Kolsch Ooops!

Did a Kolsch beer a few days ago (my first) I put in bottom yeast instead of top yeast. It seemed to ferment OK in the primary, but today I racked it into the secondary and found two things. 1. The yeast cake on the top of the wort never calapsed into the wort, and 2. the OG was 1.052 and after 5 days it is already at 1.012. It taste a little spoiled which is normal but it taste nothing like the Kolsch beer i drank for an entire summer in Koln. Did I ruin 5 gallons of beer because of the wrong yeast?

7 lbs German pilz
1 lbs Belgian pilz
1 lbs Wheat

Um, exactly what strain of yeast did you use? WLP029 or Wyeast2565 or something completely different? If so, what exactly was it?

It is hard to judge a beer on taste after 5 days... especially when it is mid-fermentation.

I used Saf-Lager 23 Lager Yeast (dry yeast)

It should be fine. Give it at least 2 weeks and then test the gravity again. It probably isn't done fermenting. You should wait more than a few days to rack to secondary.

thanks. Do you think the sourness will tone itself down in the next 2 to 3 weeks or is this something that is going to take till spring to get better?

OK, thanks to the both of you for your answers, I am feeling better about the outcome and have learned a good bit as well.

But i want to throw you all a curve ball. When i put the wrong yeast in I assumed the worst and went back to my supplier and bought the grain again along with the correct yeast. I now have two 5 gallon carboys working.

Has anyone ever experimented with Kolsch by adding crushed fruit to the bottom of the secondary? is this possible?

What kind of fruit? Fruit is done in the secondary.

I was thinking peaches, but if you could recommend something it would be good.

Yes, people have added fruit to Kolsch before. i think it would be a great comparison of yeasts if you tried them side by side (without fruit). You could always just bottle a couple of beers using carb tabs or something while transferring to secondary.

that is a good point. but 10 gallons of the same beer, when all my friends and neighbors think my beer is too heavy, is a lot to drink if the flavor is about the same.

Peaches sound good. I would wait at least 10 days to 2 weeks before you add them. You need to make sure your primary fermentation is done. Then rack it again and add the Peaches. Let them sit in there for a week or so and then bottle or keg if your FG is correct.