If you brew beer, you either will or already have experienced this situation. You’re two weeks out from a Halloween party or Oktoberfest celebration and realize you forgot to brew your Oktoberfest beer. It’s in this moment of utter panic I turn to a recipe for what I call “Mocktoberfest.”
It’s like a lager, only faster. It’s also a recipe that you can use to “fake” a lager if you lack a fridge that can do temperature control. We have a couple of recipe and process adjustments to make, but at the end of the day you can end up with a clean (as far as anyone can tell) and clear (if you have a cold fridge and some gelatin) version of the Märzen style.
STYLE
The Oktoberfest/Märzen is a rich, clean, “elegant” (according to the guidelines) amber lager. I’ll let you read up on it on your own this week at the BJCP’s website or in our MYB Märzen column, so we can get down to business on how to fake this style out!