Kolsch Recipe ???

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bmcmahan

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I’m looking at brewing a California Common and a Kolsch this weekend and needed some help with the Kolsch.

Here is what I’m looking at doing.

7.5lbs – Pilsner Malt
3lbs – Red Wheat
Mash @ 154 for 60min

.75oz Chinook – 60min (thinking about .5oz would drop the IBU to 26)
.5oz Tettnanger – 15min
.5oz Tettnanger - 5min

Wyeast 2565 Kolsch w/ 1liter starter
Ferment @ 62

OG: 1.053
SRM: 4
IBU: 36

Any suggestions? Thanks
 
How "to style" do you want to be? Wheat malt is at most a small <10% addition to Kolsch. You are also a bit over on OG, IBUs, and finishing hops, but I did something similar last fall and really enjoyed it. I&#8217;d probably use something smoother than Chinook for bittering, if you want to go high AA% I&#8217;d use Magnum or Warrior. I'd also drop the mash temp a few degrees to make sure the beer dries out.

Good luck.
 
I love kölsch. The recipe I have brewed in the past is 7 lbs Bo pils, 1 lbs carafoam, 1 lbs wheat. However, I am convinced 100% bo pils is the way to go. There is really no reason to include wheat for head retention with pils malt.

Your recipe is on the very hoppy side for a kölsch. It's not a bad thing if that's how you prefer your beer. But, a kölsch should be (at least in the traditional sense) all about the malt and the yeast profile. I use 1 oz of spaltz at 60 and 1 at 15. Keep in mind that has been described as too hop forward in competitions I have entered.

Solid choice on the yeast and ferm temp. You could easily take that strain into the 50s if you'd like.

Lastly, I'd suggest lowering your mash temperature. I used a decoction mash, but an infusion at 150 should be preferable to 154.
 
I agree with Dang. 36 IBU is really high for Kolsch, but it's your beer. I wouldn't use a bittering hop variety for Kolsch either, I have a Kolsch clearing now that I used Magnum to bitter and it seemed really harsh the last time I tasted it (I'm hoping that will go away with time).

Also, I haven't used the Wyeast Kolsch before, but the White Labs Kolsch is a total pain to deal with. It takes forever to clear and I really don't want to take up my lagering fridge with an ale. I'm pretty sure I will use US-05 from now on to make Kolsch unless it turns out really fruity. Maybe the Wyeast is more flocculent.
 
I always use wyeast and get absolute clarity (I could read a book through the filled glass). So give wyeast a try before switching to us05...I think you will end with something more along the lines of a blonde ale or a pseudo pilsner with us05.
 
Ok, i'm going to throw out the wheat.

9lbs Pilsner
.5lb Munich

1oz Tettnanger - 60min
.5oz Hallertau - 15
.5oz Hallertau - 5
IBU around 22
 
Dang said:
I always use wyeast and get absolute clarity (I could read a book through the filled glass). So give wyeast a try before switching to us05...I think you will end with something more along the lines of a blonde ale or a pseudo pilsner with us05.
Click to expand...

How long do you have to let it rest? Do you cold crash?

I might give the Wyeast a try, although I'm really not crazy about yeasty flavors (and don't notice them in Gaffel Kolsch) so if the US-05 gives me a clean blonde ale with pilsner base and a noble hop aroma that might be close enough the Kolsch for my taste.
 
I'd add a little bit of Munich or Vienna malt to add some melanoidins. Kolsch was traditionally decocted.
 
bmcmahan said:
Ok, i'm going to throw out the wheat.

9lbs Pilsner
.5lb Munich

1oz Tettnanger - 60min
.5oz Hallertau - 15
.5oz Hallertau - 5
IBU around 22
Click to expand...

Sounds fantastic, be carefull with your %AA values. It looks like you're using beercalculus (which is a fantastic tool in my opinion), and you will need to adjust the alpha acid values to those of your hops. If you are using your LHBS maybe call them in advance to check the AA numbers. Most online retailers list them.
 
I usually lager for a few months, but I can't help but pull a taste or so and it's pretty clear after a month from the day it goes into the fermenter. Of course it was in the keg in the chest freezer at the time so it was basically cold crashed and layered for about a week. You could always add a few whirlfloc tabs and cut on any wheat as well.
 
Dang said:
I usually lager for a few months, but I can't help but pull a taste or so and it's pretty clear after a month from the day it goes into the fermenter. Of course it was in the keg in the chest freezer at the time so it was basically cold crashed and layered for about a week. You could always add a few whirlfloc tabs and cut on any wheat as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I wanted to avoid. The White Labs seems to clear ok at RT it just takes like 2 months. The clarity is definately a yeast issue. The last time I made it I wasn't patient enough and it tasted like hefeweizen (i.e. like a bannana took a dump in my beer).

Some girls who tasted it said "Oh, it's good. It tastes like blue moon." They might as well have spit it out.
 
Pivovar_Koucky said:
How long do you have to let it rest? Do you cold crash?

I might give the Wyeast a try, although I'm really not crazy about yeasty flavors (and don't notice them in Gaffel Kolsch) so if the US-05 gives me a clean blonde ale with pilsner base and a noble hop aroma that might be close enough the Kolsch for my taste.
Click to expand...

The only problem with using S-05 for this is that it really doesn't floc as well as some other strains. If you can cold crash that will take care of it. Adding gelatin and then cold crashing is even better. I love that S-05 but it will leave yeast flavors in a light beer like that if you don't take the appropriate steps to make it drop out.

Add - also, it is totally appropriate to use a small amount of wheat for head retention without adding unfermentables. A small amount won't cloud up your batch.
 
My family is used to Miller Genuine Draft, Labatts, Rolling Rock (or stone) and Budweiser and said my Kölsch wAs bitter is the style usually a little bitter? Or are they just used to watery commercial beer?
 
what was your recipe? and no the style should not be bitter...I wouldn't think even to the BMC drinker.
 
I used brewers best recipe but I didn't lager fermented at 556-58 degrees and i did add by accident a little extra water. I thought it was pretty good for my first brew.
 
JonK331 said:
The only problem with using S-05 for this is that it really doesn't floc as well as some other strains. If you can cold crash that will take care of it. Adding gelatin and then cold crashing is even better. I love that S-05 but it will leave yeast flavors in a light beer like that if you don't take the appropriate steps to make it drop out.
QUOTE]

Really? I haven't used it for anything as light as Kolsch yet, but I haven't had any problems getting US-05 to floc or noticed any yeasty flavors with it. Maybe they just get masked in a more aggressively hopped style.

Kokopuff829 said:
My family is used to Miller Genuine Draft, Labatts, Rolling Rock (or stone) and Budweiser and said my Kölsch wAs bitter is the style usually a little bitter? Or are they just used to watery commercial beer?
Click to expand...

BJCP gives the IBUs on a Kolsch to be 20-30. While 20 might not strike anyone as bitter, I bet that a 30 IBU Kolsch would strike the average light beer drinker as very bitter. Those (again, according to BJCP) are in the 8-12 IBU range.
Click to expand...
 
Ya your probably right I felt depressed I was all ecstatic about them trying it and they said too bitter. It was only the first week after bottling let it sit longer?
 
Yes. Do yourself a favor and stick those in the fridge once they are carbed and wait as long as you can...kolsches are typically lagered for long periods of time.

And no worries...I looked up the recipe and it appeared to be "in style". Also, very good choice on fermentation temperature (I'm assuming you used wyeast 2565?). Temperature control during fermentation goes a long ways. How long did you leave it in the fermenter before bottling?
 
A week or two I cant remember exactly and I will do that are Irish Reds and German Alts good I'm thinking of doing them next
 
Pivovar_Koucky said:
JonK331 said:
The only problem with using S-05 for this is that it really doesn't floc as well as some other strains. If you can cold crash that will take care of it. Adding gelatin and then cold crashing is even better. I love that S-05 but it will leave yeast flavors in a light beer like that if you don't take the appropriate steps to make it drop out.
QUOTE]

Really? I haven't used it for anything as light as Kolsch yet, but I haven't had any problems getting US-05 to floc or noticed any yeasty flavors with it. Maybe they just get masked in a more aggressively hopped style.



BJCP gives the IBUs on a Kolsch to be 20-30. While 20 might not strike anyone as bitter, I bet that a 30 IBU Kolsch would strike the average light beer drinker as very bitter. Those (again, according to BJCP) are in the 8-12 IBU range.
Click to expand...

Yup, Jonathan Plise over at Morebeer will confirm that the dry strains don't floc as well in general. Totally correctable with a good cold crash or cold crash + gelatin.
Click to expand...
 
Heres my recipe, any thoughhts?

8lbs pilsner 2 row
1lb breiss 10 crystal
1lb vienna
.25 mag 60 min
.25 mag 20 min
.25 citra 5 min
2.5 oz lemonzest secondary 7 days
US-05

I know its not "Traditional" but I wanted something a bit different. Any input?
 
Chromw said:
Heres my recipe, any thoughhts?

8lbs pilsner 2 row
1lb breiss 10 crystal
1lb vienna
.25 mag 60 min
.25 mag 20 min
.25 citra 5 min
2.5 oz lemonzest secondary 7 days
US-05

I know its not "Traditional" but I wanted something a bit different. Any input?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't add any crystal to a kolsch, certainly not more than a few ounces. Also, I'm not sure you will get anything from a 20 minute addition of magnum, it has a pretty neutral flavor. But it's your barbeque.
 
+1 on the 20 Minute Magnum

Don't think you'll have alot of kolschness from 05 at all.

More of a pilsish citrusy pale, although that does sound good.
 
This is not Kolsch at all acording to your recipe, will taste nothing like Kolsch. More like nice APA with crystal and hops after 60 min. Kolsch is really simple. Pilsner malt and bittering hops to 20 ibu. Wyeast 2565, 2575 or wlp 029 is also a must. Thats it!
 

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