BVC - Oktoberfest beer at LPT

[OxladeMac@aol.com]

Magdalena, thank you for your question - you do me great honor by asking.

Ox's Oxtoberfest
Brewed 9/13/98, 5 gal
9.75 lb Harrington's 2 row
4 oz Malto-Dextrin
1/4 lb Chocolate malt
1/2 lb German Crystal Malt
2 oz Hallertau - 180 min total boil
1 oz Liberty - 180 min total boil
1/2 oz Tettanang - 5 min boil
1/2 oz Tettanang - finish (after wort taken off heat)
wyeast - American Lager (I forgot to write down number)
2 cups pumpkin ale batch wort, first runnings, used as primer.  (Instead of
3/4 cup of corn sugar - I just happened to brew the next batch the same day I
bottled this one!)

Process:
Mash:  I used a single step infusion mash:  Strike temp 175 degrees with 16
quarts of water.  I added 1 quart of tap water to adjust the temp.  The mash
was held at 153 degrees for 90 minutes. 

>>Comment:  This batch was done before I knew to stir the mash.  My mash tun
is a picnic cooler.  I just added the water and let it sit for 90 minutes.
All of the extra steps below are due to the fact that I didn't know you should
stir.  I got a lower conversion rate than I should have.  Not knowing any
better,  I collected more wort and boiled it to condense it and get the
additional sugar.

Sparge:  Sparged with boiling water.  Collected 6 gallons of wort over 45
minutes

Boil:  Added Hallertau and Liberty hops at the start of the boil.  Boiled for
90 minutes.  At 90 Min, the wort had boiled down to approx 4-4.5 gallons.  The
mash tun was still active (producing sugar), so I continued the sparge to
collect another 2 gallons.  I brought it back to boil and boiled for another
60 minutes to concentrate the wort again.  At 150 minutes, I added another
gallon of concentrated sparge runoff.  I boiled for another 25 minutes before
adding the Tettanang finishing hops.  I boiled for 5 more minutes before
removing from heat and adding the last 1/2 ounce of Tettanang.  Total boil
time = 180 minutes.

Chill:  I force cooled the wort by running it through a wort chiller

Pitch:  I strained the chilled wort into a 5 gallon glass carboy containing
the yeast from the previous batch ("Roll in the hay wheat lager" using
American Lager yeast)

OSG = 1.054
Ferment at 55 degrees
Racked to secondary fermenter 10/1/98.  SG = 1.016.  Put in a fridge to lager
at 34 degrees.
Bottled 10/17/98.  SG = 1.016
Used 2 cups of wort from pumpkin ale batch (All-grain batch made the same day
this batch was bottled) as a primer
Alcohol by volume = 5%




I'm quite pleased with how this batch turned out.  I'm a beer snob, and when
I'm happy with the taste of it, I know I've done well.  I have given it to
many of my friends as "proof" that I make good beer - and as another step in
my battle of those who say "I don't like beer."  "Hah!" I say, "You just
haven't had good beer yet!  Try this!"  

But alas, the best batches go too fast.  Of the original two cases, I have but
9 bottles left.  The good thing is that with the 25 kg bag of "largesse" that
I took home from Laurel's prize, I can make much more!!

Oxlade Lachlan MacKinnon
Shire of Mooneschadowe.
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