Make Your Best: Festbier & Weissbier
Going beyond the simple question of “what” and instead exploring the “why” will help you understand how to design and brew better beers.
Festbier
This is not like the American offshoot style we have come to know as Oktoberfest. Festbier is the beer they actually serve at Oktoberfest. It’s a pale lager with a clear pilsner malt and biscuit bent. The darker style long favored by American brewers may be closer to what they served at Oktoberfest in the past, but in this case, the Germans are the innovators. Up is down. Black is white. Heck, did you know that Oktoberfest isn’t even in October anymore? But I digress: let’s talk about how to make this thing.
Style: A good point of comparison is heller bock (a.k.a. Maibock). They are fairly similar beers, except that festbier tends to be a bit lower in gravity and feature more hops flavor and aroma. The guidelines describe it as patently malt-forward, but in fresh examples, I can vouch for a greater-than-expected floral hops nose and flavor. I find it nearly as hoppy as German pilsner but without the accompanying bitterness; my recipe reflects that impression. It is also brilliantly, aggressively clean, with nary an ester or phenol or ketone to be found. You should be able to drink a liter of this and ask for another (for better or for worse).
Ingredients: Base malts constitute the bulk of the grist: pilsner and Munich, plus a dash of Victory. The resulting malt character is nice and bready but still light in flavor and color. The hops in this recipe are plentiful but simple. I add Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at 30 and 5 minutes—the floral aroma and flavor should be noticeable, but not dominant, against the malt background. I go for 20 IBUS; it’s hard to go overboard with Noble hops, especially in a beer subject to long maturation. Finally, Munich Lager yeast will ensure a clean fermentation to showcase the round malt flavor.
Process: Mash and boil as usual, then chill and transfer to your favorite vessel. Aerate well and pitch, with a target fermentation temperature of 50°F (10°C). Take your time—this isn’t the beer for quick lagering. After about 10 days, bump up the temperature slightly and wait a few days. At the twoweek mark, warm to 65°F (18°C) and hold for two days. This helps to minimize diacetyl and sulfur production, yielding a squeakyclean pale lager. Cold crash and lager, and don’t go near it for six solid weeks.
Start thinking about brewing this one now, so it’ll be ready for autumn. If you’re a traditionalist, brew an American-style Oktoberfest, too, and let your friends vote. Or start with the festbier in the warm afternoon sun and transition to the amber in the cool of the evening. In either case, you’ll be glad you were thinking ahead.