Spaten Oktoberfest clone

Beer Recipes
1

Im a big fan of Spaten Oktoberfest. Having a difficult time finding an all grain clone for it. Anyone find one on the secret interwebs?

2

I was curious enough to look into this to develop my own recipe.  If I ever were to attempt to clone Spaten Oktoberfest, I think this would come really close:

5 gallons
OG=1.056
ABV=5.9%
IBU=27
SRM=11

6.5 lb German Vienna
3.5 lb German Munich II
9 oz CaraMunich
1.25 oz Hallertau Tradition (6% alpha, 60 minutes)
WLP830 or Wyeast 2206 – either will work great!

Make a big 3-quart yeast starter a few days in advance.
Single infusion mash about 148 °F for 1 hour.  Pitch and ferment at 50 F for 6 to 8 days, then raise up to 65 F for 2 days for diacetyl rest.  Then lager if desired, bottle or keg as normal.

If you can’t lager in the 50s, suggest trying the Wyeast 1007 altbier yeast at about 60-62 F.  Find the coolest corner of your house (basement!?), then you can just place a wet t-shirt on your fermenter with a fan blowing on it gently to reduce fermentation temperature from ambient by about 5 degrees.

In any case, it should taste very good fresh, but should improve even more after 4-5 months lagering in the bottle/keg.

Enjoy.

3

Thanks. Will give it a try.

4

I know that I saw elsewhere on here that some/most do not like WLP820 for Fest beers. What are its shortcomings? I used it last year for my BCS Oktoberfest and it was loved by all who tried it. It was my first lager, and it did not fully attenuate, but I only missed my FG by 2 points, so that was close enough in the end.  I am in the planning stages to re-brew this this coming weekend and am open to changing to 830(love it in my pilsner)

5

WLP820 has a very looooong lag time, and is a poor attenuator.  It is less than mediocre and is probably the worst lager yeast on the market, i.e., use any other lager yeast and get better results.

6

Thanks Dave,  I’m sold

7

Do you think the information/speculation that WLP820 is Weihenstephan 206 is incorrect? I haven’t had any problems with it as Wyeast 2206.

8

Wyeast 2206 is my favorite lager yeast of them all.  Be careful with substitutions between ANY Wyeast and White Labs and other yeast manufacturers – very often times when they are touted as equivalents, they are anything but.  Wyeast 2206 = my absolute favorite.  Its supposed equivalent, WLP820 = my absolute LEAST favorite.  Conclusion = NOT equivalent!!!