I have some us-05 in the fridge that’s getting old so I thought I would see what sort of Oktoberfest beer I could come up with. I’m using 4 lbs of 2 row, 4 lbs of Vienna, 1 lb Munich lite, 1 lb Munich dark. 1 oz Liberty at 60 and 1 oz Hallertau M. at 20 min. I’m going to ferment at 60-64 and I figure it will take 8-10 days. If I bottle it and condition for 10 days, how long should I “lager” it in the bottle at 32-35? Obviously this will be a lighter Oktoberfest beer. Has anyone done something like this before?
Essentially you’re brewing an amber ale. No need to “lager” the beer. 10-14 for the beer to carb then throw in the fridge to cold condition for a week or two.
There is a long tradition of Mocktoberfest among homebrewers, but this could be the first Faketoberfest. If you are good a bottling ales, I wouldn't change what you are doing for this. Once the bottles are primed, move to cold storage. Start in on them slowly, maybe a bottle a week, to see the effects of cold storage. Sure, you might be cutting corners, but you can make a delicious beer with those ingredients, and it probably will satisfy you in most ways an Octoberfest satisfies you. FWIW, there are folks who say they Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 ferments cleanly at the temps you are using, so you could probably give it a go with a lager yeast, instead of US-05.
I just did something similar using a Festbier recipe fermented with Kveik yeast. Mine has some fruity notes from the yeast but I’m happy with it.
