First time Kölsch question

So I whipped up a modified 10 gallon batch of EdWort's Oktoberfest, it's his exact recipe but with a smaller grain bill to lower the ABV just a bit.

This is my first time using my new temp controller and my first time using a yeast that really likes cooler temps. I have the fermentation chamber set to 58F which should make the beer 65-ish like EdWort suggested.

So on to my question... Does Kölsch yeast ferment really weird? It's still a top fermenting yeast right? About 24 hours after adding it I had some white fluffy stuff on top of my beer. It was almost perfectly circular, kind of harry. It did NOT look like krausen at all, it actually looked like I had a lacto infection.

Fast forward 3 days... now the fermentation is going pretty good and there's a decent amount of krausen on top and it looks like every other beer I've ever brewed.

I'm not too worried about it. I figured when the time comes I'll taste a bit of it before I move it into the kegs for aging. For peace of mind, I thought I'd ask if this is just normal for this yeast?

It is normal for the yeast. Since you're at a lower temp it probably just took a little bit longer to show the signs of "normal" fermentation.

I've only used the Wy Kolsch yeast (2565) before, but I've noticed that it's a real top cropper and makes an odd krausen at times. Since you're fermenting cool (which is good for this yeast), it's going to work a bit slower, so watching the krausen form could seem odd. It sounds like everything's normal, though. Be prepared for a slower ferment than you're used too, cool fermentations often are, and this yeast can take it's sweet time to finish up.

Wyeast Kolsch makes a crazy fluffy krausen that won't drop on its own. Give it a quick shake after the yeast starts to drop to knock down that meringue-like krausen.

This yeast is a poor flocculator, too. If you used it in an octoberfest you are going to want to gelatin or cold crash or filter or provide a longish lagering time to get it clear. All of the above is ideal. An octoberfest should not taste like yeast.

passedpawn said:

Wyeast Kolsch makes a crazy fluffy krausen that won't drop on it's own. Give it a quick shake after the yeast starts to drop to knock down that meringue-like krausen.

This yeast is a poor flocculator, too. If you used it in an octoberfest you are going to want to gelatin or cold crash or filter or provide a longish lagering time to get it clear. All of the above is ideal. An octoberfest should not taste like yeast.

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Very true. One of the most stubborn to drop krausens I've experienced. And it definitely needs time to clear up and condition before bottling. I learned that the hard way the first time I used it, I thought a long secondary would've been enough and I kegged it. I ended up lagering it in the keg for a month or so before the yeasty flavors and aromas subsided and I had a good beer. Definitely either cold crash and fine, or lager this a bit for best results.

Aye, plan to stick to EdWort's schedule: 65F for first week, then 60F for two weeks, then cold crash.

Thanks, for the shaking idea, I'll be sure to do that before cold crashing/lagering.

I've only brewed with Kolsch yeast once, White Lab's WLP029, which I used for an American Wheat. Sorry, but I didn't notice anything unusual. The krausen may have lingered for a little long, nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Which Kolsch yeast did you use?

Update: Ya'll weren't kidding about the krausen not dropping on this stuff. I gave each carboy a swirl the other day and it's looking better now. I've been dropping the temps by 5 degrees a week and it's down to 52F now. I need to keg it this Sunday so it's ready for the Halloween party. Should I do a 10 degree temp bump for a few days before cold crashing it?

GreenDragon said:

Update: Ya'll weren't kidding about the krausen not dropping on this stuff. I gave each carboy a swirl the other day and it's looking better now. I've been dropping the temps by 5 degrees a week and it's down to 52F now. I need to keg it this Sunday so it's ready for the Halloween party. Should I do a 10 degree temp bump for a few days before cold crashing it?

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Yeah, that $h!t's stubborn yeast for sure. Cool temps and racking it into the keg should help get all that yeast dropping out. Not sure what you mean by a ten degree bump, if you're kegging it Sunday, just keg it up. You can lager it as you carb, it'll definitely be good to go come Halloween time.