I am getting ready for my 4th attempt at a kolsch and have been working to get the hop character right for what I want. My first attempt was bittered with a small amount of magnum and then amarillo for flavor and aroma. My last attempt was tettnang at FWH and that is it. Basically I did an Americanized version first and a more traditional version last. Now, I want to find a balance between both ideas.
For this attempt I will be using Spalt and Amarillo. My thought is to use Spalt for FWH then do a mixture of Amarillo/Spalt at 20 and 5 min remaining for a total of 20-25 IBUs. Any advice on usage ratio between the two varieties? I was thinking double the amount of spalt but don’t want the amarillo to be underwhelming. I am not trying to do an APA with kolsch yeast but I do want the amarillo to be noticeable.
This is my current hop schedule idea:
~12 IBU Spalt FWH
14 g Amarillo 20
10 g Amarillo 5
20 g Spalt 5
20-25 IBUs total
EDIT: I realize my terminology may confuse people. I suppose we could call it a blonde if that is more appropriate.
I think, in terms of style, it would come off as a kolsch/pale ale hybrid. Not that that’s a bad thing at all. I know your IBUs are low, but Amarillo just has that American ale flavor and aroma. If you’re not gonna comp with it, it doesn’t matter.
Thanks Hoosier. I would think it would be closer to a blonde than a pale but I understand the point. I should just leave kolsch out of it and ask for advice regarding this ‘ale’. Any input on the hop schedule to meet my goals? Getting the hops right is always the hardest part of recipes for me.
I am thinking about changing it to:
12 IBUs Spalt FWH
14 g Spalt 20 min
28 g Amarillo 5 min
Ballast Point has a beer which is designated as a ‘pale ale’. I was always disappointed in it assuming it was supposed to be an APA. Years later, I discovered it is actually a kolsch which explains my confusion. If I called this beer a pale ale, my friends would be extremely disappointed…haha
And by pale ale, he means blonde. lol But yeah, this is more a blonde (you’re on the low side IBU-wise for an APA). For a kolsch, I really like all Spalt. I assume a mostly Pils grain bill with maybe a little Vienna or Munich?
Yep. Mostly pils with a bit of vienna and wheat. I normally use WLP029 but gonna give WY2565 a go for the first time. Any advice on ferm temps? I like a bit of fruitiness so I am thinking a bit above 60F.
I start WY2565 at 58F and hold for three or four days, then take it to the upper 60s. It’s usually finished in 8-10 days, then crashed to 32 for a few days, gelatin & keg. Love that yeast.
If you like the fruitiness, go between 62-65. You’ll already be getting a fair amount of citrus from the Amarillo, so I wouldn’t go much higher than that.