Kölsch Bee Cave Brewery Kölsch

Yep, I also stole a little bit of the wort so I could test some my washed Wyeast 1056 too.
I am hoping to be able to save WLP029 for the next few batches to save some $$

EdWort, I just had a question about the IBU's of this recipe. Do you enjoy a little bit more bitterness than a traditional Kolsch? I know usually a Kolsch will have around 20-30 IBU's, just wondering what your opinion was on this matter.

Thanks!

LarsonLE said:

EdWort, I just had a question about the IBU's of this recipe. Do you enjoy a little bit more bitterness than a traditional Kolsch? I know usually a Kolsch will have around 20-30 IBU's, just wondering what your opinion was on this matter.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yeah, this comes in more like a nice German Pils instead of a Kolsch.

So I brewed this kolsch earlier tonight, and everything went just as expected. I did forget to add pH 5.2 stabilizer, but I hit 1.052, so I shouldn't really stress right? I have never been able to test my mash pH.

LarsonLE said:

So I brewed this kolsch earlier tonight, and everything went just as expected. I did forget to add pH 5.2 stabilizer, but I hit 1.052, so I shouldn't really stress right? I have never been able to test my mash pH.

Click to expand...

You should be fine. Great job hitting you O.G.

RDWHAHB

EdWort said:

You should be fine. Great job hitting you O.G.

RDWHAHB

Click to expand...

Thanks! I was really happy about it . The beer smells so good right now as it ferments away in my closet. First time I've ever decanted a yeast starter as well.

It's been a week in the fermenter and I decided to take a gravity reading, almost more because I wanted to sneak a taste of the sample. I have a feeling this is going to be a GREAT one

Just did a gravity reading after 1 week, and it is at 1.12, so I will give it 4 more days then rack to a secondary. (a 5 gallon bucket is all my fridge can handle)
How long can I keep it at 40*?
Also, I took a sneak taste.... It tasted great, especially for 7 days!

Thank you Edwort for this excellent recipe!

Day 10, and the beer looks great, & tastes great! Now off the fridge to chill for a week...
I saved the yeast so I can do this one again.

Again Edwort, thanks for the recipe!

Turned out really well, I was expecting more hop flavor from reading this thread. You can really taste the fruity kolsch ester in this one. I fermented around 66 and rose to 69-69 at the end of fermentation.

This is probably my most successful brew to date and my first time using lactic acid in the mash.

Does anyone know why this beer doesn't seem to clear that much? I made 10 gallons and filtered the first keg with .48 micron filter. It tasted great, but didn't get clear the way most of my other beer have.

I'm now drinking the second keg and it is similarly not clear. Is this a characteristic of kolsch yeast or something? This was my first Kolsch.

The beer is delicious and I'm not overly uptight about a beer that isn't perfectly clear. I'm just wondering. I thought maybe it was the wheat, but I recently did a hefeweizen and that seems to be almost crystal clear now.

Thanks for the tasty recipe.

Any thoughts on adding some Vienna to this recipe? If so, should I cut back on the Pils or the Wheat?

I loved this brew the first time i made it - So I decided to brew another batch as I'm looking for something to turn around pretty quickly. Unfortunately, my LHBS had everything to brew it up besides Kolsch yeast. So, I picked up some WLP008 East Coast Ale - Anybody have any experience with this? I know it's not gonna be a kolsch now, but should it fair well?

Dgonza9 said:

Does anyone know why this beer doesn't seem to clear that much? I made 10 gallons and filtered the first keg with .48 micron filter. It tasted great, but didn't get clear the way most of my other beer have.

I'm now drinking the second keg and it is similarly not clear. Is this a characteristic of kolsch yeast or something? This was my first Kolsch.

The beer is delicious and I'm not overly uptight about a beer that isn't perfectly clear. I'm just wondering. I thought maybe it was the wheat, but I recently did a hefeweizen and that seems to be almost crystal clear now.

Thanks for the tasty recipe.

Click to expand...

Same deal here !! It's my first Kolsch too, and it was delicious but really cloudy.. I haven't tried any in a couple of weeks, I'll have to see if it's cleared.. I saved the yeast and will definately brew it again because it tasted great ! I just wonder what caused it to get cloudy ??

joeybeer said:

Same deal here !! It's my first Kolsch too, and it was delicious but really cloudy.. I haven't tried any in a couple of weeks, I'll have to see if it's cleared.. I saved the yeast and will definately brew it again because it tasted great ! I just wonder what caused it to get cloudy ??

Click to expand...

I'm sure after a couple weeks in the keg it's probably cleared up - Last time I brewed this, it looked filtered after a week in the kegerator.

just brewed this again, (man that 5 gallons did not last long!)
ended up with 71% efficiency BIAB, and reused the Kolsch yeast from the first batch with a starter. the thing took off like a rocket! the yeasties are munching away as we speak, err....type

So I took 2 bottles of this brew to my home brew club, and of the 3 BCJP judges we have in the group, all 3 said this was one of the best Kolsch's they have had and said it would definitely win a competition.
So, again, THANKS Ed Wort for the recipe!

Sent from my iPad using HB Talk

Has anyone brewed this without Pilsner malt? I have alot of plain ol 2 row lying around and am wondering how the flavor profile is without the pilsner.

I'm also figuring since I won't be using the Pilsner - omit the 90 min boil for a 60 min..

Dgonza9 said:

Does anyone know why this beer doesn't seem to clear that much? I made 10 gallons and filtered the first keg with .48 micron filter. It tasted great, but didn't get clear the way most of my other beer have.

Click to expand...

WLP029 takes forever to fall out if you don't ferment on the cooler side. Even then you can clear it up quite a bit by cold crashing at the end of fermentation.

I brought this to my homebrew club meeting where it was pretty well received. Among the admirers was a guy who actually runs a local brewery here in Chicago.

Nice props for the creator of the recipe! Cheers!

Ed,

Ever tried adding peach to this? Any suggestions?
SWMBO would like a peach Kolsch, like we used to drink at a local watering hole. I was thinking about using this recipe and adding peach into secondary.

Thanks

Anyone tried Crystal hops in this, or any other Kolsch for that matter?

I've brewed a couple Kolsch's with Tetts, but I have a pound of Crystal hops just waiting to be brewed with. I'd also like a hoppier Kolsch.

bluemoose said:

Ed,

Ever tried adding peach to this?
Thanks

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I'm a stickler about Reinheitsgebot for my German beers. No fruit ever touches them.

Any chance of this going from grain to glass in less than 3 weeks? I keg and would obviously force carb.

HopheadNJ said:

Any chance of this going from grain to glass in less than 3 weeks? I keg and would obviously force carb.

Click to expand...

I have brewed this and I usually primary for 2 weeks then cold crash for 2 days then keg. You can drink it from grain to glass in under three weeks but its way better after its aged 4 more weeks in the keg.

HopheadNJ said:

Any chance of this going from grain to glass in less than 3 weeks? I keg and would obviously force carb.

Click to expand...

Sure, but it won't be brilliantly clear and it will be green beer.

If you have a chance to drink it over time, you will notice how it improves in taste and the clarity a couple weeks after you tap it.

I brewed this for my sons wedding along with a Magic Hat #9 clone. I was told this was by far a wine drinking crowd. I knew my sons buds would drink some homebrew but very few other had ever tried it. We had 2 cases of this kolsch,1 case of #9 clone, 1 keg of Bud , random bottles of homebrew, 2 Bud and 1Labatts in cans just in case. Oh yea 3 cases of wine for this wine only guest list. The end result--- Kolsh & #9 clone BAM gone! The random bottles next gone.
1/2 of the keg left.2 cases of wine left Most 2 cases of cans left.
I heard I don't even like beer but this stuff is great by one women. A few of the WINE drinkers had the first glass of wine tried the homebrew no more wine for them. BIG THANK YOU to EdWort for this recipe

Ed, what is your efficiency? Just hoping to hit the numbers right.

Cheers

elproducto said:

ed, what is your efficiency? Just hoping to hit the numbers right.

Cheers

Click to expand...

75%

Made my 4th batch of this tonight and did something wrong. My pre-boil was 1.050 and post-boil is 1.060. It's like an Imperial Kolsch. I'm glad I added an extra 1/2 ounce of hops.

This one is churning away as I type this. To compensate for my lower efficiency I added 1 pound to the grain bill. OG was 1.054 so I'm happy!

I am planning on force carbonating my Kolsch then bottle. Do i need to keep the beer refrigerated after bottling or will it go bad?

Brewing this beer for the 3rd time right now. I will be brewing it 3 more times in the next 2 months.

I just brewed this up, with a slightly different grain bill..

7lbs German pilsner
1lb white wheat malt
1lb Vienna malt

60 min - .75oz Perle pellets (8.70%)
30 min - .50oz tettnang pellets (4.8%)

For ~35 IBUs

Mashed for 1 hour at 150F.

Boiled 90 minutes, pitched a 1 liter starter of wyeast 2565.

Wyeast nutrient and whirlfloc added with 15 minutes left in the boil.

OG was 1.052 giving 76% efficiency.

1 hour after pitching, the fermometer reads 70F.

What should the ambient temperature of this be during primary fermentation? I was planning on putting it next to my basement door, which is a relatively constant 56-60F.

What is the lower end (temp-wise) of this yeast? I don't want it to be too cold for the yeast to work, then have it quit too soon.

Thanks !

Krausen formed 12 hours after pitching.

Ambient temperature is 56, fermometer reads 60. Airlock bubbling away, nice 3-4inch krausen. Should be perfect.

Looper said:

I just brewed this up, with a slightly different grain bill..

7lbs German pilsner
1lb white wheat malt
1lb Vienna malt

60 min - .75oz Perle pellets (8.70%)
30 min - .50oz tettnang pellets (4.8%)

For ~35 IBUs

Mashed for 1 hour at 150F.

Boiled 90 minutes, pitched a 1 liter starter of wyeast 2565.

Wyeast nutrient and whirlfloc added with 15 minutes left in the boil.

OG was 1.052 giving 76% efficiency.

1 hour after pitching, the fermometer reads 70F.

What should the ambient temperature of this be during primary fermentation? I was planning on putting it next to my basement door, which is a relatively constant 56-60F.

What is the lower end (temp-wise) of this yeast? I don't want it to be too cold for the yeast to work, then have it quit too soon.

Thanks !

Click to expand...

Looper
I tend to like Vienna malt. I do though have to ask why you added it to this Kolsch?

Gammon N Beer said:

Looper
I tend to like Vienna malt. I do though have to ask why you added it to this Kolsch?

Click to expand...

To tell you the truth, I was just planning on using the Pilsner and Wheat malts, but I got into a conversation with the guy at the LHBS about the recipe. He was honest and told me he didn't know a whole lot about the kolsch style, but that one of his buddies is a very experienced homebrewer who happens to win gold at any homebrew competition he enters, in the Kolsch category.

That said, I have no idea what'll happen. I was cautious and only used 1lb, instead of the 2lbs that he recommended (since I still wanted 1lb of white wheat).

Primary fermentation is finally slowing down, and krausen is gradually falling. I fermented this one cold (55-60), and it has taken its time, althought steady airlock activity and thick krausen would say otherwise.

I expect the FG to be very low, like planned. Once the krausen drops, I'm going to let the yeast clean up for about a week, then throw it in the garage (~35-40F) for a few weeks to cold crash.

I'll definitely report back here with tasting notes. Might not be for a while though..

Looks like a great beer and I plan on brewing it. But it looks like you are getting really high attenuation. The WL Kolsch yeast is described as getting between 72-78% attenuation. But to hit an FG of less than 1010 with an OG of more than 1050 suggests an 80+ pct attenuation.

If I target an OG of 1050 my brewing program says I'll end up at about 1012.

Just interested in your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

I brewed this on 2/5, 7 days ago. Airlock activity seemed to stop so I opened it up to take a gravity reading. Rang in at 1.006! And there was still a thick krausen!

I guess I'll just let it finish up. I hope it doesn't dry out too much...

I just made this - added 2# of honey malt and upped the pilsener (I used german) malt to 10# to make up for a lower efficiency. I also used 2 oz German Tradition hops as FWH (which are similar to Hallertau) because I had them on hand (I got them for 1$/oz a while ago, wasn't sure what to do with em) and 1 oz as a finishing hop at 5 minutes. I am planning on dry hopping with 1 oz of US northern brewer but that depends on how it smells when I transfer to secondary.