[tommymorris]

oh sure, whip out the umlaut why don't you.

iPhone autocorrect. Notice Kolsch is incorrect. Waiting for the lashing.

Isn't umlaut a Russian Pilsner with a shot of vodka dropped in the class?

[tommymorris]

Is some vernaculars brewers say "I have been brewing umlaut lately."

Edit:  this way of speaking is common in and around Lukenbach, TX.

[theDarkSide]

Yes check out the Lager presentation by the Devil's Backbone Brewers. They even had some recipes to try.

The Vienna Lager they poured was amazing!

[reverseapachemaster]

Most lager recipes are very simple. They are a combination of good ingredients and good technique.

Many older recipes are fine but I would approach them with caution. Often the recipes were built around what the brewer could source, which may have included domestic or English crystal malts over German, which you would probably taste as out of place compared to German imports. Sometimes you'll find an excessive amount of crystal malt or roasted malts like chocolate malt. If you're picking up a recipe from the past decade or so it should be fine.

[69franx]

Most lager recipes are very simple. They are a combination of good ingredients and good technique.

Many older recipes are fine but I would approach them with caution. Often the recipes were built around what the brewer could source, which may have included domestic or English crystal malts over German, which you would probably taste as out of place compared to German imports. Sometimes you'll find an excessive amount of crystal malt or roasted malts like chocolate malt. If you're picking up a recipe from the past decade or so it should be fine.

Thanks for the help as well as everyone else. i think I will read through BCS and DGB, and put something together from what I can source at LHBS. I will be sure to post anything I come up with for input

[erockrph]

+1 to just about everything said here (except add the appropriate umlauts )

The Märzen recipe in BCS is killer, and this is just about the perfect time of year to brew it. The lager talk from this year's NHC was great - wish I could have tried their beers.

[69franx]

I need a quick refresher for adding umlauts. Working with Windows 7, I want to stop disparaging great German traditional styles and terminology

[Stevie]

I need a quick refresher for adding umlauts. Working with Windows 7, I want to stop disparaging great German traditional styles and terminology

Use the character map application to figure it out for each letter. ä = alt+0228 (hold alt).

[69franx]

character map application?

[HoosierBrew]

Most lager recipes are very simple. They are a combination of good ingredients and good technique.

+1.   I also agree with the reference to the lager recipes in BCS. They're simple and solid.

[denny]

Many older recipes are fine but I would approach them with caution. Often the recipes were built around what the brewer could source, which may have included domestic or English crystal malts over German, which you would probably taste as out of place compared to German imports. Sometimes you'll find an excessive amount of crystal malt or roasted malts like chocolate malt. If you're picking up a recipe from the past decade or so it should be fine.

This is very true and amply demonstrated by Fix's VMO book.  Many people take it as the VMO bible becasue he wrote it, but in truth the recipes were made to compensate for the lack of ingredients we can get now.  I've heard he was rewriting it to update it when he died.

[69franx]

I got it now, Märzen it shall be!

[69franx]

Bump for further info:
I brewed this yesterday, chilled overnight, and pitched this morning. My yeast was around 60 and wort was about 50 ish when I pitched. I'm hoping this wont shock the yeast.
Secondly, I am looking for a ferment schedule. I have it in a temp controlled chest freezer at 50. I'm thinking 10 days there, slowly ramp up to 60 for 3 day d-rest, then 4 weeks lagering in secondary at 35.
OG was 1.052(missed projected of 1.055)
It will be bottle conditioned after lagering.
Do the above time frames make sense? I'm just taking a stab at it based on Palmer's how to brew OFest recipe and Beersmith defaults for 2 stage lager.
Also wondering about bottle priming after 4 weeks at lager temps: will I need extra yeast at bottling or as i saw here earlier this week: there is always yeast in beer, it will carb.
Ideally, I would like to enjoy this beer during the Oktoberfest season, so not looking forward to 6 weeks fermentation/lagering followed by 3 or more weeks to carb up.
Anything anyone can tell me is appreciated

[klickitat jim]

Ten days might do it. But it might not. I've found that proper pitching of fresh yeast, pitching slightly cooler than my target fermentor temp, proper O2, and good temp control equals no Diacetyl problems. I let them go till I hit TG, then give them a few more days just cuz.

[69franx]

I like that plan, thanks jim