Kodiak Island Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest: Replicator
Dear Replicator,
A couple of years ago my dad decided to take my brother and I on what he called an “extreme guys fishing get away.” I wasn’t too excited about the fishing or the location — Kodiak, Alaska. Turns out that even though it is very remote, it was pretty cool. The best part was a brewery we stopped at — Kodiak Island Brewing Co. I started homebrewing a few months after we got back and am now brewing all-grain batches. The beer I really remember from up there was the Oktoberfest. I hope you can use your magic to get some details for a recipe.
David Prosser
San Diego, California
If you don’t count that long flight to Hawaii it would be difficult to name a more remote American craft brewery than Kodiak Island Brewing Company. After all, it is an hour-plus flight from Anchorage and at least a 9-hour ferry trip from the closest mainland U.S. highway. There is a good reason that the Kodiak port is one of the featured locations in the popular TV series Deadliest Catch.
Owner and Brewer Ben Millstein is the kind of person that likes being somewhat off the grid. He loves the peace and solitude of the island that many times is referred to as the “Rock.” With a population of only 14,000 it definitely has that small-town feel of everyone knowing your name. About a third of the population is made up of Coast Guard members (their presence is largely for fishing enforcement and rescue). From rotating through other mainland ports, an appreciation for good craft beer has been developed in many of them, which makes for a good boostin business.
A past fledgling homebrewer, Ben was first introduced to brewing good beers in the early 1990s when he became a member of the Homer, Alaska homebrew club Q&Q (for Quality and Quaffability). Like most of us, he honed his skills and recipes with 5-gallon (19-L) batches of standard ales. It was through the homebrew club that he became friends with two other members — Steve McCasland and Karen Berger. Eventually they would go on to open Homer Brewing Company. The success of Alaskan Brewing with their Alaskan amber ale was causing craft beer to become more widely accepted in the state. This prompted Ben to realize that a brewpub could be a fun and viable business.
In 2003 he located a suitable building right by the harbor docks of the town of Kodiak. It was only about the size of an average ranch style house (2,400 square feet) but he knew it provided a good start. A used 10-barrel system that had been in the Hop Cats Brewpub in Chicago, Illinois was located and brewing commenced after all of the licensing and permitting was accomplished. It was a slow start gaining acceptance of his beers but gradually the locals started to embrace what became known as “their brewery.”
In 2007 Alaska made a favorable change to their beer laws. Prior to that brewpubs could not sell pints or tasters. Over the counter business was limited to giving free tastes and filling growlers. The change allowed for the selling of pints with a limit of two pints per person per day. This provided a real business boost and as demand grew he faced the need for greater space for more cellar tanks. In August 2012 he was fortunate to locate a building that was over three times the size. Another plus was that it was located at the main intersection of town, adding to the brewery’s exposure.
Now Ben has a crew of five and is in the process of training a full-time Brewer, Jason Manthey. Still, distribution is limited to about ten miles on the island and two-thirds of their sales are in-house. For the past three years sales have stabilized at 750–800 barrels per year. He always has five core beers on tap with the seasonal beers rotating. The “transitional beer,” Coastal Lager, is Kodiak Island’s most popular but Ben’s IPA is also a big seller. Even though they are isolated, Ben is an active member on the Alaska Brewers Guild and always takes one or two of his beers to the Great Alaska Barleywine festival in January.
While discussing Kodiak Island’s Oktoberfest offering Ben stresses the importance of keeping the recipe simple and maintaining a longer boil to create some caramelization of the wort. Fermenting at a slightly warmer temperature helps to develop some slightly fruity esters. He describes his version of the Oktoberfest style as malty but with a stronger hop profile than this fall classic usually calls for.
David, it won’t have to take a trip to the far reaches of Alaska for your favorite Oktoberfest beer anymore because now you can “Brew Your Own.” For more information about Kodiak Island Brewing Co. and their other fine beers, visit them on the web at www.kodiakbrewery.com or call the brewery at 907-486-2537.
Kodiak Island Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.062 FG = 1.012
IBU = 25 SRM = 12.5 ABV = 6.5%
Ingredients
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) Munich malt (9 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.56 kg) Victory® malt
10 oz. (0.28 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)
4.5 AAU U.S. Saaz hop pellets
(80 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.4 AAU East Kent Golding hop
pellets (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.75% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP810 (San Francisco Lager) or Wyeast 2112 (California Lager) yeast
3.5 oz. (91 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix all of the crushed grains with 4.6 gallons (17.5 L) of 168 °F (76 °C) water to stabilize at 151 °F (66 °C). This is a medium-thin mash using 1.4 quarts of strike water per pound of grain (2.9 L/kg). This ratio will help to maximize fermentability. A more fermentable wort is also created by the lower mash temperature. Mash for 60 minutes and slowly sparge with 175 °F (79 °C) water. Collect approximately 6.2 gallons (23.5 L) of wort runoff and boil for 80 minutes. This is a longer boil in order to caramelize and darken the wort. This helps to develop the proper flavor profile for this style. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment.
After the boil is complete, cool the wort to 65 °F (18 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 58 °F (14 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. This may take 12 to 14 days. After fermentation is complete, gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week. Prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 volumes CO2. Allow the beer to age for at least four more weeks to fully develop the flavors and enjoy your Oktoberfest clone.
Note: Make sure to use a Munich malt that can properly convert the starch in the mash. For this, find a Munich malt that is 10 °L or lower.
Kodiak Island Brewing Co.’s Oktoberfest clone
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.062 FG = 1.012
IBU = 25 SRM = 12.5 ABV = 6.5%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Briess unhopped, Munich liquid malt extract
18 oz. (0.51 kg) Munich malt (9 °L)
1.25 lbs. (0.56 kg) Victory® malt
10 oz. (0.28 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)
5.4 AAU U.S. Saaz hop pellets
(80 min.) (1.2 oz./34 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
2.4 AAU East Kent Golding hop pellets (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4.75% alpha acids)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP810 (San Francisco Lager) or Wyeast 2112 (California Lager) yeast
3.5 oz. (91 g) corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mash the milled grains in 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 151 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (1.8 L) of hot water. Boil for 80 minutes, adding the hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. This is a longer boil in order to caramelize and darken the wort. This helps to develop the proper flavor profile for this style. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment.
When the boil is complete add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of cold water in the sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (19 L).
Cool the wort to 65 °F (18 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to
58 °F (14 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. This may take 12 to 14 days. Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week. Prime and bottle condition or keg and force carbonate to 2.2 volumes CO2. Allow the beer to age for at least four more weeks to fully develop the flavors and enjoy your Oktoberfest clone.
Note: Make sure to use a Munich malt that can properly convert the starch in the mash. For this, find a Munich malt that is 10 °L or lower.
