OktoberFAST

[CrealCritter]

So who doesn't like Oktoberfest? What no one raised their hand? That what I thought

Patience is not one of my stronger qualities. Brew something in March and wait until October to drink it? Ok yeah, but what if I want an Octoberfest now?

I just finally got around to tasting a commercial (Sam Adams) Oktoberfest last week. Unfortunately I shared with some family and they loved it. Now I’m on the hook to produce something in time for our Death to COVID-19 family party.

This gives me a few weeks to come up with a fast…tastes like…Oktoberfest beer using an ale yeast. I so enjoy a challenge! Will this be an authentic Oktoberfest? Not hardly, But I'm confident I can produce a brew in a couple of weeks that will taste just as good as a Sam Adams Octoberfest but much faster. I'm still working on putting the final touches on this OktoberFAST brew recipe. It's looking like an Octoberfest to me. Recipe to follow...

 

[CrealCritter]

Real Oktoberfest? Nah...

Festival Beer (festbier) called OktoberFAST? Yep

Recipe with 90 minute boil. Big grist needs a 90 min boil to rid the wort of DMS. DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) is a sulfur compound that has the aroma of cooked or creamed corn.

Yeast is 1 pack 11g Fermentis Safale US-04.

US-04 won't ferment dry, so the beer should finish a little malty sweet. But hopefully not to sweet.

I'm estimating 1 week of primary fermention @ around 60 degrees and around 1 week secondary fermention @ around 60 degrees. Once I get the sweet taste I'm after during secondary, add potassium sorbate to kill off the yeast. Keg and cold crash @ 35 degrees. Then add gelatin to fine and carbonate @. 30 PSI for 48 hours. Blow a pint or two of nasty gelatin fined beer out of the bottom of the keg and serve at around 3 PSI. All in all, and if all things go according to plan... It should be ready in about 3 weeks. Now that's a OktoberFAST.

 

[CrealCritter]

It's like Christmas for a home brewer look at all those tasty malts just waiting to become beer.

I've never brewed with Aromatic malt before, so I'm curious how it will turn out. Here's it's marketing speak... "A European-style Munich Malt that provides, clean, intensely malty flavor. Typically used in Oktoberfest, Bock or Belgian style beers, this malt is a fantastic complement to any beer needing a more malty flavor and aroma."

I'll most likely brew this big festbier tomorrow afternoon. Should be ready OktoberFAST.

 

[CrealCritter]

I brewed this OktoberFAST today. Every thing went well, except I pulled 70 efficiency out of the malts. This is my worst efficiency since I first started with all grain. It's obvious the crush on the grains could have been better. So from here on out I'm going to order my future grain bills uncrushed and just mill them
myself.

Initial Gravity 1.052. Looks and tastes a lot like Carmel Candy.

Here's what the grain bed looked like after volauf and sparging. I see more whole grains than I care too.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I bet the chickens didn't complain about the whole grains.

 

[CrealCritter]

After one week of primary fermention the gravity is 1.018, or about 4.5% ABV. I don't expect much of a gravity drop in the next 1 week of secondary fermention. It might drop a couple of more points.

I'll most likely pull a 1/2 gallon off the top and prime it with sugar to naturally carbonate. Then add potassium sorbate to kill off the yeast to the remaining 5 gallons. Let it sit for a week the keg and carbonate.

I really like it just as it is. It's a little malty sweet like a festbier should be.