Rocktoberfest Lager

Yes, the Rockies' run to the World Series was a couple years ago and they quickly returned to the dismal team we are used to, but in honor of that amazing month and a half in 2007, I named my Oktoberfest beer "Rocktoberfest Ale".  Amazingly, after a pretty pathetic start in 2009, the Rockies turned things around from the 2nd to the worst record in the league to actually making the playoffs as the wild card again.  They really should thank me for making this beer, because I am sure without it, they never would have been able to make it.

Rocktoberfest Ale was a dark, balanced, almost sweet brew with a modest bitterness... great to drink on a cold October night watching someone else in the NLCS or World Series, or along with brats grilled in my backyard.  Heck, I even cracked open a few while watching the Broncos stink.

Starting in 2010, this changed to a classic Oktoberfest lager.  It is a clean lager with a rich German malt aroma and flavor.  It is dark gold, almost orange or red.  It's hop bitterness is pretty balanced, but may be toward the malty side.  There is not really a pronounced hop flavor or aroma.  It has a medium body with a smooth creamy mouth-feel.  The German Munich and Vienna malts come together nicely in this beer.

This was my 2nd lager and my 2nd All-Grain batch.

To be ready by October, I wanted to start brewing this toward the beginning of August.  But, things got busy and I ended up brewing late.  Here is a blog entry on the first brew day of this lager.

Batch 2 was basically the same as batch 1. Batch 3 was larger and used my new biab process. I also decided to use Columbus for the bittering hops, which certainly is not authentically German, but is a lot less expense than using Hallertauer for the same job. Batch 4 reverted back to my more traditional mash tun process rather than the BIAB.

Batch 7 was brewed in my Anvil Foundry in 2021.