Octoberfest beer at home.

There I was laying bare arsed naked on a stainless-steel gurney, when a nurse dressed in black leather and lace approached with a long hose and a bucket of rock salt.   Oops  wrong blog.

Marzen bier. German for March Beer,  originates in Bavaria before the 16th century, and was called so as there was a Bavarian brewing ordinance decreed in 1553 that beer could only be produced between September and April as the European summer temperatures were too hot for fermenting.  As the Beer festivals were in October, brewing in March was adopted and it gave the beer plenty of lagering time.

It’s a medium to full bodied beer that varies in colour from pale through to amber and on to dark. So any lager really could pass as a Marzen if brewed in March, especially if it’s called an Octoberfestbier and drunk in Munich.

I used it as an excuse to make a Ryeish lager and it turned out to be the most popular on tap at my place for our own October festivities. Went well with Bratwurst and sauerkraut and encouraged some mighty fine slap dancing.  

Recipe from memory.

3 Kg Pilsner malt

1kg Munich

1kg Wheat

1kg rye.

Hops, magnum for bittering and Hallertau in whirlpool

A nice pack or two of W34/70 

And fermented and lagered at 9 degrees for some time in my fermentation fridge.

If “Bellissimo” was a German word it would be suitably appropriate.

Till next time.

Brew love