Octoberfest, a celebration of autumn when the leaves on the trees start turning and their is a noticable chill in the air. And to celebrate this wonderful time of the year, what better than a pint of your own homebrew beer.
The history and origin of Octoberfest started on October 12th, 1810 in Munich, Germany, a five day festival in front of the city gates of Munich to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. The yearly festival that has since followed originally culminated in a horse race, however today the celebration has become much more elaborate beer and feasting.
Marzen was the original beer of Octoberfest, in 1516 in Germany brewin standard called Rheinheitsgebot where establish that layed out the only three ingredients that wheir permitted to brew beer: water, barley, and malt. At the time these standards where put in place, yeast was not used in brewing beer. Using yeast and its microorganisms was unknown to the industry.
Traditional beer is lighter and not as strong as Marzen. Marzen contains up to 6% alcohol, and is lagered for at least 30 days. Lagering is the term for the fermentation of beer using yeast. Caves were once the ideal locations for lagering. Originally this beer was brewed in March, and allowed to age through the summer and then ready to drink in early autumn.
So how to make your own Oktoberfest beer? Personal preference will dictate your final decision but some people say that a 'toasty' flavor is what makes the Octoberfest beer and should not be too hoppy. Here are some general recommendations. Try a Pilsner style malt which will impart the correct characteristic color , smooth, complex, malty flavor. Most home brew beer recipes will specify using specific hop combinations to produce the deep maltiness topped the aromatics characteristic of a Marzen.
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Now days, the German Oktoberfest is held from the third week in September and ends on the first Sunday of October this is to take advantage of better weather conditions. But with a little advance planning, you can enjoy the unique flavor of this holiday home brew beer all year long.
The Oktoberfest celebration is celebrated in places all over the world, but all over the world, we all relate it to Germany and can and usually represents a celebration of all things German in origin and especially the beer. German citizens who have moved from Germany and setteled in other places have longed to experience this good times by organizing and starting up this Oktoberfest celebration, in this way they bring back some of that fun and feeling of the days when they lived in Germany.
In places where Oktoberfest is celebrated on a regular basis, it serves as an opportunity for individuals who are desendants of German immigrants to enjoy some of the cultural celebration of their ancestry. And for those of non-German descent it is an opportunity to learn about German culture. If you are a beer lover, and enjoy different beers from around the world, then Octoberfest celebration is good time.
Author Resource:-
Alamar is the author of The Alamar Doctrine and a homebrew beer hobbiest.
brewing beer at home is a hobby
with the wonderful benefit of creating your own great tasting beer.
Find helpful information on how to make beer at home.
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