Kolsch still fermenting after 7 days...

I brewed the following Kolsch recipe on Monday, May 19th:

5 lbs. Wheat DME
1 oz. Perle (8.2% AA) pellets
2 oz. Spalt (2.6% AA) pellets
Wyeast 2565 Kolsch packet

Boil 2 gallons of water, add first 4 lbs. wheat DME and 1 oz Perle. Boil for 45 minutes.

Add 1 oz. Spalt (flavor), boil for 10 minutes.

Add 1 oz. Spalt (aroma), boil for last 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in and dissolve final 1 lbs. wheat DME.

Rack to primary, add cool water to bring wort to 70 degress, pitch yeast. Fermented in my basement at a steady 62 degrees, thick krausen and good airlock activity within 24 hours.

However, I was distracted and did not take a OG reading. Beer Smith calculates:

OG - 1.044
FG - 1.011
ABV - 4.3%
SRM - 3.9
IBU - 24.6

It's been a week, and I still have 1 1/2" of krausen on top in the carboy, and a bubble every 15 seconds. I've read about people having a lot of blow offs with this Kolsch yeast, so I was under the impression that it was very active, and would cease fermentation within 7 days.

Does the cooler temp have anything to do with it? Again, I thought this year operated best below 65 degrees.

Anyone have some experience with extract Kolsch that they could share?

I made a kolsch last weekend and it fermented very violently (wish I didnt' wait until this weekend to shop for a blow off tube). But after 8 days it's still not done. I'm fermenting between 62 and 65 degrees (ground is starting to warm up).

I wouldn't worry about how long it takes, just take a gravity reading to find out if it's done or not.

I just bought an extract Kolsch kit. I guess I should figure out a blow-off setup!

The yeast are gonna take however long they take. Stop worrying and let nature take its course. I've had fermentations be done in under 24 hours; I've had others that took all of 2 weeks. Either way, those yeast are gonna do their own thing, so it's best to just let it happen.

Kolsch yeast starts pretty strong but then turns slow and steady for quite a while. Mine took over 2 weeks to finish and a lot longer to clear. Just give it time and keep it cool. It'll finish when its ready.

i have a question about kolsch. the name is protected legally, thanks to koln's laws, but alaskan brewing company made a kolsch summer ale!!!!! is that illegal? id assume so? thats what ive been telling customers.

Kolsch w/ 5lbs of wheat dme?

ride it out and let your hydro tell you when fermentation is finished.

Wheat can take a little longer to ferment if it is not mixed with something with a few more nutrients for the yeast. I usually add a little barley dme to the mix to help the yeast along. It may take a bit longer to ferment but I'm sure the results will be well worth the wait.

The Wheat DME makes me think this won't really be a Kolsch regardless of the yeast used.

Also I see NO final gravity reading in your post. So, how do you know its still fermenting?

Remember airlock activity means NOTHING. Airlocks bubble on finished beers. Airlocks don't bubble when beer is fermenting like a mofo.

Its only there to vent CO2, not to tell you when something is 'started' or 'done'.

Thor the Mighty said:

i have a question about kolsch. the name is protected legally, thanks to koln's laws, but alaskan brewing company made a kolsch summer ale!!!!! is that illegal? id assume so? thats what ive been telling customers.

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It's not illegal because European Union trade laws don't apply in the US, but it's a bit ignorant - like calling US-based sparkling wines Champagnes.

malkore said:

The Wheat DME makes me think this won't really be a Kolsch regardless of the yeast used.

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Whoops. I typed the recipe up wrong. The first four pounds of DME are extra light DME, not wheat. Only the final pound (hence, 20% total) was wheat DME.

sounds better. I do not use wheat in my kolsch/german ale, but the style is pretty open when I read about it a few years ago in BYO. German lae yeasts can take awhile. My german ale took 2 weeks.

I just did the brewers best kolsch kit. I had a recipe but when i walked in the shop it was in. I do agree that the yeast was violent & mine blew off for a almost all day. I didnt put in a seconday fermentor because it was for my bro bday & i was running short on time. But they turned out well cleared up nice.

ArcaneXor said:

It's not illegal because European Union trade laws don't apply in the US, but it's a bit ignorant - like calling US-based sparkling wines Champagnes.

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That bit of EU law is called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). And the United States recognizes that designation with exceptions of for some long-time US producers of PDO-protected products. Those products that have an exemption to the PDO are listed in the US law that recognizes the PDO. The US recognizes the PDO so that certain regional products of the US can enjoy the same protection in the EU.

Kolsch is protected by the PDO, but must brewers get around it by using the language "Kolsch Style" rather than claiming it is a Kolsch. That being said I don't think that the Kolsch brewers in Germany are as aggressive about enforcing the PDO as say the champagne producers of France.



Gedvondur

Gedvondur said:

That bit of EU law is called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). And the United States recognizes that designation with exceptions of for some long-time US producers of PDO-protected products. Those products that have an exemption to the PDO are listed in the US law that recognizes the PDO. The US recognizes the PDO so that certain regional products of the US can enjoy the same protection in the EU.

Kolsch is protected by the PDO, but must brewers get around it by using the language "Kolsch Style" rather than claiming it is a Kolsch. That being said I don't think that the Kolsch brewers in Germany are as aggressive about enforcing the PDO as say the champagne producers of France.



Gedvondur

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Lets call it what we want. I won't be concerned what the EU says or the US recognizes. I doubt the FBI is searching homebrewtalk.com, unless they are investigating us for treason for not drinking BMC

Update:

Took a gravity reading today, 14 days after brewing. Krausen had fallen to less than 1/8", bubbles in the airlock once every 45 seconds or so.

FG = 1.012 at 65 degrees. Still maybe .001 too high, but I decided to go ahead and transfer to secondary. Probably loose that last one-thousandth in there. Used a packet of Knox gelatin while racking, and I plan on letting it condition at 63 degrees for three to four weeks before kegging.

Thanks for advice, guys! I should have known - RDWHAHB

fyi, read this. i made a kolsch last year and had some similar issues.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=32033