My first Oktoberfest

[RevDroz]

So I brewed my first Oktoberfest from an extract kit.

I brewed it in early May, kegged it on May 29th, kept it at about 55-60° until about a week ago.

I put it in the keezer for 24 hours to drop the temperature to about 33°. Then I added gelatin, purged the head space with co2, and put it at 23 psi for 48 hours.

The result was a darker, more malty taste with, what I call perfect carbonation. Now I bought a 6'er of Sam Adams Oktoberfest for comparison reasons. I found that the Sam Adams was lighter in color and had a less malty taste with a hint of citrus.

Overall, I am very pleased with the way it turned out and I look forward to doing another one

 

[VikeMan]

I brewed it in early May, kegged it on May 29th, kept it at about 55-60° until about a week ago. I

55-60F is really high for lagering. It's even a little high for traditional lager fermentation. For future batches, consider fermenting at about 50F, and then lagering below 40F.

The result was a darker, more malty taste with, what I call perfect carbonation. Now I bought a 6'er of Sam Adams Oktoberfest for comparison reasons. I found that the Sam Adams was lighter in color and had a less malty taste with a hint of citrus.

The darker color (at least some of it) is likely due to oxidation, which happens faster at higher temperatures.

Overall, I am very pleased with the way it turned out and I look forward to doing another one

Congrats on your first lager.

 

[RevDroz]

Thanks!! It was an experience. The kit provided a yeast that worked for either lagers or ales, as I don't have the additional room for a lagering fridge I opted to go the ale route and kept the room as cool as possible. As for oxidation, I know it is virtually impossible to avoid 100% I did purge the headspace with CO2 several times.

I do appreciate the comments and tips. Once I gain the space for another fridge I will be trying this as a lager.

 

[VikeMan]

Thanks!! It was an experience. The kit provided a yeast that worked for either lagers or ales, as I don't have the additional room for a lagering fridge I opted to go the ale route and kept the room as cool as possible.

Interesting. Do you know what the yeast strain was? Technically, it was either an ale strain or a lager strain (assuming it was a Saccharomyces yeast, which is a pretty safe bet).

Perhaps it's congrats on your first(?) Amber Ale!

 

[RevDroz]

I do not recall the strain of yeast that was supplied with the kit. The instructions do give an 'ale' fermentation alternative, so yeah, perhaps it's another Amber Ale lol