Oktoberfest is not a complicated beer to brew, but it rewards attention to detail. Vienna malt forms the base of the mash here, and carries the hop character through to the glass.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Oktoberfest |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.048-1.056 |
| Final Gravity | 1.010-1.014 |
| ABV | 4.8-5.8% |
| IBU | 18-30 |
| SRM | 7-14 (amber) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (lager patience required) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Vienna malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with . This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 12C (54F) Pitch White Labs WLP820 Oktoberfest once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 4 weeks at 3C (37F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Briess 2- Row Brewers Malt 1.8L – 10 lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Amarillo Pellet Hops 3 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. Voss Kveik Ale Yeast – 11 g (Pack of 5))
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. FastRack Drilled Rubber Stopper (#10-3 Pieces))
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Brewmaster – AD310 Corn Sugar (lb))
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. 12.5Ft. Wort Chiller with Copper Coil)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Oktoberfest is best served in a mug or pint, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment Regular 5/16″ Auto Siphon 24″ Length with 8 feet of Tubing, clear |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Oktoberfest
Equipment
- 1 Large pot for boiling
- 1 Thermometer
- 1 Hydrometer
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Fermenting vessel
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Bottles or keg for storage
- 1 Wort chiller (optional)
- 1 Mash tun (optional)
- 1 Oxygenation system (optional)
- 1 pH meter (optional)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 21 Litres (21 Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°C (149°F)
- 8 lb Vienna malt Quantity 4 kg
- 1 lb Munich malt Quantity 800 g
- 1 lb Carapils Quantity 750 g
- 3 1/2 oz Crystal malt Quantity 100 g
For the Boil – X Litres (X Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- 1 oz (Hops) When to add – At start of boil (IBU 23.1)
- 1/4 oz (Hops) When to add – For last 30 mins of boil (IBU 2.1)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 12°C (54°F) – Conditioning 4 weeks at 3°C (37°F)
- 1 White Labs WLP820 Oktoberfest Yeast
Instructions
- Heat the 21 liters of water to 65°C (149°F) in a large pot.
- Add the Vienna malt, Munich malt, Carapils, and Crystal malt to the water and stir until they are fully submerged.
- Maintain the temperature at 65°C (149°F) and let the grains steep for 1 hour.
- Strain the liquid from the grains and discard the spent grains.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and add the hops at the start of the boil.
- Boil for 45 minutes, then add the second addition of hops and Protofloc and boil for another 30 minutes.
- After boiling, cool the liquid to 12°C (54°F) using an ice bath or a wort chiller.
- Transfer the cooled liquid to a sanitized fermenting vessel and add the White Labs WLP820 Oktoberfest yeast.
- Seal the fermenting vessel with an airlock and stopper and store it at 12°C (54°F) for 4 weeks.
- After 4 weeks, transfer the beer to a sanitized bottling bucket or keg and store it for an additional week at 3°C (37°F) for conditioning.
- Carbonate the beer if desired and serve chilled.
Get the fermentation temperature right on Oktoberfest and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Oktoberfest the Style It Is
There is nothing exotic about the roots of Oktoberfest, it grew out of practical brewing choices, local ingredients, and the tastes of the people drinking it.
What you get in the glass is a well-balanced beer, with a finish shaped by White Labs WLP820 Oktoberfest. Get the fermentation temperature right and the rest of the process is mostly patience.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.8-5.8%
- Bitterness: 18-30 IBU
- Color: 7-14 (amber)
- Serving temp: 40-45F (4-7C)
- Glassware: a mug or pint
- Food pairings: roast pork, pretzels, mild cheese
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
