Oktoberfest
Märzen
Brewed September 1, 2020
A little late in the game to the German Oktoberfest lager so I will settle for an ale. This beer is inspired by the malty flavors of a Märzen but I will ferment it as an ale around 65°F.
Ingredients
Malts
10 lbs Munich Malt
1 lb Melanoidin Malt
Hops
2 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh Hops (2.9% AA) - 0 minutes
2 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh Hops (2.9% AA) - 50 minutes
Yeast
1 package WLP029 German Ale Yeast
Brewing Instructions
1. Heat 5 gallons of strike water to 158°F
2. Add 5 gallons of water to the mash tun
3. Add all grains to mash tun and confirm temperature of 148°F
4. Added additional cold water (~1/2 gal.) to confirm temp of 148°F
5. Steep grains for 60 minutes
6. While steeping, heat 3.0 gallons of water to 170°F for lautering
7. Sparge using continuous method with 3 gallons sparge water
8. Total wort volume should be ~6.5 gallons
9. Bring water to a boil and wait for the hot break
10. Begin boil
11. At 0 minutes add 10 drops FermCap to reduce foaming
12. At 0 minutes, add 2 oz Hallertau hops
13. At 50 minutes, add 2 oz Hallertau hops
14. At 50 minutes, add one tablet Whirlfloc
15. At 50 minutes, added 1/2 gallon of water (volume too low)
16. At 60 minutes, chill the wort to approx. 65°F
17. Aerate with pure oxygen for 1 minute
18. Move to the primary fermenter
19. Pitch yeast from yeast starter
20. Ferment at 65°F
21. At 6 days raise fermentation temperature to 72°F
22. At 10 days, lower the temperature to 69°F
23. At 13 days, cold crash to 35°F
24. At 15 days, keg beer
Starter & Notes
Boil 7 oz DME in 2 L of water for 10 minutes
Let cool to 68°F
Shake vigorously to aerate
Pitch 1 package WLP029
Let sit for 36 hours shaking occasionally