Kolsch Info please

[Prankasaur]

I am looking to brew a Kolsch Beer but cannot find any specific answers to these questions:

Water Treatment (Soft or Hard or Neither?)

Ideal Fermentation Temperature; Is it okay to ferment at 70 degrees and then let it settle out in the fridge for a month once bottled? I have seen contradicting info. I know it depends on the yeast, but I read somewhere that the strains used for the Kolsch style can ferment at 55 degrees. Is this true? Has anyone tried brewing Kolsch from extract in the community?

If you would have a recipe I would be interested in seeing it. Right now I seen a few kits and only one recipe.

Thanks in advance.

[Bruno_78]

Prank! Haven't seen you around much lately. Guess I haven't been around much either.

On your Kolsch, You'll want to use a water with a low residual alkalinity (soft water). Something close to pilsen water would work.

You'll want to ferment as low as you can for the yeast you're using. Typical Kolsch yeast will ferment at a range of about 52 to 72 degrees. the lower the better. A short diacetyl rest may be needed at the end of primary.

After that, you'll want to cool the beer (over a couple days) to as close to 32 degrees as possible. It's best if you can age at this temp up to six weeks or so, but shorter periods should suffice.

Simple Recipe

7.5 lb pale malt extract

1 g alpha acid Perle hops, 3/4 at beginning of boil, 1/4 at 15 minutes

Use a kolsch yeast like wyeast 2565


Hope that helps.

[Bruno_78]

Instead of just regular pale extract, you might want to find a german malt extract.

[Grog]

You could add some wheat malt extract (10 to 15%) as well. I just brewed a Kolsch that I am enjoying immensely. Primary was 2 weeks @ 54-56°F and then lagered for 6 weeks @ 34°F. If I had it to do over again I would try a little bit higher primary temp (62°F) to get the "subdued fruitiness" characteristic my beer lacks (it could easily pass for a lager).

You can also use 2112 (C.Common Lager) with very similar results to the 2565 (Kolsch) with the added benefit of a much clearer beer a whole lot sooner.

[YamahaXS]

I brewed this a couple of years ago... it was delicious!

10 gallon batch
10 # light DME *
1 # dextrine 8L
1 # victory malt 23L (23L is ProMash's estimate)**
2 oz tettnang @ 60 minutes
1 oz Hauertauer @ 15 minutes
1 oz Splat @ 5 minutes

2 tsp irish moss
2 tsp gypsum

wyeast 1056.

*promash specs this out at 1.040 OG, but I think it was more like 1.045. You could go up to 11 pounds and stay within the style guidelines if that is important to you.

** Promash also estimates the SRM at 6.8, whereas the style range is between 2 and 5. If you want to hit the target SRM then you should try to substitute a lighter grain for the victory...or get a victory malt that has a lower Lovibond rating (i don't know if that is possible).

[Joe D]

I am in the process of brewing a Kolsch. The first problem I had was the vent fan went out in the pantry where I ferment. All the fan does is to draw cold air from under the house and exaust the warm air that rises into the attic. A little crude but it keeps the room at a constant 60* Oh well, this thing fermented out at 70* Dont' know how it will effect the finished beer. Going to rack to the secondary on Sat. by then my chest freezer should be here. Going to secondary it in there @ 32* for about 3 weeks. Hope it turns out as good the one I did this winter when the whole thing was at 50* from start to finish.

[Magnew]

The Reissdorf Kolsch recipe in Beer Captured is great. I did a partial mash fermented and conditioned around 55*. I love it.

[Prankasaur]

Here is what I settled on and it turned out awesome!

6.6 # Extra Light Munton & Fison LME

2 # Wheat Munton & Fison DME

1/2 # Carapils ( 1 hour @ 150 degrees) Speciality

1/4 # White Wheat ( 1 hour @ 150 degrees) Speciality

1 oz. Hallertau @ 4.5 aau for 1 hour

1/2 oz. Hallertau @ 4.5 aau for 1/2 hour

1/2 oz. Hallertau @ 4.5 aau for 1/4 hour

1 oz. Tettnang @ 3.9 aau for 3 minutes

1 Tsp. Gypsum

White Labs Kolsch W2565

1 Week Primary @ 65 degrees

1 Week Secondary @ 52 degrees

5 weeks Bottle Conditioned @ 48 degrees

The biggest difference with this beer compared to my other brews: We shot the wort with oxygen for about a minute. What an incredible difference with fermentation. My bubbler valve kept blowing the water out! The co2 exhaust was almost continuous for 5 days!

[banjolawyer]

Originally posted by Bruno_78
A short diacetyl rest may be needed at the end of primary.

After that, you'll want to cool the beer (over a couple days) to as close to 32 degrees as possible. It's best if you can age at this temp up to six weeks or so, but shorter periods should suffice.

I have a Kolsch that has been in primary for 10 days. I'd like to xfer it tonight and am wondering what is the theory behind lagering this ale.

I'd really like to just put it in my serving chest freezer, which stays at around 48, and start enjoying it.

I made 10 gallons so the 2nd 5 gallons should be able to sit at this temp. for a good while... maybe 4 to 6 weeks.

But what would I be sacrificing if I do this?

[Grog]

Depends on the yeast you used and if you filter or not. The lagering process smoothes out the beer considerably and clears it. I made 3 Kolsch beers last year and the one I waited for the longest was by far the best. What was the grain bill?

[banjolawyer]

86.5 % Pilsen
13.5 % Wheat

I do have it at 35F at the moment. I am ok with doing that for 1 week, but then I am really going to want to start serving. :)

[Bruno_78]

Let it sit.

Patience, Grasshopper! :)

Seriously, it will help give it a crisp, clean flavor. As well as clarify.

[banjolawyer]

I will be like Homer Simpson when he sits on his hands, tapping his feet, anxiously saying "ohh.. ohhh.."

One other question. I transferred the Kolsch from Primary directly into corny kegs and put the corny kegs in a chest freezer controlled at 35F. When they are ready to serve, I will need to move them to another chest freezer.

Did I mess up going ahead and putting them in kegs, or do I just put them in the serving chest freezer and pour off a couple of pints to get rid of any settled yeast? I guess Im worried that moving them like that will stir up the settled yeast alot, but I'm not sure what I can do about it now.

[Bruno_78]

I doubt that it'll be a problem. the first couple might be a little hazy, but they'll clear again.