Oktoberfest 2016

We will duplicate the 2014 Oktoberfest as best we can, except that we will bump total volume by 5 g for a 25 gallon batch.

Grain Bill- total 52#

•    25# Pils malt
•    18.5# Vienna malt
•    6# Munich malt
•    2.5# 60L Crystal malt

Hop Bill– 9oz Hallertau 4.5% AAU for 60′

Yeast– Wyeast 2633 Oktoberfest started a week before brew day on Charles’ double stir plates. Doubled again mid-week.

Water– 37g St. Louis County Tap, aired several days in advance

Mash schedule–

• Strike 18g @ 140F
• Mash in @122-128F for 30’
• Decoct 8.75g, raise to 158F, hold 20’
• Boil Decoction 15’
• Recombine @ 153F, hold 20’
• Decoct 6.25, slowly boil, boil 15’
• Recombine @ 160F, hold 60’
• Mashout 7g of boiling water
• Sparge with 10g 180F
• Collect 30g in kettle
• Boil 60’ 7 oz Hallertau
• Irish moss coiling coil @15’
• Collect 26g in Fermenter
• Target OG 1.058 +/-.004

Brew Day

Brewers- Andy D., Charles U., Dickie S., Kyle L., Rob S., Jimmy G., Kevin P., Alan B., Dan Y., & Tom V.

• 10:00 AM- Mashed In @ 122F held 30′
  • Strike Temp was 138F
• 10:45 Decoction 1 at 158F, held 20′
• 11:15 Boil Decoction 1 for 15′
• 11:30 Recombine at 150F, held 20′- Perfect!
• 12:15 Boil Decoction 2
• 12:30 Recombine 160F for 60′- Perfect!
• 1:40 PM Mash out at 165F 10′
• 2:00 Began runoff
• 3:15 or so Finished Runoff
  • Gravity of Tails was 1.028, left sugar behind
  • Collect 30g in Kettle
• Collect 24g in Fermenter, which was bolstered to almost 25g with yeast starter
• Gravity 1.060, near Perfect!

Overall we had a great brew day, brewing what appears to be 20 gallons of a really good Oktoberfest. Hit all our numbers and the sample was spot on, with a good bubble in the fermenter about 12 hours later.

Sam with stitches and two stints to drain fluid, poor guy

The black cloud to our day was the Sam, the brew dog, was a casualty. We were all having a wonderful time drinking, eating and brewing when Sam, playing with his dog buddies, caught the edge of my truck door, which was open. The corner caught his skin and ripped him open requiring a trip to the ER Vet and a pile of stitches. He’s doing Ok the following day, but it’ll be weeks before he’s back to normal. It was an ugly wound.

But the beer looks good.

Fermentation-

Fermenter started at about 58F. The window is open in the evenings when the temps drop into the 30’s. The first days of primary have been in the 60’s during the day. so I’ve closed the window. Basement is “pungent” with the smell of fermenting beer.

March 20- First day of spring

Racked into secondary. Gravity = 1.014. ABV = 6%. Sample was good, a little light on body, great flavors, good color, ready to drink.

Packaging-

I took 3 kegs to the farm on March 26. I didn’t have another keg, so I was planning on bottling the rest, but I didn’t have the bottles to do the 9 gallons or so that was left. After freeing up a keg, I bottled about 4 gallons and kegged the other 5 on April 10. I filled a case of UCBC bottles.