For an excellent,
complete discussion of Vienna-Marzen-Oktoberfest beers, see
the Classic Beer Styles Series book pruduced by Brewers Publications.
For a list of this series and other references, check out our
Brewing Books section.
INTRODUCTION
Fall is here,
bringing with it the harvest festivals and holidays that date
back to antiquity. Autumn has traditionally been the time of
year to celebrate the completion of the harvest, to share the
bounty, and to stock up for the impending winter.
We've
chosen Oktoberfest as the style of the season. Traditionally
brewed in March, then stored in cool caves over the summer,
M�rzen/Oktoberfest used to refer the the brewing process itself.
Over time, though, it was found that some styles of beer seemed
to improve with the extended aging process better than others.
The soft, clean taste of the Oktoberfest style was one which
took to it the best, and the name eventually came to refer
to the beer style itself.
Although
the style was tradionally brewed in March, most homebrewers
are limited to the cooler fall and winter temperatures for
their lager brewing. And, with the commercial breweries releasing
their seasonal versions of the style, definitive examples
of the style are available to us homebrewers for comparison
and inspiration.
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HISTORY
Before the
19th century, the hot temperatures of the summer prevented quality
beer from being brewed. In March, beer was brewed and then stored
until October in cool caves, away from the summer heat. In October,
in order to make space for the new year's batch of beer, the
brewers took out any beer that was left and consumed it with
great ceremony. It was in 1810, to celebrate the Bavarian Queen
Theresia's marriage to King Ludwig, that Munich held its first
Oktoberfest.
It was
only in the first half of the 19th century that yeast was
discovered to be the fourth ingredient in beer. Brewing pioneers
Anton Dreher (in Vienna) and Gabriel Sedlmayr (in Munich)
are credited with being the first to brew using the bottom-fermenting
lager style yeast. By using only the finest strains of barley
and hops, as well as the newly-developed technology of refrigeration,
these two were able to produce beer of a high enough quality
that demand for it stayed high. (This despite the explosion
in popularity that the new pale Pilsner-syle beers were enjoying.)
Eventually,
in and around Vienna, a lighter-bodied, less alcoholic version
of the Oktoberfest style developed popularity. These became
known as "Vienna lagers," or lagers in the "Vienna style"
and were produced with the same high-quality ingredients that
the Oktoberfest beers were, only to a lower starting gravity.
Late in
the 19th century, the Oktoberfest style began losing popularity
to the upstart pale lagers. The uncompromising standards of
quality ingredients that Dreher and Sedlmayr had championed
faded after their deaths, and Vienna/Oktoberfest beers soon
began their decline. Many brewers from Vienna emigrated to
the Americas, where Mexico and the Southwest part of America
became a new center for Vienna-style lagers.
A Mexican
citizen known as Santiago Graf was able to continue the Vienna
tradition, due mostly to his own high quality standards. Unhappy
with the quality of American grains and hops, he imported
both from Europe to make his Vienna-style lager. He completely
dominated his local market by the year 1890, and even today
Vienna-style beers survive in Mexico.
The Vienna/Oktoberfest
style was yet another near-casualty of Prohibition. The evolution
of one industrial style of beer, distinctly American in nature
and intentionally marketed that way, crowded out countless
breweries and beer styles. Happily, the new homebrewing explosion
has helped to revive interest in historical brewing styles,
and Oktoberfest beers are among the seasonal styles that are
being released by a growing number of commercial breweries.
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STYLE
DEFINITION
The Vienna
style is a clean, smooth style which really balances the bitterness
of the hops with the soft sweetness of the malt. "Balanced"
is a term that is used more often than it applies, but it really
is applicable to the Vienna-style lagers. They have a very slight
hint of sweet toastiness, while the lager yeast makes it more
of a dry, soft sweetness than an overpowering caramel sweetness.
Oktoberfest
beers are more toward the malty end of the balance, usually
with a few more hops than the Vienna to help round out the
balance. They are higher in alcohol, and occasionally a little
bit darker in color than the Vienna style. (Fix and Fix, in
the AHA Oktoberfest Classic Beer Style book, include a recipe
called the "Graf...Vienna" which includes a little bit of
black malt to give it a darker color.) Oktoberfests with a
"Bavarian touch" lean even a bit more toward the malt end
of the balance, and might use a bit less hops as well, to
emphasize that sweetness.
Only Noble-type
hops are suitable for the delicate hop aroma and flavor in
a Vienna or Oktoberfest beer. Tettnang, Styrian Golding, Saaz,
are the first that spring to mind. Neither style should be
overpowered by aroma hops, but just a small handful would
be appropriate.
American
Homebrewer's Association Style Guidelines
VIENNA/OKTOBERFEST
|
Vienna |
Oktoberfest |
| Color |
Amber |
Amber
to Deep Copper |
| Body |
Light |
Medium |
| Flavor
Profile |
Toasted
Malt Aroma/Flavor
Low
Malt Sweetness
Clean
Noble-type Hop Bitterness
No
Fruity Esters or Diacetyl
|
Sweet
Maltiness
Toasted
Malt Character
Minimal
to No Esters
No
Diacetyl or Chill Haze
|
| Hop
Bitterness |
Low
to Medium (22-28 IBU) |
Low
to Medium (22-28 IBU) |
| Hop
Flavor/Aroma |
Low
Hop Flavor and Aroma |
Low
but Notable |
| Original
Gravity |
1.048
- 1.055 |
1.052
- 1.064 |
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BREWING
PRACTICES
Brewing
from Malt Extract:
Even with
extract Oktoberfest recipes it is important--perhaps even more
important--to ensure that you are using the highest-quality
products to reproduce the Vienna/Oktoberfest style. Use a little
bit of calcium carbonate in the brew kettle to give a softer,
less bitter smoothness to the finish of the style.
Our Oktoberfest
extract recipe turns out darker than the official Oktoberfest
style guidelines would dictate, due to the quarter pound of
chocolate malt that is included. It is a recipe that has been
in our catalog for many years, though, and we have had so
many compliments on it that we decided to leave it as it is.
It is very full-bodied, definitely an Oktoberfest with the
malty "Bavarian touch".
Brewing
from Grains:
Again, quality
is the key. Use a pilsner malt, or a European two-row at the
very least. This is not a style to use more fully modified American
grains, or fully-modified ale malt to reproduce. Use a step
mash, leaving the mash at about 130F to 140F for a half an hour,
then finishing for 45 minutes to an hour at about 150F.
For an
even more historical glimpse of the brewing process, especially
to lean your beer toward the more malty "Bavarian touch" end
of the style, consider experimenting with a decoction mash.
Decoction mashing used to be a requirement, before thermometers
were invented and when malted grain was much lower quality.
Any more, it is more of a novelty than a necessity, but beers
produced with a decoction mash will give you a sweeter, fuller
malt finish.
Decoction
mashing is a type of step-mashing, but instead of applying
heat or hot water to the entire mash to raise the temperature
to the next level, you pull out a bit of the mash (about a
third of the grain, with just enough liquid to barely cover
the grain) and bring it to a boil before adding it back to
the mash kettle.
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RECIPES
BAVARIAN
PRIDE
Oktoberfest
(Extract)
| 1
can |
Cooper's
Lager Malt Extract Kit |
| 1
can |
Alexander's
Amber Kicker |
| 3
lbs. |
Munton
& Fison Amber Dry Malt |
| 1/2
lb. |
German
Light Crystal Malt |
| 1/4
lb. |
Special
B Malt |
| 2
oz. |
Tettnang
Hops (Boiling) |
| 1
oz. |
Tettnang
Hops (Finishing) |
| 3/4
cup |
Priming
Sugar |
| 1
pkg. |
Cooper's
Dry Ale Yeast or
Munich Lager Wyeast |
O.G.
1.067 - 1.072
BAVARIAN
PRIDE
Oktoberfest
(All-Grain)
| 5
lbs. |
Pilsner
Malt |
| 5
lbs. |
Vienna
Malt |
| 1
lb. |
German
Light Crystal |
| 1
lb. |
German
Dark Crystal |
| 2
oz. |
Tettnang
Hops (Boiling) |
| 1
oz. |
Tettnang
Hops (Finishing) |
| 3/4
cup |
Priming
Sugar |
| 1
pkg. |
Munich
Lager Wyeast |
O.G.
1.063 - 1.068
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