Which Oktoberfest should I brew?

[BluesHarp]

My first lager...I have three recipes from "Beer Captured", but can't decide which one to make.
They are all quite similar, actually.

[Fast_Eddy]

I've always preferred the HP.

[BrewDog]

Back in the early 80's, I was stationed in Kitzingen for a summer. The Wurzburger is my choice!

[steveh]

Spaten is the original, developed by Sedelmayer of the Spaten brewery.

S.

Where's the Paulaner?

[PFDarkside]

It's been a while since I've had these Oktoberfests, and I don't think I've had the Wurzburger. How would you characterize them compared to each other? Is one slightly sweeter? One more hoppy? One a little stronger on the alcohol?

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by steveh

Where's the Paulaner?

...The book only has clone recipes for the ones listed; I will be more than happy to entertain any other recipes you might have had success with...as long as they are extract plus specialty grain.

My personal tastes are for a slightly sweet beer with a pronounced nutty taste.

Typically, our family O'fest parties feature a keg from a local microbrewery and a selection of bottled beers.
The one commercial keg we bought was H-P, and so far has been my favorite.

This comes with the caveat that I have not had any other German produced O'fests on draught.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by PFDarkside
It's been a while since I've had these Oktoberfests, and I don't think I've had the Wurzburger. How would you characterize them compared to each other? Is one slightly sweeter? One more hoppy? One a little stronger on the alcohol?

Actually, they are all between 5.4 and 5.7% ABV; the Wurzburger is the lowest, and is also a little lighter colored.

[steveh]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
...The book only has clone recipes for the ones listed; I will be more than happy to entertain any other recipes you might have had success with...as long as they are extract plus specialty grain.

My personal tastes are for a slightly sweet beer with a pronounced nutty taste.

The one commercial keg we bought was H-P, and so far has been my favorite.

I have one or two "clone" books I can look at to see which Okto recipes they provide.

I've always found H-P to be the sweetest of Oktos between it, Paulaner, and Spaten. The Paulaner tends to be balanced toward hops and the Spaten toward malt - though neither over-tipped in either direction. The H-P is a little maltier than the Spaten, but hasn't had more body than either.

I've never had an Okto with a pronounced nutty flavor - are you mistaking that with the toasty, melanoidin flavors? That's the signature maltiness of the big 3 Oktos mentioned and is difficult to describe other than "that Oktoberfest maltiness" though it's detectable in many good German and Czech lagers.

S.

[taco]

I voted H-P although Ive never had the other two. The Paulaner was delicious also.Mmmmmmmm..........paullllanerrrrrrr.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by steveh

I've never had an Okto with a pronounced nutty flavor - are you mistaking that with the toasty, melanoidin flavors? That's the signature maltiness of the big 3 Oktos mentioned and is difficult to describe other than "that Oktoberfest maltiness" though it's detectable in many good German and Czech lagers.

S.

Quite possibly, my memory says "nutty", but it was long ago...I last had it on tap in 1983; it was one of the first really quality beer I ever had. I don't think I've had any beer since that had quite that same flavor. My cousin and a friend were home on leave from the military...both stationed in Germany.

[steveh]

Originally posted by BluesHarp
I don't think I've had any beer since that had quite that same flavor.

That's a good definition of melanoidin! ;) I'm reading the Classic Beer Styles Series on Bock beers by Darryl Richman right now, he has some great descriptions of this character, how it's achieved and used differently in different styles.

Also, I looked at my own clone book and it looks like H-P and Spaten are the favorite Oktos to clone - Paulaner is reserved for its Salvator.

S.

[BluesHarp]

All right...the H-P wins by a nose.
I brewed Sunday; it came out at 1.062 and 24.5 IBU's with Tetnang and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops.

It is bubbling nicely along in my "beer cave" at 48°F; in fact, it was showing signs of action after only 3 hours at 60°. A nice robust, healthy yeast...always a good sign! I gotta say, though, it is foul smelling in that small, enclosed area...not in a bad way, but foul nonetheless!

Thanks for the suggestions...now for the loooong wait until Oktoberfest...:rolleyes:

[steveh]

What yeast did'ja use, and how much of a starter?

S.

[BluesHarp]

Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager (recommended in the book for this beer) in about a 1qt starter (half a growler full); my smack pack swelled in about 45 minutes...I've never had one take off that fast, the starter was going in less than one hour.

As of tonight, the carboy is still bubbling at about a one burp every4-5 seconds...temp holding quite steady at 48-49°. :)

I have great hopes for this one.

[steveh]

Bohemian? Hmm. Hope it doesn't finish too dry, it was probably recommended for ease of ferment with low off-flavors. Sounds like you got a fresh package too.

S.

[BluesHarp]

The recipe says; "The distinctive, slightly sweet malt flavor is rich and expansive in the mouth. The finish is long, rich, and full of malt."

I hope that is the case...

Their second choice was 2206 Bavarian Lager.