German Octoberfest

[CrealCritter]

Day 42 / Bottling day 1 - bottled 54 12oz long necks. Taste test, tasted like an Oktoberfest. I don't think I screwed it up.

My 2nd oldest son is bringing me 3 ball lock Corny kegs this weekend, so I'll be brewing another batch this weekend. I have to figure out how I'm going to use the kegs as primary fermenters first. Lager needs to primary ferment @ 55 degrees, so I have to ferment in my keezer (temperature regulated freezer).

 

[CrealCritter]

Day 52 / Bottle day 9 - Lightly carbonated and most definitely a Oktoberfest. The first drink brings back memories of fall and the annual release of commercial breweries seasonal Oktoberfest beers. It's extremely clear (not cloudy) yet dark shaded with a caramel colored head, it has a sweet caramel & toasty bread crust flavor. No hop aroma, just the clean aroma of sweet toasty German malts. There is next to no bitterness from the German tradition hops in he mouth, yet there is a faint bitterness on the back of throat with each swallow. I'm pretty confident this will all but disappear with a little more aging.

After only 9 days in the bottle, I was surprised to see any carbonation at all, but it's lightly carbonated It only gets better tasting from here. I suspect after 3 or 4 weeks of bottling conditioning will bring this Oktoberfest to its peak. Lagers take a long time and careful temperature control during fermentation, but are worth the wait in my opinion. You simply can not achieve a complex, yet elegant taste such as this, with ale yeast.

My phone battery died, so I'll snap a frosty mug pic next taste test.

 

[CrealCritter]

Day 57 - bottle day 14

Its a bit to hoppy for my taste. The aroma hops are spot on but bittering/flavoring hops are a bit much. Next batch I'll be cutting back on bittering hops to 1/2 ounce from 1 ounce. They overpower the delicate caramel flavor and leave a bitter taste in the back of my throat, which I really dislike in a beer. This bitter taste may mellow with a little more age in the bottle. I'll check again in another week or so.

It's not so bad as i would dump it down the drain or anything like that, but it's nowhere near as good as my golden american wheat ale. It may just need more age to reach its full potential. It's a nice looking clear, see through dark red beer, with a thin white head. Its just ---> meh <-- at this point.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Have you tried this since your last post? maybe it just needed more time in the bottle to mellow out that bitterness.

 

[CrealCritter]

Have you tried this since your last post? maybe it just needed more time in the bottle to mellow out that bitterness.

Yes, I've tried it just last week. My sons like it and it has mellowed but still to hoppy for me. It has all the right ingredients, its most definitely an Oktoberfest with that delicate caramel flavor that says hey this is an Oktoberfest I'm drinking, Its just to hoppy.

I made this same batch but with 1/2 the hops for my Oktoberfest party I'm planing. I have it in a pony keg lagering @35 degrees for several weeks now, along with a amber Oktoberfest also. Hopefully 10 gallons of beer will be enough for the party.

 

[CrealCritter]

You are spoiling your friends, you know. Soon they will expect nothing but the best from you.

Reminds me of talking to an new winery owner once. I commented about how much I liked his apple wine and he said "yes, that one was a source of many drunken nights behind the barn to get it just right!" He had a bunch of friends always ready to taste his latest batch of "test wine". We moved away 2 months after they opened for business, hopefully they are still in business with the apple orchard and winery. nice people.

Ok... I just pulled a bottle out of the fridge that I put in there last week. Is this really the same Oktoberfest I brewed the end of March 2019, that was way to hoppy? Why yes it is... and my how it's changed into a "pretty" good beer now. It's still just a tad to hoppy for me but nothing like it was. Eventhough it has mellowed considerably over the course of about 10 months and also darkened considerably. It's still not a kit I would brew again, let alone serve to my family and friends. But at least it's drinkable for me now. I guess time heals wounds and beer.

It's turned very dark and taken on a new flavor profile, I taste a hint of blackberry, which is very odd... It's more like a black lager now than an Oktoberfest. But hey at least it's a drinkable beer now.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - that's dark!

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Those looks like top of the crop ingredients.. I'm here in the Philippines and i would like to do the same. the question is where will i get these excellent ingredients?

 

[CrealCritter]

Those looks like top of the crop ingredients.. I'm here in the Philippines and i would like to do the same. the question is where will i get these excellent ingredients?

You should be able to find ingredients at a Local Homebrew Shop. I did a Google search and it seems there are many in the Philippines.

Philippines homebrew - Google Search