Decemberfest Lager (previous recipes)
This is the Archive Page for previous recipes for Decemberfest Lager batches.
For the most recent recipe, see Decemberfest Lager.
------------------------------
2020.
Around September, I thought I should brew an Oktoberfest lager. I never got around to it.In October, I thought maybe a Novemberfest lager would be a good idea. I never got around to it.
In November, I thought maybe a Decemberfest lager would work. I never really got around to it until mid-December.
It probably won't be ready to drink before January, but I thought I could still call it Decemberfest as I was brewing it in December. And ... I might drink some of it before the end of the year.
Rather than the Marzen style, I went with more of a "Festbier". My first attempt at this style.
Batch #1 of this beer was my 6th batch that I brewed on my Anvil Foundry.
This is one of those beers that both the Brew Master and the Beer Model like.
It is a beautiful golden lager. Not too light. Not too heavy.
Not too malty. Not too hoppy.
Not too sweet. Not too bitter.
Just an awesome easy drinking lager. At 5.5% ABV, it isn't sessionable, but at the same time, it isn't a beer that will mess you up if you drink one or two.
Pretty much a beer-drinker's beer.
Awesome.
For more information about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Decemberfest.
| Decemberfest Lager --- Batch 3 (348) |
| Style | Festbier | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.57 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 68.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.056 SG | Estimated FG | 1.012 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 24.8 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.9 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.443 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 6.8 SRM |
| |||||
| Measured OG: | 1.056 | Measured FG: | 1.010 | ||||
| ADF: | 81 | Measured ABV: | 6.1 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.49 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 6.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 4.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 6 lbs 8.0 oz | Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 52.0 % | 0.51 gal |
| 5 lbs | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 40.0 % | 0.39 gal |
| 1 lbs | Caravienne Malt (20.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 8.0 % | 0.08 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Magnum [12.60 %] - Boil 25.0 min | Hop | 8 | 21.5 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 9 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) | Other | 10 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Tettnang (Tettnang Tettnager) [4.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 11 | 3.4 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 12 | - | - |
| 0.50 tsp | Gelatin (Bottling 1.0 days) | Fining | 13 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 29.95 qt of water at 157.3 F | 150.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min | 156.0 F | 20 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Make 1.4 liter (6 cups) yeast starter a day before brew day.
Brewing salts in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=119,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=169,Cl=92,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring calculated pH around 5.4
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment in 50's for about 5 days, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.
After the keg is chilled, add geletin to keg.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.050 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.57 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
Brewing Notes:11/29/2023 esheppy
Bought my ingredients at Brew Hut today. Not sure when I'll brew. Maybe this weekend, but more likely the following.
12/09/2023 esheppy
Making a starter today. Brew day tomorrow.
12/10/2023 esheppy
Brew day went ok, but I tried to get it all done before church and ended up having to cut boil short and the wort sat while I went to church. I pumped into fermenter and left outside to let it cool via cold weather. Got down to 60ish, then I pitched and moved to basement. The spigot nut wasn't tight, so there was a leak. I ended up "sanitizing" my arm and putting it into the wort to tighten. I hope that doesn't cause problems. I guess we'll see.
12/11/2023 esheppy
Bubbling has started. Not very vigorous yet. Tilt says 1.052 at 55. A couple of points lower than yesterday.
12/12/2023 esheppy
Much more vigorous this morning. I forgot to switch out the ice last night, so the temp is up to 62ish. Put in new ice bottles and set the controller to 62. Tilt says 1.034.
12/14/2023 esheppy
Still bubbling. Tilt says 1.018 at 62. I expect I'll unplug the cooling pump tomorrow or the next day. Should be kegging in another week or so.
12/15/2023 esheppy
Still going. Tilt says 1.014 at 62 degrees. I'll let this go through the end of the day before disconnecting the temp control.
12/20/2023 esheppy
Seems to be done fermenting. Tilt says 1.010 at 68. Need to get this kegged soon.
12/22/2023 esheppy
Kegged. Tilt said 1.009 at 68. Measured FG at 1.010, but it might have been a bit lower. Nice gold color. Needs clarification for sure. 81% ADF. 6.1% ABV. Sample tasted pretty good. I did pick up a little pear ester, which I assume is a minor infection. Could be the higher fermentation temperature early in the process, though. Don't currently have a spot for the keg in cold storage, but I think Humdinger is about to blow. Will probably be drinking by New Year.
12/29/2023 esheppy
Humdinger did blow and keg has been in fridge for about a week. Added gelatin today. .5 tsp in about .75 cup of water.
01/01/2024 esheppy
Starting to clear up and carbonation is pretty good. The off flavor is still there. Not a dumper, but certainly not what this beer should taste like. Oh well.
01/05/2024 esheppy
Nice and clear now.
01/12/2024 esheppy
See through. Beautiful gold / amber color. Carbonation about perfect now. The off flavor seems to be fading.
02/02/2024 esheppy
Gorgeous beer. Tasting good.
02/09/2024 esheppy
Even though this isn't the best this recipe has ever turned out ... still good.
02/19/2024 esheppy
This is almost gone.
02/22/2024 esheppy
My son stopped by last night with a few friends. His friends sampled the beers I have on tap, and said they liked them. This was one of those beers.
02/25/2024 esheppy
The keg blew tonight. Started out a little shaky, but by the end was a wonderful amber lager.
Bought my ingredients at Brew Hut today. Not sure when I'll brew. Maybe this weekend, but more likely the following.
12/09/2023 esheppy
Making a starter today. Brew day tomorrow.
12/10/2023 esheppy
Brew day went ok, but I tried to get it all done before church and ended up having to cut boil short and the wort sat while I went to church. I pumped into fermenter and left outside to let it cool via cold weather. Got down to 60ish, then I pitched and moved to basement. The spigot nut wasn't tight, so there was a leak. I ended up "sanitizing" my arm and putting it into the wort to tighten. I hope that doesn't cause problems. I guess we'll see.
12/11/2023 esheppy
Bubbling has started. Not very vigorous yet. Tilt says 1.052 at 55. A couple of points lower than yesterday.
12/12/2023 esheppy
Much more vigorous this morning. I forgot to switch out the ice last night, so the temp is up to 62ish. Put in new ice bottles and set the controller to 62. Tilt says 1.034.
12/14/2023 esheppy
Still bubbling. Tilt says 1.018 at 62. I expect I'll unplug the cooling pump tomorrow or the next day. Should be kegging in another week or so.
12/15/2023 esheppy
Still going. Tilt says 1.014 at 62 degrees. I'll let this go through the end of the day before disconnecting the temp control.
12/20/2023 esheppy
Seems to be done fermenting. Tilt says 1.010 at 68. Need to get this kegged soon.
12/22/2023 esheppy
Kegged. Tilt said 1.009 at 68. Measured FG at 1.010, but it might have been a bit lower. Nice gold color. Needs clarification for sure. 81% ADF. 6.1% ABV. Sample tasted pretty good. I did pick up a little pear ester, which I assume is a minor infection. Could be the higher fermentation temperature early in the process, though. Don't currently have a spot for the keg in cold storage, but I think Humdinger is about to blow. Will probably be drinking by New Year.
12/29/2023 esheppy
Humdinger did blow and keg has been in fridge for about a week. Added gelatin today. .5 tsp in about .75 cup of water.
01/01/2024 esheppy
Starting to clear up and carbonation is pretty good. The off flavor is still there. Not a dumper, but certainly not what this beer should taste like. Oh well.
01/05/2024 esheppy
Nice and clear now.
01/12/2024 esheppy
See through. Beautiful gold / amber color. Carbonation about perfect now. The off flavor seems to be fading.
02/02/2024 esheppy
Gorgeous beer. Tasting good.
02/09/2024 esheppy
Even though this isn't the best this recipe has ever turned out ... still good.
02/19/2024 esheppy
This is almost gone.
02/22/2024 esheppy
My son stopped by last night with a few friends. His friends sampled the beers I have on tap, and said they liked them. This was one of those beers.
02/25/2024 esheppy
The keg blew tonight. Started out a little shaky, but by the end was a wonderful amber lager.
| Decemberfest Lager --- Batch 2 |
| Style | Festbier | Batch Size | 5.75 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.83 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 68.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.056 SG | Estimated FG | 1.012 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 25.3 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.9 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.451 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 7.5 SRM |
| |||||
| Measured OG: | 1.055 | Measured FG: | 1.011 | ||||
| ADF: | 79 | Measured ABV: | 5.8 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.79 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 6.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 4.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 7 lbs | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 53.8 % | 0.55 gal |
| 5 lbs | Vienna Malt (6.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 38.5 % | 0.39 gal |
| 1 lbs | Caravienne Malt (20.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 7.7 % | 0.08 gal |
| 0.500 oz | Magnum [13.20 %] - Boil 30.0 min | Hop | 8 | 13.6 IBUs | - |
| 0.500 oz | Magnum [13.20 %] - Boil 20.0 min | Hop | 9 | 9.0 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 10 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) | Other | 11 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Tettnang (Tettnang Tettnager) [3.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 12 | 2.6 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 13 | - | - |
| 0.50 tsp | Gelatin (Bottling 1.0 days) | Fining | 14 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 31.14 qt of water at 157.2 F | 150.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min | 156.0 F | 20 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Make 1.4 liter (6 cups) yeast starter a day before brew day.
Brewing salts in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=116,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=164,Cl=89,HCO3=104
Acid addition to bring calculated pH around 5.4
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment in 50's for about 5 days, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.
After the keg is chilled, add geletin to keg.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.050 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.83 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Decemberfest Lager --- Batch 1 |
| Style | Festbier | Batch Size | 6.00 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 7.09 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 70.00 | Boil Time | 60 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.055 SG | Estimated FG | 1.011 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 25.7 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 5.8 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.464 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 6.5 SRM |
| |||||
| Measured OG: | 1.052 | Measured FG: | 1.010 | ||||
| ADF: | 81 | Measured ABV: | 5.5% |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.05 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 6.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 3.00 g | Chalk (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 2.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 7 lbs | Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 53.8 % | 0.55 gal |
| 5 lbs | Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 38.5 % | 0.39 gal |
| 1 lbs | Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 7.7 % | 0.08 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Magnum [11.20 %] - Boil 30.0 min | Hop | 8 | 22.2 IBUs | - |
| 1.00 Items | Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) | Fining | 9 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) | Other | 10 | - | - |
| 1.000 oz | Hallertau [5.30 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 11 | 3.4 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 12 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 32.18 qt of water at 157.0 F | 150.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min | 156.0 F | 20 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Make 1.4 liter (6 cups) yeast starter a day before brew day.
Brewing salts in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=135,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=161,Cl=55,HCO3=163
Brew as directed from recipe.
Cool wort to as close to 50 degrees as possible.
Ferment in 50's for about 5 days, let rise to high 60's for another week.
Keg carbonate.
Brewing Record