My first Brew - Cologne Kolsch

Ok so today I made up my first batch of beer, it took me about 3 1/2 hours as I went slow and tried not to screw it up too bad.

It all started out well, I had boiled 3 gallons of water the night before and I had that ready. I started out by cleaning everything and I made up a solution of sanitizer and was very cautions to be sure everything was good before I used it.

I had a couple problems along the way, for starters I ordered the Wyeast activator. Now I never used this stuff before so I tried early in the morning to activate the yeast with the internal pouch and Im still not sure if it was activated or not. I hit it like the instructions said and I put considerable pressure on the pouch but was just not sure how it was to activate or what. It never did blow up and when I opened the package there was a liquid pouch still intact inside. Was this supposed to break open? I tried after I added the yeast to the wort and still was unable to break this sucker open.

So everything was going good untill I added the wrong hops at the wrong times. I added the Spalt first and boiled for 58 minutes and then added the Perle for 2 minutes. At this point I realized I had reversed the order of the Hops. Doha! It still tasted pretty good though…I took a SG reading and if Im reading it right it looked like it was at 1.040? Does that sound about right?

I aerated by pouring back and fourth a number of times and them put the lid on with the airlock in place.

Is this supposed to be in a cooler area? I have the basement which is dry and about 55F or a closet at about 65F and the living area at 70F. Where do I store this stuff at?

Any suggestions are welcomed, its currently in the basement at 55F. I just hope its not too cold for it to ferment.

Thanks !!!

That little pack is yeast nutrient so if it didn't open I would expect some lag time for fermentation. As to where you store your beer........what type of yeast was it? Lager vrs Ale yeast will require different temps.
iIf you used the Wyeast Kolsch yeast 2565 I might move it to where it is 65. The temp range is 56-70 for that yeast

Congrats on batch number 1!

Your temp sounds great for a Kolsch - I would leave it where it is at 55°F, assuming ti is a Kolsch yeast (if not, you might want to move it, depending on what strain it is) In a week or so, once fermentation has slowed, I would move it to a warmer place. This will make sure the yeast finish the fermentation strong and clean up any byproducts they may have priduced (e.g. diacetyl, which gives beer a buttery/butterscotch flavor).

The hop reversal will definitely change the beer - I imagine the Spalt had lower AA%, so your bitterness will be lower, but with a kolsch this really isn't too big a deal since it isn't supposed to be too bitter to begin with. THe hop aroma/flavor will be changed, but since this is your first time brewing this recipe, you won't have anything to compare it to! I've never used Perle hops before, but I've heard good things about them. I bet your beer will taste great.

As for your yeast...yes, that pouch should have popped. Probably not that big a deal since all the activator does is "wake up" the yeast. You might get a slower start to your fermentation, but as long as it gets going within 72 hours, you should be OK.

All and all, sounds like you're making beer

Thanks for the advice there, i just pulled out the package of yeast and re read it. You are right, it says maintain in 65-70F until fermentation is evident.

I just moved it very carefully back into 65-70. Do you think this may give it more of a lag to start fermenting? If so how long should the initial fermentation go for?

I have to admit this was lots of fun, Im ready to pick up another kit and make number two. Is this bad to do before the first is even a week into it? Is it bad to make number two before you have even tasted number one? I figure I would just need another large pail to get going on number two

Thanks again,

I moved it earlier this morning to a room that holds 65 degrees steady, Im happy to say its bubbling away… VERY exciting!

Now do I leave it here… or move it back to the cold basement at 55 degrees?

crushnbugs said:

I moved it earlier this morning to a room that holds 65 degrees steady, Im happy to say its bubbling away… VERY exciting!

Now do I leave it here… or move it back to the cold basement at 55 degrees?

Click to expand...

Those bubbling airlocks are exciting aren't they?

What yeast are you using? You're probably fine keeping it where it is, but it all depends on which yeast strain it is.

JLem,

Thanks for the help, Im using Wyeast 2565 Kolsch. Last night it was bubbling away about 1 every second. Its slowed a little now to one every 1 1/2 -2 seconds. Its about 65-66 degrees where it is now.

How long should it sit in the initial fermentation bucket, 1-2 weeks?

The directions get VERY vague after its in the fermentation bucket. The basement is cool at 55 degrees and I could move it to a constant 70.

Thanks for the help...

crushnbugs said:

JLem,

Thanks for the help, Im using Wyeast 2565 Kolsch. Last night it was bubbling away about 1 every second. Its slowed a little now to one every 1 1/2 -2 seconds. Its about 65-66 degrees where it is now.

How long should it sit in the initial fermentation bucket, 1-2 weeks?

The directions get VERY vague after its in the fermentation bucket. The basement is cool at 55 degrees and I could move it to a constant 70.

Thanks for the help...

Click to expand...

Personally, I would have kept the beer at the cooler temp (but keep reading...). My concern with fermenting at 65-66 is that I assume this is your basement temp and not the beer temp. Fermentation is exothermic so the actual beer temp is usually several degrees warmer than the ambient temperature (I've heard reports of up to 10°F warmer, but I think 4-5°F is more typical). This means that your beer is actually at 70°F. This is fine, but you might end up with additional ester production, giving the beer some fruitiness (not necessarily a bad thing!). I wouldn't want to move it to anywhere warmer though.

HOWEVER, I am not sure about moving to the cooler temp it at this time. Generally, you would want to increase the temp as fermentation slows down so as to kept he yeast active and chugging along. Decreasing the temp at this point might result in the yeast slowing down. I don't know, I've never tried moving things in this direction. To be safe, I would advise against moving it right now - I think everything will turn out fine at the temp you are at. Besides, by the time the beer temp acclimates down to the lower temp, the bulk of your fermentation will be done and any esters will already be produced.

So, I would leave it where it is for at least 2 weeks. Maybe 3. Then check the gravity and see where you're at. If it is done, I would rack it to a secondary vessel and lager it for a few weeks at as cold a temp as you can get it. This will help clarify the beer and give time for all the flavors to meld together.

(BTW, everything above about the fruity esters is really not a big deal - my regular temp for ale fermentation is in the 64-65°F range. For a Kolsch I would have fermented lower, but you are still at a good temp generally. Now, if you said you were fermenting it at 75°F, then I would say there was potential for some major flavor issues)

JLem,

I'm taking the temp reading from the stick on thermometer thats on the bucket. Its currently 66 on the bucket. The room temp is reading 68. I can close the bedroom door and I will drop the temp by 5 degrees easily without moving it at all.

Thanks again for the words of wisdom...