Kolsch grain bill

I am curious how far off this would be from a normal Kolsch. Most recipes I have seen are mostly just pilsner malt with a touch of wheat. Is the vienna out of place? My hops selection is far from authentic so I am not too worried. Just curious more than anything.

77.5% pilsner
15% vienna
7.5% wheat

I use about 10 percent Munich in mine and it has won gold before so I’m sticking with it. Maybe not typical but it’s working. I have almost eliminated the wheat entirely in favour for Munich but I still use 2 or 3 percent.

mine is just pils and munich as well. don’t see the point of wheat.

So I assume that if Munich is ok then Vienna is fine?

Why not?  It’s your beer and from what I’ve read a lot of the character of Kolsch comes from the yeast so a bit of specialty malt for complexity likely wont hurt. Not sure I’d go 15 plus the wheat. Maybe 85:15 and skip the wheat altogether. I only add it because I bought a 55 lb sack for wheat beers. I wouldn’t go buy it just for making Kolsch.

Too late. Grains are crushed and ready for tomorrow.

Vienna is fine.  I use pils + Kolsch malt, generally 1/4 but up to 1/3.  Kolsch malt is more like Vienna than Munich.

The recipe you have will make a fine kolsch (assuming you use hops, too).

It would probably make a decent Koelsch as well.  ;D

:slight_smile:

Jamil’s recipe from Brewing Classic Styles is 95% pils and 5% Vienna…just an FYI.

Thanks all. Getting ready to mash in.

The beer has some late and dry hop additions of amarillo which obviously means it is not a ‘Kolsch’

Yeah … ya lost me there. Just brew a pale ale with *Kolsch yeast and be done with it.

(*umlaut implied)

I’m loving that Keith, but maybe we need to wait for at least one more party to weigh in your post?..