Kolsch recipe feedback

[carloscede2]

I have a few brews under my belt, 4 extracts and 2 all grain. Im too stubborn to follow a recipe so I always design them, but I love your feedback on my recipes. I decided to brew a kolsch just to take a break from the pale ales that Ive made. Its a simple recipe and wanna know what you guys think.

Batch size 4 US gal
Boil size 4.9 US gal (on a 5 gal pot lol)
Mash @ 149F for 90 min
8 lbs pilsner malt (best malz)
1 oz spalt (5%) @ 60
Irish mosss @ 20
Wyeast 2565 kolsch

Fermentation schedule
18 C for 7 days and rack to secondary
14-16 C for 3 weeks and bottle

 

[HCbrewing]

That would work, but I usually do a 20 minute hop addition as well and end up around 20 IBU total.

100% pils malt is fine, but you will also find some recipes with a little Munich or wheat to make it a little more complex. That really depends on what you are looking for.

As for the yeast, I think I am going to try the White Labs version next time. When I have used the Wyeast version in the past I have lagered for 3-4 weeks, and it still seemed like it took another month or more in the Kegerator before it dropped clear, and it had a funky flavor until that yeast had dropped out of suspension.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

+1 on what HCbrewing said. Munich or wheat malts are great additions in a Kolsch recipe. I've brewed a few Kolsch recipes using the White Labs Kolsch strain and I have yet to get a bad batch from it. It's a good, clean fermenting yeast, but it does tend to produce a whiff of sulfur during primary.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

I love Kolsches. They're clean and refreshing so they're also great to experiment on with fruits, flowers etc. My recent experiment was with liquidized canned lychees which was a big success.

For the base, I usually add ~10% wheat and 5-10% light munich. I like my IBU's low so I'm usually under 15 for these. I've used WLP029 and US-05 and frankly couldn't taste the difference. In fact, I found the WLP029 takes longer to clear and carb so my future kolsches will probably be with US-05. I also lager for a month.

 

[Chcarpenter]

I like to add a little Munich or Vienna to my Kolsch, I have also used Belgian Pils and with a touch of Avengard Carahell just to get the color correct.

Concerning yeast I have used Wyeast 2565 and had great success. I am looking forward to trying out Imperial Organic G03 Dieter on my next Kolsch

 

[BigEd]

I like your recipe and it seems pretty authentic for a modern Kolsch. A small middle hop addition as HCbrewing suggests is something I do as well..Just a little at 20-30 minutes adds just a nice touch of flavor and a whisper of hop aroma.

I will go against the current homebrew trend of adding any Munich malt. Maybe if you're stuck using tasteless domestic malt a little bit of Munich might make it taste more "German" but good Pilsner malt is really all you need.

The original Kolsch apparently had a large portion of wheat but this has virtually disappeared in modern commercial versions. I do use about 5% German malted wheat as a nod to the old style and I think it makes the head just a little denser, brighter, and prettier.

The mash temp of 149F is a good choice for a single infusion. My preference is for a decoction mash in this beer but the single temp will do well.

 

[carloscede2]

I might add a bit of wheat then, probably like 12.5%. How can I calger the beer? I dont have enough space in my fridge to just put the carboy in there, so I was thinking maybe bottle, wait a week for carbonation, and put them in the fridge?

 

[signpost]

Dang, you're making me wish I had made a kölsch while the basement was cold. Missed my chance, now. I'll have to wait till at least October or so to have the right temps to brew one.

 

[carloscede2]

Updates:

- Used Nottingham because I couldnt find the kolsch yeast.
- Fermented at 13-15 Celsius.
- Used 2.5 oz of cane sugar to carbonate
- Beer turned out extremely well, very pleasant and smooth, still cant believe I made it.
- Tastes like a kolsch.

View attachment 1462674633275.jpg

 

[ColeVet67]

this is my latest beer... A Huell Melon Kolsch.. still young.. only a week under carb..