Oktoberfest (WLP820/833) FG

[dmtaylor]

Well, when a certain brewing ingredient which shall remain nameless makes your long-awaited labor of love turn out sub-par, not once but several times, you might feel the same way.

[TimmyR]

Update:

Sent 5-gallons of my 833 version to the Oktoberfest party where it was well received. In a side-by-side comparison with a local brewery Oktoberfest, the only comments were it was lighter in color than theirs. I am not 100% satisfied with it yet, it still lacked the fresh malt aroma I smelled and tasted when I had Gordon Biersch, Miami's Maerzen....I am trading e-mails with the brewer in search of the perfect recipe. I AM happy with my choice to use Liberty hops.

The 820 is in my fridge and sitting tight. It seems to improve every week. So, I think it'll be fine.

[ggltd]

Okay I couldn't get Cry Havoc that I was going to try out on a Baltic Porter I am making and took the 820 on recommendation. I am having real second thoughts after reading this blog. What would you think of fermenting this in the 60-68 range to get past all the long times? Or should I just take this back for something else?

[Mylo]

I love 833. It is my go-to yeast strain for all of my lagers. I have never noticed any problems with attenuation. Everything turns out with a smooth bitterness and big malt flavor. Maybe you need to double check your mash temperature?


Mylo

[TimmyR]

I love 833. It is my go-to yeast strain for all of my lagers. I have never noticed any problems with attenuation. Everything turns out with a smooth bitterness and big malt flavor. Maybe you need to double check your mash temperature?


Mylo

Good call Mylo. I'll take a look next time I brew it. It tasted malty, it just lacked the malt aroma I was hoping for. I have tweaked the recipe and dialed down the Vienna and dialed up the Munich.

The 820 eventually smoothed out, but it took a while. All in all it was a total success for my first lager.