Hi,
making a Kolsch. Some new variables to my brewing and looking for some guidance.
Some details:
so far brewed 10 Gallons with 18# Pilsner & 2# White Wheat Malt, ended up with ~ 10 Gallons of Wort @ 1.054 in the fermentor.
My fermentor is first use Stainless Conical. I have it set at 57 degrees then ended up upping to 59 degrees after two weeks. Ended up taking 37 days to complete primary fermentation down to 1.007 (Today). (Pitched 4 "activator" smack packs - though only 1 of the 4 really seemed to activate well and swell to its fullest. Tastes pretty good best I can tell as I have no reference beer to compare to.
So what next?
I was thinking of doing a diacetyl rest for a day, then dropping gradually over 3 days to 35 degrees then resting for 4 weeks.
So before I being the 4 week rest, once temp is at 35, should I dump the yeast/trub, or should I dump when I begin to lower the temp over a series of 3-4 days? I've been instructed previously that gentle tapping with a rubber mallet will help get the yeast sediment from clinging to sides.
I've never used the conical before so I am not sure what to look for when opening the valve to know when the trub is all out, or how much to open valve for instance. I assume removing the airlock first is a good first step!
Thanks for any advice on finishing up my first kolsch!
TD
making a Kolsch. Some new variables to my brewing and looking for some guidance.
Some details:
so far brewed 10 Gallons with 18# Pilsner & 2# White Wheat Malt, ended up with ~ 10 Gallons of Wort @ 1.054 in the fermentor.
My fermentor is first use Stainless Conical. I have it set at 57 degrees then ended up upping to 59 degrees after two weeks. Ended up taking 37 days to complete primary fermentation down to 1.007 (Today). (Pitched 4 "activator" smack packs - though only 1 of the 4 really seemed to activate well and swell to its fullest. Tastes pretty good best I can tell as I have no reference beer to compare to.
So what next?
I was thinking of doing a diacetyl rest for a day, then dropping gradually over 3 days to 35 degrees then resting for 4 weeks.
So before I being the 4 week rest, once temp is at 35, should I dump the yeast/trub, or should I dump when I begin to lower the temp over a series of 3-4 days? I've been instructed previously that gentle tapping with a rubber mallet will help get the yeast sediment from clinging to sides.
I've never used the conical before so I am not sure what to look for when opening the valve to know when the trub is all out, or how much to open valve for instance. I assume removing the airlock first is a good first step!
Thanks for any advice on finishing up my first kolsch!
TD