Festbier Is the Best Bier
All-Grain Recipe
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.057 FG = 1.012
IBU = 28 SRM = 7 ABV = 5.9%
A traditional festbier to be enjoyed by the liter during Oktoberfest or any fall festivities.
Ingredients
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) Pilsner malt
6 lbs. (2.7 kg) German Munich I malt (6 ºL)
6.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 6.5% alpha acids)
2.3 AAU Hallertauer Tradition hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.5% alpha acids)
Yeast nutrients (10 min.)
Whirlfloc (10 min.)
White Labs WLP830 (German Lager), Wyeast 2124 (Bohemian Lager), or SafLager W-34/70 yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
If using liquid yeast, make a yeast starter two days prior to brew day. For your water, treat 10 gallons (38 L) of reverse osmosis water with 1⁄2 tsp. lactic acid for mash acidification, 1 g gypsum, 1 g Epsom salt, and 5 g calcium chloride.
Step mash with a 30-minute beta rest at 140–144 °F (60–62 °C) followed by a 30-minute alpha rest at 158–162 °F (70-72 °C). Lauter as normal.
Sparge to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort once your mash has reached conversion. Boil for 75 minutes adding hops, nutrients, and kettle fining per schedule. After the boil, cool wort, pitch plenty of yeast, and aerate well if using a liquid yeast strain. Ferment between 46–48 °F (8–10 °C) until primary fermentation is finished (7–9 days), then lager for 4 weeks around 32 °F (0 °C). Spunding is ideal when it comes to carbonation. Aim for 2.4–2.5 volumes of CO2.
Extract-Only Recipe
Replace the grains with 4.33 lbs. (2 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract and 2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich dried malt extract. Follow instructions in the Monks’ Fortitude extract with grains option.
