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| MŠrzen: A Beer By Any Other Name |
Mar, 2003 |
| by Horst Dornbusch |
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| The convoluted tale of the traditional German festbier called MŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Vienna: The history behind its extra-long name, how to pick the most authentic ingredients, a trio of tried-and-true recipes, and step-by-step instructions for brewing this lip-smacking Bavarian style at home. |
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OKTOBERFEST by the numbers:
OG 1.050ö1.063 but commonly above 1.055 (12.5ö15.75 ¡P)
FG 1.013ö1.016 (3.25ö4 ¡P)
SRM usually 10ö14
A BEER STYLE is usually named after its place of origin, its key characteristic, or both. Typical examples are the Irish red ale, the London porter or the Bamberg rauchbier. But there is one oddly named Bavarian beer that takes its moniker from two months of the calendar: March and October (spelled MŠrz and Oktober in German). In addition, this brew is labeled a ãfest beerä (festbier in German). Some experts argue that the designation ãViennaä ought to be added to the name as well, thus making the beerâs strange handle even longer. Hence the title of Volume Four of the Classic Beer Style Series, written by Laurie and the late George Fix: ãMŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Viennaä (Brewers Publications, 1991). In spite of the ãViennaä appendix, this style is usually associated with Munich.
So whatâs in a name? Lots.
Why is this beer style surrounded by such verbal convolution? ãNomen est omen,ä the Roman comedy writer Titus Maccius Plautus (254ö184 BC) is reputed to have penned in ancient times. The phrase means ãa name is an indicator.ä This beerâs cumbersome appellation tells the tale of its peculiar and meandering historical evolution.
About half a millennium ago, brewers in Bavaria had difficulty controlling the quality of their brews in the summer. They didnât have a clue why their beers often tasted awful during the hot season, while beers brewed roughly between early October and the end of March tended to taste clean and appetizing. Nowadays we understand that, in the foothills of the Alps, it got much too cold in the fall and winter for most airborne microbes to survive and spoil the brew. So Bavarian brewers resorted to a simple strategy to ensure a drinkable beer supply for the summer: They worked overtime in late winter to make plenty of higher-gravity and well-hopped ãMarchä beer. This is how MŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Vienna came to the MŠrzen part of its name.
Unfortunately, we have only vague hints as to the composition of this original MŠrzen brew. It probably came in at a starting gravity of no less than OG 1.060 and a bitterness of perhaps as much as 40 IBUs. Most likely this beer was full-bodied. Its color was probably a darkish amber to deep brown, anywhere in the range of an English brown ale, an altbier or a dunkel.
After fermentation, the MŠrzen was stored in casks in cool cellars and mountain caves, some filled with ice from the winter. It was released gradually starting in late spring or early summer. The high alcohol content, the high acid and tannin levels from the hops, and the ideal storage conditions ensured that this beer kept well and actually improved as summer turned into fall. It probably became especially good near the end, when the hops mellowed out and the brewâs malty character moved to the fore. By October, however, after the yearâs grain harvest, the last of the MŠrzen had to be drunk so that the precious casks could receive the seasonâs fresh beer. Combine the pressure on those poor Bavarian brewers to empty the barrels with their propensity for having a jolly good time, and the concept of an Oktoberfest emerges automatically ÷ as does the second part of the name.
Like most medieval beer styles, MŠrzen evolved with advances in the art of brewing. It underwent its first systematic, brew-technical change in 1841 at the hands of two friends, Gabriel Sedlmayr and Anton Dreher. These gentlemen were the owners of the Spaten Brewery of Munich and the Dreher Brewery of Vienna, respectively. Both brewers cooperated in lightening the color of the traditional MŠrzen grain bill (Dreher more so than Sedlmayr) by adding a new, slightly caramelized, but fairly pale malt to the grist ÷ a malt that we now call Vienna (approximately 3ö4 ¡Lovibond). At that time, Sedlmayr was using nothing but lager yeast for his MŠrzen, while Dreher was not. So Dreher switched to Sedlmayrâs yeast. In Munich, the new beer continued to be called a MŠrzen, but with the cosmopolitan tagline ãgebraut nach Wiener Artä (brewed the Vienna way). But on Dreherâs home turf, in Vienna, the new beer was given a new and separate style designation: Vienna lager. And this is how MŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Vienna beer acquired the remaining portion of its long name.
A Central-European lager becomes a modern beer style
The ãVienna wayä of brewing was arguably more of a marketing ploy than a brew-technical term. It was true that the color of the two 1841 brews was significantly lighter than the standard beers of the day. But the brew was not yet as blond as the Pilsner lager, for instance, which was to be introduced a year later by the Burgher Brewery of Pilsen. In reality, both Dreherâs and Sedlmayrâs beers were still made the traditional Munich way, with an emphasis on multi-step decoction, the use of caramelized malts for body and some nutty sweetness, relatively long wort boils and low hopping rates to preserve the brewâs predominantly malty character, and relatively long lagering periods for mellowness.
The Munich MŠrzen of ãthe Vienna wayä was ãre-Bavarianizedä in 1871, when Spaten introduced at that yearâs Munich Oktoberfest a reformulated MŠrzen with plenty of Munich malt. This was the first time that the MŠrzen beer was marketed under the explicit brand name of Oktoberfestbier. In a way, the old MŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Vienna beer had come full circle.
Also, with the spread in the nineteenth century of scientific brewing methods ÷ especially of controlled malting, yeast management, refrigeration and beer filtration ÷ Bavarians could by then brew great-tasting beers of any style at any time of the year, not just during the cold season. So there was no longer a need to mass-produce MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier in the spring. Instead the Munich brewers made this beer only when they wanted to ÷ as a special style ÷ often with an OG in the mid- to upper-1.050s. They also shaved some time off the long lagering periods that were standard for MŠrzen-Oktoberfest in the Middle Ages.
In a modern brewery, storing beer in refrigerated stainless-steel tanks for six months is considered an expensive luxury. Such extensive lagering is practiced only when it is a technical necessity. So brewers started to package their beers, including their spring offerings, as soon as they were considered ãready.ä Such less-aged MŠrzen-Oktoberfest beers are often marketed without the Oktoberfest suffix on the label. Judging by the practices of the big modern breweries in Munich, a MŠrzen beer may now be lagered no longer than six to eight weeks. A beer that still carries the hyphenated MŠrzen-Oktoberfest designation (or just the Oktoberfest name), on the other hand, is likely to have stayed in the tanks for about 12 to 16 weeks.
With changes in the MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier also came an evolution of the notion of a ãfestä beer. The Bavarians have never been content with just one beerfest per year. There are plenty of historical and religious holidays for which Bavarian brewers have been making special, and usually rather strong, beers. Thus emerged a separate festbier style. A modern Bavarian festbier may be a lager or an ale, and it is often as dark as a dunkel and as hefty as a doppelbock. It is generally designated a starkbier (strong beer), a category reserved for brews with an OG between 1.064 and 1.112. So the typical modern Oktoberfestbier is no longer a true festbier!
A three-part style definition
From this historical discourse it ought not to be surprising that the style definition of the MŠrzen-Oktoberfest-Vienna is somewhat fuzzy and a bit controversial. Perhaps the easiest solution for the contemporary homebrewer is to distill the following distinctions from the brewâs three-part name and from its changing character over time.
1. Letâs use the term Vienna lager only for a medium-bodied brew made ãthe Vienna way,ä with plenty of Vienna malt and aged no longer than two months. Its OG should not exceed 1.050 and its alcohol by volume should be 4.5%, give or take 0.4%. Because of its Vienna malt content, its SRM value should be on the golden side of the amber scale, within a range of 5 to 10. As such, and with apologies to the knowledgeable George and Laurie Fix, we might want to consider the Vienna lager a thoroughly separate style from the MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier.
2. Then letâs reserve the term MŠrzen only for a full-bodied lager made with plenty of Munich, instead of Vienna, malt. Like the Vienna lager, it should be aged up to two months, but its OG should be above the top Vienna limit of 1.050 and below the bottom of the starkbier limit of 1.064. The MŠrzenâs alcohol by volume should be no lower than 5%, and preferably closer to 6%. Its SRM value should be a deep amber, within a range of 10 to 14.
3. Finally, letâs give the term Oktoberfestbier (or MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier) simply to a true MŠrzen that is aged at least two but no longer than six months. By these definitions, all Oktoberfest beers start out as MŠrzens (thus the hyphenated name is justified), but not all MŠrzens become Oktoberfest beers; and none of them are Vienna lagers.
These distinctions may raise hackles, but they are simple, sensible, practical and historically defensible. With these rough brewing guidelines, the MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier becomes truly a beer for all seasons. You just have to vary the length of the lagering period. If you wish to adhere to tradition, you can brew the beer around the first day of spring. Then you can start drinking it as a MŠrzen in June. If you allow all or part of it to lager for another two months, as many modern breweries do, come August or September, you can enjoy it as an Oktoberfestbier. Finally, you can even give the beer its medieval six monthsâ maturation time and then have your own little Oktoberfest on Columbus Day. And for good measure, because this beer keeps well, you can polish off any Oktoberfestbier that survives your fall imbibing as a satisfying winter warmer.
As any brewer knows, the higher your beerâs original gravity (OG) and thus alcohol level, the longer you can usually keep it, provided you adhered to proper sanitation rules and you stored the brew in a cool, dark place. The recipe for our Princess Theresaâs Oktoberfestbier (see recipes on page 27) has been formulated for an OG of 1.060 and an ABV of approximately 5.8%. This should give you at least one year to consume your batch.
Ingredients and brewing
My recipe for this beer has been tested repeatedly in five-gallon (19-liter) batches. In addition, I have brewed the all-grain version of this recipe several times in a 30-barrel system under my own commercial label of Dornbusch Oktoberfest.
All-grain brewers should note that the specified grain amounts are for a system with an extract efficiency of approximately 66%. If you know the efficiency of your system, you can adjust the grain proportionally to yield five gallons at the target gravity. Otherwise, either your volume or gravity yield will vary. You can customize recipes by scaling quantities (except the brewing liquor) up or down by a few percentage points to brew heftier or lighter versions. You can achieve the same effect by either extending the boil time beyond 90 minutes for more evaporation, or by liquoring down your wort to any gravity you prefer within the styleâs OG range.
Grains and malt extract
In the nineteenth century, many central European lagers, both amber and blond, were made from two-row summer barley varieties, such as Hanna and Kniefl, that were grown in Moravia (which is now, next to Bohemia, part of the Czech Republic). These varieties have long since been replaced by selectively-bred, higher-yield barley crops. Nowadays, their characteristics are most closely reflected in Pilsner-style malts. Using pale Pils malt as a foundation grain as well as specialty color malts based Pils-type grains is essential for an authentic MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier. The malt that best fits the bill is Weyermann from Bamberg in northern Bavaria. These grains have enough of a protein level for a good head (about 10.5%), but not too much protein to cause a stuck mash, considering the substantial grain loading of this OG-1.060 brew. Also, these grains provide the strong maltiness that will become mellow and rounded after the long aging period. Lesser grains, especially lesser color malts, can impart a harsh and raw, instead of smooth and complex, maltiness that would turn the brew into an inferior representation of the style.
For the same reasons, extract brewers should stick with top-quality German-style canned malts. For these malts I have two favorites, Bierkeller (in 1.5-kilogram cans) and Weyermann (in 4-kilogram plastic jerry cans). I tend to follow a simple rule of thumb: The more local the beer style, the more local should be its ingredients, if you want to make an authentic brew. The more universal the style (as is the case with pale ale or stout, for instance), the broader is your spectrum of acceptable ingredients. MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier, in my view, falls into the category of a local style, which calls for a local malt-extract selection as well.
Water and the boil
The water of the region from which MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier comes varies slightly, from medium hard (about 250 ppm carbonate hardness in Munich) to about 100 ppm carbonate hardness in the Bavarian Forest near the Czech border.
A long boil is usually recommended by German brewers of this style, because melanoidins and pigments are formed in the kettle through the so-called Maillard reaction. Many brewers believe that this reaction between amino acids and carbohydrates, which occurs during a prolonged rolling boil, contributes to wort browning. Recently, however, there has been some controversy among brew scientists as to whether or not the color contribution from this reaction to the wort is a myth or reality. But because brewers have been making great MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbiers with a long boil for a long time, I bow to tradition. A 90-minute boil is sufficient to make a great Oktoberfestbier, but I still prefer a two-hour boil, even if the browning effect turns out to have been just a tale.
Picking the right hops
The most authentic hop varieties for this beer style are those that accentuate ãnobilityä of aroma, that is, hops that are relatively low in cohumulone (an alpha acid), but relatively high in humulene (a delicate aroma oil). There are many hop varieties that would work, but in my opinion some are more suitable for MŠrzen-Oktoberfest than others. Even though some authors recommend Saaz for this beer, I find the aromatic reverberations that Saaz leaves behind on the palate to be incompatible with the deep, smooth maltiness that should predominate in this beerâs aftertaste. For bittering I have chosen Hallertauer and for flavor and aroma I have chosen Tettnanger. These are always safe bets for Bavarian-style, malty beers. You can use any of the Hallertauer derivatives, such as Magnum or MittelfrŸh, or the North American triploid Mt. Hood. The Tettnanger varieties tend to add just a touch of spiciness to the brew. But freshness of the hops is key, especially for the Tettnanger, which can taste just a bit grassy or even cheesy if it gets old.
ãNobilityä in hops is largely defined by the relative proportion of humulene as part of the total amount of aroma substances. For the complex finish of a MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier, you want to balance the strong, deep maltiness with delicate aromatics ... and humulene is the right tool for the task. To give you a point of reference, in most hop varieties humulene makes up less than 20 percent of the aroma substances, and a humulene proportion of 55 percent is considered exceptional in the nobility pecking order. Tettnanger, for instance, tends to have a low alpha-acid rating (often between 3 and 5 percent, which is why it is rarely used as a bittering hop), but about 25 percent of its aroma substances come from humulene. Actual values vary from one growing year to the next. Based on this ãblue-bloodedä perspective, here are a few guidelines for playing with the noble-hop load of a fine, malt-accented MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier:
If you want to use only one hop variety, go with Hallertauer Magnum for bittering, flavor and aroma. Magnum tends to have an alpha-acid rating of about 12 to 14 percent (which gives you a great bittering bang for your hop buck) and a substantial humulene content of around 35 percent of all aroma substances.
If you want to use two different hop varieties but do not care for Tettnanger, you can stick with Magnum for bittering and use Hallertauer MittelfrŸh for flavor and aroma. MittlefrŸh is a good choice for aroma, because more than 50 percent of the aroma substances of this hops are humulene. This Magnum/MittelfrŸh combination can be a mellow sensation, especially if you want to lager the beer for several months.
Perle might be a good compromise hops for bittering, flavor and aroma, because it tends to have about 5 to 8 percent alpha acids, while its humulene content makes up about 35 percent of all aroma substances.
Bavarian lager yeast
An Oktoberfestbier can be made with any good Bavarian-type lager yeast, including Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager), White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager), or White Labs WLP920 (Old Bavarian Lager). Oktoberfestbier is only moderately effervescent, so do not overdo the priming. Half a cup of dry malt extract (DME) or corn sugar should be plenty for five gallons (19 liters).
EINS, ZWEI, DREI · A trio of tasty Oktoberfest recipes
Princess Theresaâs Oktoberfestbier
(5 gallons/19 liters, all grain)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.014
SRM = approx. 13 IBU = 25
ABV = approx. 5.8%
Ingredients
10.67 lbs. (4.8 kg) pale two-row (2¡ L)
1.3 lbs. (0.58 kg) dark Munich (20¡ L)
0.50 lb. (0.23 kg) crystal (60¡ L)
5.6 AAU Hallertauer or Mt. Hood hops
(bittering) (1.3 oz./36.4 g of 4.3% alpha acid)
0.6 oz. (16.8 g) Tettnanger hops (flavor)
0.3 oz. (8.4 g) Tettnanger hops (aroma)
Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager), White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager), or White Labs WLP920 (Old Bavarian Lager) yeast
1/2 cup DME or corn sugar
For a paler version of this beer, you can substitute the 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of Munich malt with 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) each of Munich and Vienna malt. Another way of ãplayingä with the brewâs color is to use Munich malts of different color ratings. Munich malts are available in colors between roughly 5 and 20 degrees Lovibond.
Step by Step
This beer traditionally has been brewed by the multi-step decoction method, but most experts agree that, given the quality of modern grains, infusion mashing can produce more than adequate results.
These instructions, therefore, are for a multi-step infusion mash, which starts, as is common in Germany, with dough-in at a temperature of approximately 122 ¡F (50 ¡C). Let the mash rest for about half an hour before infusing it with hot water until the temperature reaches 148 ¡F (64 ¡C). Keep the mash at that temperature for a second, 15-minute, rest. Infuse again to raise the temperature to 156 ¡F (69 ¡C) for a third rest, also of 15 minutes. Then start sparging, slowly, with almost-boiling water. Check the mash temperature frequently during the sparge. Make sure that it does not increase beyond 170 ¡F (77 ¡C). Lower the sparge water temperature, if need be. Expect the sparge to last an hour and a half or even longer. Check the run-off gravity frequently near the end of the sparge, and end the sparge when the gravity reaches 1.012. This avoids leaching out astringent compounds from the grain husks, which would ruin the rounded, malty character of the beer style. Then check your kettle gravity. If you need to make adjustments to your wort gravity in the kettle, do so by adding water or lengthening the boil time at the end.
Boil the MŠrzen-Oktoberfestbier for at least an hour and a half. Add the bittering hops one hour before shutdown (usually about 30 minutes into the boil). Add the flavor hops about 5 minutes before, and the aroma hops about 5 minutes after, shutdown. Stir the wort very gently (to avoid aeration) in a circular motion with a spatula to create a whirlpool effect. Wait about half an hour, then heat-exchange the wort as close to the fermentation temperature of 48 ¡F (9 ¡C) as your setup allows. Aerate the cool wort, pitch the yeast, and place your fermentation vessel into a refrigerator set to the fermentation temperature. Let the brew ferment to the finish, which can take as much as three weeks!
Then rack the brew and let it ãwarmä up to roughly 59ö64 ¡F (15ö18 ¡C) for a diacetyl rest of about two days. Then pull down the brewâs temperature gradually by 2ö3 ¡F (1ö1.5 ¡C) a day. Keep the beer as close as possible to the optimum lagering temperature, which is approximately 28 ¡F (-2 ¡C). Lager the brew for as long as you wish, but no less than 6 weeks and no more than 6 months, after which rack the beer a final time and prime it.
Princess Theresaâs Oktoberfestbier
(5 gallons/19 liters, partial mash)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.014
SRM = approx. 13 IBU = 25
ABV = approx. 5.8%
Ingredients
7.25 lbs. (3.3 kg) Bierkeller or Weyermann plain light (Pils) malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dark Munich malt (20¡ L)
0.50 lb. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (60¡ L)
5.6 AAU Hallertauer or Mt. Hood hops
(bittering) (1.3 oz./36.4 g of 4.3% alpha acid)
0.6 oz. (16.8 g) Tettnanger hops (flavor)
0.3 oz. (8.4 g) (Tettnanger hops (aroma)
Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager), White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager), or White Labs WLP920 (Old Bavarian Lager) yeast
1/2 cup DME or corn sugar
Step by Step
Coarsely mill the two specialty malts and pour them into a muslin bag. Place the bag in at least two gallons of cold water and raise the temperature slowly, for at least half an hour, until it reaches 170ö190 ¡F (77ö88 ¡C). At this point bubbles should start to pearl up in the liquid, but the pot must not boil! Lift the bag out of the steeping liquid and rinse it with several cups of cold water. Do not squeeze the bag. Discard the spent specialty grain and fill your kettle to the usual volume. Bring the liquid to a boil, turn off the heat, and stir in the canned extract. Bring the wort back to a boil and add the bittering hops. Boil for one hour. Follow the all-grain instructions for adding the flavor and aroma hops as well as for heat-exchanging, fermenting, lagering and priming.
Princess Theresaâs Oktoberfestbier
(5 gallons/19 liters, extract only)
OG = approx. 1.060
FG = 1.012ö1.014 SRM = approx. 13 IBU = 25 ABV = 5.8ö6%
Ingredients
7.25 lbs. (3.3 kg) Bierkeller or Weyermann plain amber malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Bierkeller or Weyermann plain light (Pils) malt extract
5.6 AAU Hallertauer or Mt. Hood hops
(bittering) (1.3 oz./36.4 g of 4.3% alpha acid)
0.6 oz. (16.8 g) Tettnanger hops (flavor)
0.3 oz. (8.4 g) (Tettnanger hops (aroma)
Wyeast 2206 (Bavarian Lager), Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager), White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager), or White Labs WLP920 (Old Bavarian Lager) yeast
1/2 cup DME or corn sugar
Step by Step
Mix the two malts with your hot brewing water in the kettle. Stir thoroughly to dissolve. Bring the wort back to a boil and add the bittering hops. Boil for one hour. Follow the all-grain instructions for flavor and aroma hops as well as for fermenting, lagering and priming your beer. |
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