Kolsch Without Lagering?

I recently got the the ingrediants to make a Kolsch ale, including White Labs liquid Kolsch yeast. I just realized that you are supposed to lager this beer after a fairly cold fermentation.

I think that the coldest that I can ferment this would be about 64 degrees. And I cannot lager it.

What would be the repercussions of not cold crashing or lagering this batch after the fermentation?

Thanks.

64 is about right for this yeast. I've got one fermenting right now at 62. Let it set for a couple weeks in the primary.

Why can't you cold crash?

TrainSafe said:

64 is about right for this yeast. I've got one fermenting right now at 62. Let it set for a couple weeks in the primary.

Why can't you cold crash?

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no spare fridge would be my guess.

I am in the same position, and i have thought about making a kolsch by just a long relatively cool primary, then bottle, give them 3-5 weeks to carb, and then just put all the bottles in the fridge for ~6 weeks. I don't know how well it would work, or if it would do much to get the same kolsch flavor, but I have found that the longer I chill my ales for the "crisper" they taste, and they seem to get some lagerlike characteristics.

$.02

Wakadaka said:

no spare fridge would be my guess.

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Exactly. And good question. Anyone know?

brewdude25 said:

What would be the repercussions of not cold crashing or lagering this batch after the fermentation?

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The beer will take longer time to clear, nothing more. Should be no difference in taste, as originally Kolsch is lagered for 10-14 days only.

With Wyeast Kolsch yeast it takes up to 6 weeks in low 60's, with Zymoferm slightly less but not much. I guess with WLP it will be the same.

zgoda said:

The beer will take longer time to clear, nothing more.

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Agreed, it just takes longer. I often don't have extra space so my kegs will just sit in the basement. They turn out just fine

Oh sweet, Thanks. Should I just let it sit in primary? Or should I eventaully transfer it to secondary?

I brewed a kolsch earlier this year without the ability to lager...I bottled, and bottle conditioned (after primary for ~6 weeks @60)...after bottles carbed I put a bunch in the fridge and after a month tastes great! After finishing the initial batch I put in the fridge I put more in...tried one about a week into "lagering" and it still tasted bad (well...not as good as the ones in the fridge for a month. decided to leave this next bunch of bottles for a few more weeks before trying again.

so I guess the moral to the story is that YES...you can make a Kolsch without lagering, but plan to leave bottles in the fridge for a LONG time before consuming (essentially bottle lagering).

I hate White Labs Kolsch yeast. It does not clear at room temperature in any sort of reasonable time frame (~2 months in my experience). I made a blonde ale with US-05 that I put on gas ~2 weeks after pitching that was as clear as any beer I've made. For my money a blonde ale using pils malt and noble hops is plenty close to kolsch for my taste buds.

I had a chill haze, but not a yeast haze. 4 weeks in the fridge at 34 degrees and the chill-haze is gone/dropped out! My beer was crystal-clear in the bottle at room temperature after bottle conditioning.

I had a chill haze, but not a yeast haze. 4 weeks in the fridge at 34 degrees and the chill-haze is gone/dropped out! My beer was crystal-clear in the bottle at room temperature after bottle conditioning.

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I guess if you have the fridge space that's fine, I'm certainly not going to waste space in my lagering fridge on a primadonna ale yeast though. You can lager a pilsner in 4 weeks.

jpoder said:

I brewed a kolsch earlier this year without the ability to lager...I bottled, and bottle conditioned (after primary for ~6 weeks @60)...after bottles carbed I put a bunch in the fridge and after a month tastes great! After finishing the initial batch I put in the fridge I put more in...tried one about a week into "lagering" and it still tasted bad (well...not as good as the ones in the fridge for a month. decided to leave this next bunch of bottles for a few more weeks before trying again.

so I guess the moral to the story is that YES...you can make a Kolsch without lagering, but plan to leave bottles in the fridge for a LONG time before consuming (essentially bottle lagering).

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If I may chime in....I was liking this thread until your final paragraph.

I wager that if you had left some bottles OUTSIDE the fridge for the same amount of time, they would taste the same as the ones inside the fridge. I have tested this a few times, and it works better with lower gravity ales than high (high being Doppelbock).

To lager just means 'to store', and the yeast will do its cleaup at 64F or 30F. The only difference between cold / warm is that the cold method lends to a faster clearing beer.

I 'stored' my last Doppel at 60-65F in Janurary after a 3 week primary at manufacturer reccomended temps. It is amazing, and brilliantly clear. Its still green though, needs some more time. On the otherhand, my BMC clone (with a bit more hops to add to the flavor) got the same treatment and was PERFECT over a month ago. I have done around 5 lagers, all of which turned out perfect and none of which were cold lagered.

I only pipe in not to be the guy who is "right", but to help dispell these myths that lagering HAS to be done cold or it tastes different - it does not, and the only cold benefit is that it clears sooner. Save your darn fridge space

I do feel that lagering a Koelsch makes a difference in taste, making it taste dryer, crisper and less estery. Not a huge difference, but it's such a delicate style that it is noticeable to me. But, as always, your mileage may vary, and it is still very good without the lagering step.

Koelsch yeast is very powdery, so it takes forever to settle and is very easily agitated. The lagering accelerates flocculation and sedimentation. Finings help tame it to some extent as well - you'd use something like Biofine Clear, isinglass or gelatin in this case.