We decided that October was for lagers. Traditionally, they are brewed in the spring and then lagered all summer for drinking in the fall. These Brew Dudes took a shorter route. We brew ours in August. Maybe next year we’ll plan better. Here’s Mike’s take on an Märzen-style Octoberfest. Check out the video for all the details:

Have a liter.

The Märzen Recipe

The Upfront Details:

Batch Size: 6.5 US gallons post boil
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.014
5.25% ABV

Ingredients:

7 pounds / 3.175 kg Pilsner Malt
5 pounds / 2.26 kg Vienna Malt
1 pound /454 g CaraMunich II (63° L)
2 ounces / 56 g Midnight Wheat (550° L)
1.5 ounces / 42 g Hallertau Mittelfrüh 4.2% AA at 60 minutes
1.5 ounces/ 42 g Hallertau Mittelfrüh 4.2% AA at 10 minutes

WLP830 German Lager (seemed dead, non active)
S-189 SafLager

12 US gallons of Poland Springs water treated with 1ml Lactic acid to pH 5.5
4g CaCl, 3g gypsum, 1g MgSO4 in Mash
4g CaCl, 4g gypsum in boil

Instructions:

Step Mash:
145° F 45 minutes
156° F 20 minutes
168° F 10 minutes Mashout

Fermented for 10 days at 50° F (10° C)
Diacetyl rest for 5 days at 68° F (20° C)
Keg conditioned 2-weeks at time of tasting at 45° F (7° C)

The Märzen Notes

The color was pretty close to where Mike wanted it. It may have been a little darker than what he was going for. To adjust next time, he would remove the Midnight Wheat.

The clarity was pretty good for no finings. You can see from the photo that the ruby notes were shining in the light.

The malty flavor was on point. It shown through in the aroma too. I found the hops flavor could have been a little more refined. It probably needs a little more time lagering.

Another epic lager – be mindful of your yeast health and you’ll be ok.

BREW ON!