can use a wort chiller, if you do not have one you can immerse you brew pot in a cold or ice water bath for about 30 - 40 minutes.
5. After cooling the wort, pour it into your fermenter, and then top off with cold water. We suggest that you use spring water or any good drinking water that does not contain any chlorine compounds. At this time, you can also add the pumpkin wedges. After the wort has cooled down to at least 80 F, add your yeast and ferment as usual.
6.After 7 - 10 days, transfer to a secondary fermenter or bottle. If desired, you can add a small amount of cinnamon and nutmeg if you want your beer to have a very strong spice flavor. 7. Enjoy (in moderation, of course).
| Spooky Pumpkin Ale with dry yeast Now $23.95 | Spooky Pumpkin Ale with Wyeast 1338 European Ale Now $26.95 |
Ask Dr. Zoot:
Q. How should I handle a fermentation with lager yeast?
A. If using liquid yeast, it is best to have a large starter ready ( 1 - 2 liters ), or use a pitchable yeast such as a Wyeast Activator. With this much yeast, you will be able to pitch the yeast at a cooler temperature, than if you used a smaller amount of yeast. Conducting the entire fermentation process at lager temperatures will result in a much smoother beer. You should do the initial fermentation at about 50 - 55 F. for best results, depending upon the Wyeast strain. Secondary fermentation should be 5 -1 0 degrees cooler than that (the traditional method is to lower the temperature 1 degree every day until 32 F is reached). Most lagers are best after at least 3 weeks of cold secondary fermentation (lagering). If using a dry lager yeast, you can increase the initial fermentation temperature up to about 60 F.
Q. How can I replicate the smoothness of a lager using ale yeast?
A. For starters, using liquid yeast will result in a cleaner flavor, generally speaking. The strains mentioned in the article are good places to start. The other key is fermentation temperature. If you can brew the beer at 60 F or below you will end up with a very clean flavored beer, which is what you want in an Oktoberfest style. This will allow the maltiness to shine through and minimize the fruity/estery flavors. Finally, make sure that the beer does not linger in the primary fermenter, this can also be a source of unwanted off flavors that will detract from the enjoyment of the beer.
Thanks for Reading!
Cheers!
Will