Finishing off Kölsch with Lager Yeast in Secondary

So, I'm fermenting a Kölsch right now with Wyeast 2565 Kölsch ale yeast between 57 F and 62 F, after about two weeks, I'm going to lager for a month or so. Charlie Papazian's recipe, which I am not using, suggests adding lager yeast to the secondary to facilitate a crisp finish. Has anyone tried this? If so, did you use a dry lager yeast? Liquid? How much of a starter, if any? Does it actually do anything?

I'm considering it, even though I can probably only lager at a minimum of 50F or so, maybe less with some extra attention. Since I bottle, I thought it would also help with carbonation if the lagering makes the Kölsch yeasties drop out. Thoughts? Concerns? Advice? Insults?

The Kolsch yeast will be able to lager fine on it's own. Especially if you're going to store it at 50°F,

WLP 029 worked fine at 39°F for me. Clean up some residue sulfur and made it super clean.

Sounds good. Will there still be enough yeast in suspension for bottling after one month @ 45-50F? The Kölschs I've made before I've fermented as regular ales: one week or so @ 68-70F, clarifying for two weeks in secondary at the same temp before crash cooling 4 days or so. I wanted to try a lagering approach with this batch, but I'm concerned about carbonation. Should I repitch some kölsch yeast or will it be fine without?

Batinse said:

Sounds good. Will there still be enough yeast in suspension for bottling after one month @ 45-50F? The Kölschs I've made before I've fermented as regular ales: one week or so @ 68-70F, clarifying for two weeks in secondary at the same temp before crash cooling 4 days or so. I wanted to try a lagering approach with this batch, but I'm concerned about carbonation. Should I repitch some kölsch yeast or will it be fine without?

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Kolsch yeast isn't know for being super flocculant. You should be fine.