NewFranconiaBrewing
Active Member
I got into brewing years ago in an attempt to replicate a German Pilsner I'd fell in love with while living in Germany. I'd tried a few different grain bills, but none could really deliver the malty finish I'd been missing for years. On a whim, I purchased Schill Kolsch malt and made a pils with a 50% pils malt, 50% kolsch malt grain bill. Eureka, I'd found the missing flavor I'd been looking for! I put that grain is almost every beer I made in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, life got really busy, and I had to stop homebrewing for about a year. As I started up the hobby again, I found out that my beloved Kolsch malt is either no longer made or exported to the US. Apparently the malt house was sold to a firm that no longer exports grains, but keeps them in Germany for local use only.
Kolsch malt seemed to have a unique roast level, as it had a L of 4.5, making it darker than a typically Vienna and lighter than most Munich malts. I've looked at a few craft malts, but they tend to roast their Vienna malts closer to a light Munich. I'd prefer a European-malted barley, just in case there is a difference in flavor based on where the barley is grown.
Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thanks!
Kolsch malt seemed to have a unique roast level, as it had a L of 4.5, making it darker than a typically Vienna and lighter than most Munich malts. I've looked at a few craft malts, but they tend to roast their Vienna malts closer to a light Munich. I'd prefer a European-malted barley, just in case there is a difference in flavor based on where the barley is grown.
Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thanks!