Hofbrau Oktoberfest Bier

[mysterio]

The Augustiner one tastes like it's pretty much all pils malt. It is probably the most well regarded Munich brewery.

[Subsonic]

Mysterio - Quick question. The starter, I ferment at 10c as well right? Second, assuming I make 5 litres, how long should I allow to get this done and finished before brewing? Cheers, Sub

[mysterio]

Just ferment it at room temperature Sub. You get more growth that way. IF you ferment it at at 10 C, then you have the advantage that you can pitch the entire starter into the beer, but you would have to allow for dilution etc. I've heard of commercial lager breweries using this method when culturing yeast. Best to get maximum growth at room temp and decant, for our purposes.

If the vial is fresh then it should ferment within 48 h, good idea to allow 3 days then to chill overnight. You could go up to a week.

[Subsonic]

ok cool. Cheers. Sub.

[Subsonic]

I did the brew today. Johnbarleycorn came over to see my setup. I got the water profile and PH ok and mashed in 9Kg of lager malt. All went well with 2 Marchmay pumps running the mash out and sparge. So at about 10am we had a beer, then another... I forgot and left the mash pump on a bit too long and before my boiler overflowed quickly turned it off. So instead of 40 litres at 1055 I ended up with 45 litres at 1049/50 So I was a bit out. The starter wen really well (cheers mysterio good tip that one) and I dumped in a load of the yeast. Colour of the beer is great and hopping seems nice and subtle. Got it in the garage at 10c fermenting so next post will be to let you know how it tastes. That may be ina couple of months.... Sub.

[mysterio]

Great stuff. It doesn't hurt to bump up the temp a couple of degrees when it looks like the ferment is dying down.

[Subsonic]

Ok Mysterio, will do thanks. Sub

[Subsonic]

Man it looks really good. I have had it in my garage for a few weeks at 10c. Its been cold here. I was off in Dubai for a while (OMG no beer!) and when I got back it had dropped crystal clear so I had no chance to bring up the temp for a bit. I am going to keg this week. Barleywater - I have Todd Kellenbenz (AKA Dixie Cup Foam Ranger) possibly coming on the 4th December. Would you care for a bottle to be taken back? He is in Texas Houston and I am sure he would be happy to bring back. I think you guys would have a hella of a lot in common. Sub
Edit - I am going to try another batch with a decoction. I am intrigued by Barley Waters method and need to try it. I kind of regret not doing this for the beer as he suggested, so next time I promises will. Sub

[mysterio]

Given it a taste yet?

[Subsonic]

No, its bloody tempting mind! Want me to post you a champagne bottle? I only bottle my beers in these! The joys of having ladies as friends lol!

[Barley Water]

As much as I would love to try your beer, your friend will have a hell of a time bringing a full bottle of homemade beer back to the states on an airplane. After 911, everything gets looked at and they don't let you fly with more than a couple ounces of liquid for security reasons. I will just have to enjoy vicariously through your posts. Actually, what I would really like to do is travel to your side of the pond some time so I could try some of your famous cask conditioned ales in a proper pub. First however, I need to get my youngest daughter out of college and pay off the resulting debt (you know a moment of passion can cause a lifetime of indentured servitude).

By the way, I would for sure at least try your brew if I were you. The beer may not be at it's best yet but you can at least get an idea about how good it will be by doing a small test. The problem with lagers is the time it takes to get the beer into peak condition and I like to get just a little feedback before tying up all that space and equipment for the required time. I say that but of course I am the guy with 5 gallons of Oud Bruin which is now roughly 1 1/2 years old which I have not yet tasted, the stuff may be so sour now that it will take the paint off the wall. Anyhow, try doing a traditional Octoberfest with a large percentage of Munich malt next time you do an Octoberfest, I bet you will like it alot.

[Subsonic]

Ok Barleywater, I am sitting here with a pint to 'sample'! I kegged the lot in 2 cornies but had a gallon left. So I bottled that in champagne bottles and had a spare pint... Its a lovely very light yellow colour, good nose, very soft on the tongue. A little yeast taste as I left some in suspension to prime the gallon for bottling. Overall I am very happy. I have the kegs at 6c to lager for a while. The bitterness is subtle as is hop aroma. I saved some of the yeast and am going to order the malt for a traditional Oktoberfest with Munich as you suggest. Would you care to share a recipe with me? BTW - you may find this foam ranger newsletter interesting, I am mentioned this month! http://files.me.com/bdb2/5gxk0a. Sub