Oktoberfest…

With fall quickly approaching, it seems cruel to try to endure the colder months without the comfort of an Oktoberfest in the fridge.  So, this will be my next brew.  I’ll post up details once it is complete.

Update – 10Sept12:  

Today was brew day!  The beer smells absolutely amazing!  Can’t wait to get this thing into bottles.

I did have to modify the recipe a little, using both baker’s and semi sweet chocolate, due to availability at the time of brewing.

I ended up transferring a LOT of sediment to the fermenting bucket.  I’m going to have to make sure I run this thing through a secondary to clear it up.

Bottling Day – 20Nov12:

I had intented to run this through a secondary fermentation, but life got in the way.  The best memory of this beer will be that it was the beer in process when my daughter was born.

There was a large amount of sediment transferred from the fermenter to the bottling bucket and then into the bottles of beer.

Tasting Notes – Oktoberfail:

Starts out very crisp, and clean.  Fruit flavors (mild citrus  show through mid sip.  Finishes slightly bitter (chocolate, not hops), with a distinct bitter chocolate aftertaste.

Sometimes, even the best plans go wrong.  This beer had good potential, but didn’t quite make it.

This beer turned out to have much more of a fruity flavor than I would have anticipated.  I suspect that this is due to a combination of the chocolate (sugars) and the type of yeast used.  Something to investigate for next year.

The beer seems light for what it is; there is no discernible hops flavor, nor the dark, rich flavor that I (at least) have come to associate with an Oktoberfest.  The flavors are there, they just don’t have the punch that I am shooting for.

The bitterness of the baker’s chocolate is very prevalent, but not entirely in a good way.  It comes out very strong at the finish of the beer and leaves a distinct aftertaste.  It’s not horrible, but not what I was looking for.

I plan to let this bottle condition for at least two weeks before trying it again.  Maybe by then some of the flavors will settle and make this will make a decent beer.  But, for right now, this recipe will not be repeated.

 Update:  

The time in the refrigerator was time well spent.  It took a couple of weeks (at least 3), but this has turned out to be a very drinkable beer.  The flavors have blended together nicely.  It still lacks the punch of a brutal Oktoberfest, but turned out nice nonetheless.  It seems like a beer that the monks of old would have enjoyed for sustaining themselves through a fasting period.  I will likely modify the recipe, but this will likely be brewed again.

Style Information

About Dan

I'm Dan.

View all posts by Dan →