Do you do a protein rest for a Kolsch?
Kolsch - Protein Rest or Not ?
- Yes
- No
0
voters
It depends on the malt, not the recipe, AFAIAC. What malt are you using?
I knew someone would ask that. Not sure why I didn’t mention it.
7% Best Wheat
93% Best Pilsen
Never got my analysis on them.
I believe Pilsner malts are generally at least moderately modified and, therefore, much of the larger proteins have already been broken down during malting. The addition of 7% wheat is probably not enough to require one either. If it were me, I would not perform a protein rest but some might favor a short (15-30 minute) rest at 133ish.
I haven’t found a p rest necessary with Best pils malt.
Nope. Not necessary with the recipe you suggested.
I say yes, just because it produces a clearer (esp. using wheat), cleaner beer with more flavor stability. But then again, I’m old school & like to make my brew days longer. 
If I had seen evidence of that in my own brewing, Jeff, I might do it, too. But I swear that every time I try a p rest, it makes no difference in my beers. Maybe I’m doing something wrong somewhere else?
Thanks guys. I’m gonna skip it. I may have tried it but I already have to shovel about 10 inches of snow off my deck in the morning before I start. Maybe next time for comparison.
The one time I did do a p rest I noticed I could dough in with no dough balls. That might be an advangtage for me.
I have found with my Kolshes, if you use wheat, you need a protein rest. If you don’t use wheat, it is not necessary. Wheat has a boat-load of protein in it. Last one I brewed had 10% wheat in the malt bill and I forgot to use a protein rest and it is as cloudy as a hefe.
Brewhawk.
Protein rest won’t really make for a clearer beer with todays malts. Here’s a picture of my kolsch - no p-rest - going to be hard pressed to get clearer than this:
BTW: I a little over 10% wheat in the recipe. 
I brewed it yesterday. Mashed at 152F (150F after an hour, 0deg out). The wort was clear going into the fermentor (not sure if that means much.
That is a fine looking brew major.
I did 8 gal. I’ll lager 5 and just bottle 3 straight away to compare.
Probably means you nailed you pH and had a good hot break which will most likely give you a very clear bveer. One thing I think I should mention though, kolsch yeasts are notoriously hard to drop and are very low flocculators, kind of a “dusty” strain. The White Labs strain clears a lot faster than the Wyeast strain - however often times both are fairly hazy, which is why the style is traditionally filtered in Germany. I use gelatin and a secondary bright tank to get my kolsch clear.
I used whirlfloc too.
Do you add the gelatin before or after it reaches lager temp?
I’m not sure it matters, I usually just add it to the top of the beer after kegging, then drop into the lagering freezer.
Some brewers argue that you should develop the haze before you add the fining agent. The yeast haze is already there but chill haze will develop at colder temps. But I don’t know how much less effective it would be if the gelatin is added when the beer is still “warm”. It may still be able to remove haze precursors even if the haze has not formed yet.
Kai
I don’t do a protein rest, but do lager my Kolsch for 6-8 weeks at 32Fto get the yeast (Wyeast) to drop out.
6-8 weeks is way too long. 2-3 weeks is plenty of time. These beers are best when fresh. My kegs are beat by 8 weeks.
I do a protein rest for my Kolsch, Alt, and all of my lagers (all have a fair bit of pilsner malt). I find I get a bit more body than if I don’t, which is my main reason for doing it. Sometime this winter I’ll do back to back German lager brews (exact same ingredient list) with and without a p-rest to really help me decide.