How hard is it to brew a kolsch? Another brewer was telling me about brewing one and having to do multiple rest and hop infusions.
With today’s highly modified malts can a kolsch be brewed using a single infusion/batch sparge?
Does anyone have a recipe they would like to share?
Thanks!
Dano.
I’ve been drinking on my first. It’s not hard and I encourage you to leap in and do it. Since this was my first the grain bill was straight 2-row mashed at 150. Fermented in the 60’s and cold-conditioned for about 10 days.
Was thinking maybe a bit of munich or vienna malt might improve it a bit. That easy.
The lower the temp you can ferment at the better it will be, but it’s no harder than any other beer to brew. That said I’m still not satisfied with my last 2 Kolsch recipes.
Don’t have the grain bill on me… but the wife LOVES my Kölsch. Two weeks at 65, cold crashed and kegged. A week later it was clear and tasty.
With today’s malts single infusion is generally fine. I only ever single infuse mine at around 150-152. The 3 tricky parts are 1) getting the pH right on the mash (not a problem if you brew extract, but in that case go with 100% German pils extract 2) Pitching enough yeast - you need a pitch larger than a standard ale, but not quite as big as a lager, see pitching calc www.mrmalty.com for more info) and 3) temp control - you need to ferment in the high 50’s, very low 60s. Also, as a little something extra, the ability to resist the temptation to 'much up" the recipe. 100% pils is you base recipe. A little munich or wheat can work but nothing else really is needed.
I will echo what Keith has stated and also add that WLP029 or Wyeast 2565 are very good yeast strain choices. Plan to make a starter and ferment no higher than 60F. This beer also benefits by a lagering period of four weeks or so.
Thanks for the replies!
I do have the temperature control needed and have started making starters. (Just ordered a stir plate)
I looked over some recipes I found on the internet and the most of the grain bills are similar to what Keith posted, Pils with some Munich or Vienna. The next question is what about the hop schedule? It looks like Saaz is the hop of choice, but there are conflicts on if there should be just a bittering addition, or bittering addition with a minimal flavor and aroma additions, or a more normal hop schedule.
Thanks again!
Dano
Saaz is not a very good choice IMO. Can;t go wrong with hallertauer mittelfruh. Also a combination of Hallertauer and Tettnanger. I really like some of the American Hallertauer lineage hops with a kolsch. One of the best kolsches I ever made was an all FWH made with crystal hops.
I try to stick with German Noble hops as this is the case witht the traditional recipes. They really make this beer come together and shine. A nice crisp finish is key to making this beer.
How about Mt. Hood? I’ve got a couple pounds I need to use up somehow.
IMO, Mt. Hood is a great sub for Hallertauer.
I always use Spalt Select in my kolsch. Isn’t this the traditional kolsch hop?
I don’t know if it’s traditional, but it’s a great choice.
Here’s Sunday’s recipe. Didn’t have any Munich, so pulled a decoction. We’ll see…
Kolsch
Kolsch
Type: All Grain
Date: 4/3/2011
Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Brewer: Mike Tripka
Boil Size: 13.69 gal Asst Brewer: Pepper
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
18.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 92.31 %
1.50 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 7.69 %
1.00 oz Tettnang [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
4.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.40 %] (60 min) Hops 15.9 IBU
0.55 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
2 Pkgs Kolsch Yeast (Wyeast Labs #2565) Yeast-Ale 1600ml starter
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.92 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.86 %
Bitterness: 23.4 IBU Calories: 217 cal/pint
Est Color: 3.6 SRM Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Decoction Mash, Single Total Grain Weight: 19.50 lb
Sparge Water: 16.83 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Decoction Mash, Single Step Time Name Description Step Temp
45 min Saccharification Decoction Error: Must have some water in mash to Decoct it! 155.0 F
10 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F
Main mash @ 149dF
I used Magnum and Mt Hood in mine. A little earthy and lightly spicy.
How would Sterling be?
I’ve used it before in a Kolsch. I like it.
I think you’re thinking of altbier.
I tend to step mash my Kolsch. I most often use Durst pils, and I find it helps the clarity to do a short rest at 131F/55C. Then I’ll usually do something around 144F/62C for the main conversion and then a short rest at 158F/70C to give it a little body. It’s sort of what I do as rests for decoctions, but I step Alts and Kolsches (Kolschen?).
Wheat is not present in most commercial examples in Koln. I only found a few of them.
I’ve had beers made this way advance to the 2nd round several times.
Do you have to do this? No. Does it make it better? I don’t know; I haven’t made them side by side. But I know this way tastes good, and I have been to Koln.
I’m pretty sure Kölsch is like deer, both singular and plural. Sometimes you might hear someone say “drei Kölsche”, which is something like “3 of those things from Köln”. If you don’t use the umlaut, though, you should add an “e”; so it’s Kölsch or Koelsch, not Kolsch (sic), which would be pronounced incorrectly.