Yeah, I forgot to mention something very important about wlp029 - it can stall if the temp is under 62 near the end. But as long as you pitch enough healthy yeast you will find this strain does very well at 58-60 for the first couple of days. Then be sure to raise up to 64, then even as high as 68 near very end to finish. Be sure to pitch plenty of healthy yeast.
Major gives good advice on kolsch. I follow it pretty closely and turn out a darn fine kolsch.
Got around to brewing this today and everything went very well for the most part. Undershot my gravity a bit due to a larger post boil volume.
Thanks for all of the input. I ended up using the WLP029 and pitched at 64F. The fermenter is sitting in the 50F garage so I will bring it in after it drops closer to 60 and slowly raise it above 64F in the coming days.
WLP029 attenuated 84.8% to finish at 1.007 which is a lot more than I was expecting. Got a 5.4% ABV Kolsch on my hands. I mashed at 149 for 75 minutes. Next attempt, I will probably bring up the mash temp to 152 and possibly reduce the grain by half a pound.
Other than having too much alcohol, the beer tastes great and the balance actually may be appropriate (which doesn’t happen often in my frankenstein beers)
I’ve used the WLP029 strain a couple of times for a Kolsch and it’s great.
White Labs WLP029, my favorite for Kolsch. Using it in an Alt right now. If you can cool your wort to around 62*(Ice bath?) when you pitch, then let it warm up to 68*. fermentation is done in like 3 or 4 days. a very clean strain IMO.
That is pretty much exactly what I did though it was more of a coincidence than on purpose.
029 is great. I made a bunch of beers with it. All Kolschs, but you can make a regular Kolsch, a honey Kolsch, a lemon Kolsch, a honey lemon Kolsch, etc…
One of my earliest favorites in homebrewing. I love it when my friend brings over the barber poles (Fruh) that he picks up when he travels to Germany. Really great style and definitely a gateway homebrew for the BMC crowd.
+1. I love to see the look on a swill drinker’s face go from skepticism to shock to a smile when they try their first Kolsch or APA.
I’ve used WLP029 with very good results. There’s a distinct flavor profile that I associate with a Kolsch, and this is it. If specifically making a Kolsch, I’d favor it over WY1007 for sure, although that would also make a nice beer from the same grain bill.