Unter dem Zelt Festbier

Josh Weikert

Slow and steady wins this race, so plan ahead to have this ready in plenty of time for your favorite Oktoberfest party. Also, don’t be afraid of the hopping here: a fresh, grassy, floral hops nose is a perfect fit for the bready malts in this grist. Prost!

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.056

FG: 1.014

IBUS: 23

ABV: 5.7%

MALT BILL

9 lb (4.1 kg) German pilsner 1 lb (454 g) Munich

8 oz (227 g) Victory

HOPS SCHEDULE

1.5 oz (43 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh [4% AA] at 30 minutes

1.5 oz (43 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh [4% AA] at 5 minutes

YEAST

Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains and mix with 3.3 gallons (12.4 liters) of 163°F (72°C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Hold there for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until the runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 4 gallons (15 liters) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hops schedule. After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 50°F (10°C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 50°F (10°C) for 10 days, then let the temperature rise to 54°F (12°C) for about 4 days. After that, let the temperature free rise to room temperature and hold for 2 days. Cold crash to 35°F (2°C) for 48 hours, then lager for at least 6 weeks. Bottle or keg, and carbonate to about 2.25 volumes.