Kölsch Tiber's Perfect Kölsch

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Tiber_Brew

It's about the beer.
HBT Supporter
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
2,541
Reaction score
281
Location
Upper Peninsula
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Split - WLP029 & WY2565
Yeast Starter
1600mL
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
See below
Batch Size (Gallons)
11
Original Gravity
1.048
Final Gravity
1.010
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
25
Color
4 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
62-64F for 10 days
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
43F for 3 weeks
Tasting Notes
See below
Of course, perfect is relative to preference. This recipe has done well in competition as well as with BMC drinkers, advanced brewers, and connoisseurs alike.

This is for an 11 gallon batch, using 85-90% efficiency. Adjust for your efficiency and batch size if necessary.

Grain:
14 lb German Pils malt
1 lb white wheat malt
1 lb German Munich malt (light)

**(NOTE: Text in Red is updated information 07-12-2015)

Option 1: (This is the method I used with floor malted undermodified Pils malt):
Step Mash:
Strike @ 131F, ramp to 149F over 25 minutes.
Hold at 149F for 30 mins.
Ramp to 152F for 15 mins.
Ramp to 155F for 30 minutes.
Slowly ramp to (and mash out at) 168F for 10 minutes.

Using fully modified Pils malt:

Strike at 140F and hold for 20 minutes
Step up to 152F for 30 minutes
Step up to 158F for 10 minutes
Mash out at 168F for 10 minutes


Fly sparge with 170F water. Acidify sparge water to prevent sparge runoff from exceeding 5.8 pH.

Option 2:
Infusion Mash:
Single infusion at 151-152 is recommended. Mash out at 168-170F for 10 mins.

Boil:
90 minute boil. Scrape off hot break before boil begins (as you're lautering). Add first hop addition at the 60 minute mark.

.75 oz. Hallertau 3.9%aa 60 min
1 oz. Saaz 5.5%aa 60 min
.5 oz. Hallertau 30 min
.5 oz. Saaz 30 min
Irish moss 15 min

Whirlpool and chill to 65F. Important: try to keep the fermentation temperature around the low 60's F! I've had the best results at 62F.

I split into two carboys, one with White Labs 029 Ger Ale/Kolsch and other with Wyeast 2565 Kolsch. Both turned out great. The WY version fermented a bit cleaner, but that's not necessarily favorable if you prefer more German Ale character in your Kölsch. Also, the WY strain took a few more weeks to clear up (flocculate) than the WL strain, so plan accordingly.


Partial mash option: (thanks, toastermm)

Type: Partial Mash
Batch Size: 5.5 Gallons
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Efficiency: 70%

Fermentables:
4.76 lb Pilsner Liquid Extract

Partial mash with:
2 lb Pilsner grain (2 row)
0.5 lb white wheat malt
0.25 lb German Munich malt (light)

Boil:
90 minute boil. Scrape off hot break before boil begins. Add first hop addition at the 60 minute mark.

0.5 oz. Hallertau 3.9%aa 60 min
0.5 oz. Saaz 5.5%aa 60 min
0.25 oz. Hallertau 30 min
0.25 oz. Saaz 30 min
0.25 tsp Irish moss 15 min

1 Pkgs Wyeast Kolsh Yeast #2565

Steep crushed grains 45-60 minutes before boil at ~145-150 degrees in steeping bag.

Some Pics:

DSC00439.jpg


DSC00441.jpg






Appearance:

Golden, brilliantly clear with white head about 3/4" thick that diminishes slowly, with lacing that lasts.


Aroma:

Predominantly malty, but some noble hop aroma is also present. Very slight yeast character detected in the nose, which is pleasant.


Flavor:

Very well balanced. Adequate malt presence, complimented with noble hop flavor and aroma. Crisp, somewhat dry finish preceded by some yeast character. Very clean, drinkable, and appropriate alcohol content.

I've had good Kölsch beers from Germany, and this stands right there with them. Local enthusiasts and brew club members agree.

Cheers,
TB


Some additional feedback:

Tiber, thanks for the recipe. I just won first place in Wootown Brewer's competition "Barley Legal 2" for light hybrid ale with this recipe!
Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was super clear. I followed your directions on scraping off hot break and did some other clarifying work (vorlauf, lagering). Very fine beer. Thanks for the recipe--I was damn glad I bought enough ingredients for a second batch after the event!
 
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure, bud. I've only done one extract brew, and that was 7 years ago! :eek:

Hopefully someone will chime in and help convert this recipe to extract.

TB
 
Since my wife and my friends all prefer light beer, this sounds like both a good summer session beer and (hopefully) a gateway beer for them. Thanks for posting!
 
TB - looks great! I have a batch of Kolsch in the primary, and used a fairly similar recipe and process. This will be my first time cold crashing before bottling, and I'm worried about having enough yeast left for bottle conditioning. Did you bottle or keg?
 
TB - looks great! I have a batch of Kolsch in the primary, and used a fairly similar recipe and process. This will be my first time cold crashing before bottling, and I'm worried about having enough yeast left for bottle conditioning. Did you bottle or keg?

I kegged mine and force carbonated. In the past, I haven't had problems with carbonating in bottles after a cold crash. I would think you'd be fine. Hope it turns out!

TB
 
I clicked the "convert to partial mash" button in Beer smith, after halving the recipe to 5.5 gallons, here is what it spit out:

Type: Partial Mash
Batch Size: 5.5 Gallons
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Efficiency: 70%

Fermentables:
4.76 lb Pilsner Liquid Extract
Partial mash with:
2 lb Pilsner grain (2 row)
0.5 lb white wheat malt
0.25 lb German Munich malt (light)

Boil:
90 minute boil. Scrape off hot break before boil begins (as you're lautering). Add first hop addition at the 60 minute mark.

0.5 oz. Hallertau 3.9%aa 60 min
0.5 oz. Saaz 5.5%aa 60 min
0.25 oz. Hallertau 30 min
0.25 oz. Saaz 30 min
0.25 tsp Irish moss 15 min

1 Pkgs Wyeast Kolsh Yeast #2565

Steep crushed grains 45-60 minutes before boil at ~145-150 degrees in steeping bag.


Good luck!
 
Update:

My brother and his wife visited for a weekend of leisure activities. He is a huge craft beer fan, and has been for a while. I have 5 beers on tap, and he hit the Kölsch tap (this recipe) far more than any of my others, which include an IPA, brown ale, cream stout on nitrogen, and German hefe. By the way, he is predominantly a stout and IPA drinker.

I definitely will keep this in rotation, with my blonde ales and Pilsner lagers.


No score sheets from BJCP judges or the like; I don't normally care for competitions. I'm almost curious enough to submit this one, however. Almost.
 
So did you blend these back together after fermenting or did you keep them separate? Just curious because the recipe says WLP029 & WY2565. If they were blended that would make sense.

Looking for an alternative to EdWort's Kölsch because his just has too much wheat. I had a hella stuck mash from that recipe.
 
So did you blend these back together after fermenting or did you keep them separate? Just curious because the recipe says WLP029 & WY2565. If they were blended that would make sense.

Looking for an alternative to EdWort's Kölsch because his just has too much wheat. I had a hella stuck mash from that recipe.

Nope, didn't blend them. I split the batch and used different yeasts in the separate fermenters. I briefly commented on the taste difference between the two, but didn't go into a lot of detail.

Yes, this recipe uses less wheat malt than some others I've seen. Wheat malt is said to not actually be authentic to true Kölsch's, but I kept a tad in for some head retention and complexity. With just .5 lb per 5 gallons, there's certainly no reason for hulls.

Let me know how yours turns out if you brew this!
TB
 
I think I'm going to brew this up in a week or two for a "Kegs for the Cure" fundraiser in late June. I have about 20 lbs of Belgian Pils that I need to use up.

What time frame would you suggest to get this from grain to glass? I'll probably brew two 5 gallon batches, but one is definitely getting emptied by June 24.
 
i'll probably substitute Perle at bittering since I have some extra in the freezer, but stick with Saaz and Hallertau for flavor.
 
If I recall correctly, this took about 12 days to ferment, and I did a few weeks of lagering. I slow carbed @ 12 psi in the kegerator. (My ferment took a little longer since I fermented at the low end of the temp range for this yeast.) So, I'd say you're looking at least three weeks if you rush/skip the lagering, maybe a little over a month if you have the time.


It's worth it if you're like me and love those German style ales and lagers!

Hope it turns out! I think you'll be fine with the bittering substitution, by the way.

Cheers,
TB
 
thanks, tiber. i was hoping to brew it up real soon, and that would give me several weeks of lagering before this event. in fact, i think i'll have at least 45 days.
 
Just thought I'd add, Powers, that you could move the 30 min hops to 20 min if you like a little more hop flavor. I've brewed it both ways and liked both. Also note that my Saaz has an unusually high alpha acid content at 5.5%, so you may have to adjust for yours.

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know. :mug:

TB
 
I noted the disparity, my Saaz is only 3.1%. Just for fun and to use up my grain, I believe I'm going to use 10 lbs of Pils, 1.5 lbs of pale wheat, and 1 lb of Munich per 5.5 gallon batch. My efficiency on my homemade mash tun is a sad 60%, but this delivers me 1.056 starting gravity. So, I might increase the hop additions slightly to balance the larger grain bill.
 
I just adjusted my hop schedule I scratched out last week to 20 min instead of 30 minute additions:

60: 0.6 oz Perle (8.2%)
20: 0.5 oz Saaz (3.1%)
20: 0.5 oz Hallertau (3.8%)

ProMash estimates 29 IBUs for this schedule

EDIT: I ended up with this hop schedule:

60: 0.65 oz Perle (7.8%)
20: 0.35 oz Saaz (3.1%)
20: 0.35 oz Hallertau (3.8%)

ProMash estimates ~26 IBUs for this schedule
 
I noted the disparity, my Saaz is only 3.1%. Just for fun and to use up my grain, I believe I'm going to use 10 lbs of Pils, 1.5 lbs of pale wheat, and 1 lb of Munich per 5.5 gallon batch. My efficiency on my homemade mash tun is a sad 60%, but this delivers me 1.056 starting gravity. So, I might increase the hop additions slightly to balance the larger grain bill.

That might be a bit much for the wheat and Munich. If you're merely adjusting for efficiency, just tweak the pilsner malt. If you're doing a 5.5 gal recipe, I'd use .5 lb each of wheat malt and Munich. Your estimated OG seems a bit on the high side, is that what you are going for? Even at low temps, I got good attenuation from the Koelsch yeast, so you might end up with more ABV than planned.
 
oops, just adjusted my batch size to 5.5 gal instead of 5 gallons. that took it down to 1.049. then i adjusted my wheat and munich down to .5 lb each, which moved the gravity to 1.043. that's a bit low for my alcohol tolerance :) so I'll probably keep the wheat at 1.5 lbs. shouldn't impact flavor too much, and my philosophy is that if you're going to make it, might as well make it with a little kick. i can't go above 10 lbs on the pils because i need two batches out of 20 lbs.
 
If you have any 2-row pale malt, I'd add some of that instead of more wheat, but that's just me. One of the things I like about this beer is that it doesn't have a lot of wheat character like some of the other recipes I've tried. It's a delicate balance with a beer like this one. I'm sure it will be a fine beer either way! Good luck!

Let me know your thoughts once you taste it.
 
good call, tiber. i actually gravitated toward your recipe over a few others because of the lower wheat content. i was also looking at EdWort's kolsch, but elected to go this route. i will venture down to the LHBS and pick up a couple lbs of pale malt.

i expect to ferment at 62-64 and am looking for good attenuation. rare is the beer i make below 5%. but i appreciate your comment about the delicate balance on a beer like this, and will tread lightly as a result.
 
Might I add that if you're going to buy a couple more pounds of malt at your LHBS, why not just get more Pilsner malt and stick closer to the recipe? Just a thought. :)

Hopefully you'll be happy with this beer, even at 5%. ;)

It's a great tasting sessionable beer, perfect with some friends and the sun on your back. That's when you appreciate the balance in this beer. Cheers!
 
i ended up getting this pretty spot on to your specs. it's been about 10 days in primary, and there's still a krausen and it's pretty cloudy. i went with wyeast 2565. i'll probably let it sit through the weekend and then try to get 3 weeks of lagering.

EDIT: For the first week, the primary held steady at about 61 degrees. with some warmer weather my basement must have adjusted, so the last 3 days it's been at 63-64. seems pretty good for the style.
 
Powers said:
i ended up getting this pretty spot on to your specs. it's been about 10 days in primary, and there's still a krausen and it's pretty cloudy. i went with wyeast 2565. i'll probably let it sit through the weekend and then try to get 3 weeks of lagering.

EDIT: For the first week, the primary held steady at about 61 degrees. with some warmer weather my basement must have adjusted, so the last 3 days it's been at 63-64. seems pretty good for the style.

Sounds good so far! That WY2565 takes a while to clear up, so give it some time while lagering.

Let me know what you think once you taste it!

TB
 
i racked this to a secondary two days ago for lagering. it finished at 1.010, right in line with the specs. when i checked the gravity, i got a mouthful to taste and IT WAS INCREDIBLE! i could have poured a glass of the flat, green beer and enjoyed it thoroughly.

still alot of yeast in suspension, much of which has fallen out after two days below 40 degrees. i will kind of miss it when it falls ;) but, this is a beer for public consumption at a cancer benefit, so it shall be clear. and it has 3 weeks to clear, so it should be in good shape.
 
I'm patting myself on the back for buying double ingredients. Couldn't handle letting it all go to charity and not getting any for myself. I'm going make another batch this Saturday!
 
Awesome, glad the beer is coming along so well. Trust me, this one gets better with age. Patience will be rewarded for sure.

Please let me know your final thoughts when you taste the finished beer!

TB
 
Why did you use Saaz and Hallertau for your bittering hops? What effect does this bring out instead of only using one type? And why scrape off the hot break?
 
looks great. i think i'll try this this weekend. decided to make an 11g kolsch this weekend instead of cream ale, so this is it
 
Why did you use Saaz and Hallertau for your bittering hops? What effect does this bring out instead of only using one type? And why scrape off the hot break?
Good questions!
I used Hallertau and Saaz for bittering because I love both of their bittering properties, so I figured that I would combine them. I also use both for early favoring, so that keeps it consistent, for whatever that's worth. You could use one or the other for bittering and get good results too.

I scrape off the hot break whenever I brew pale lagers and German ales (unless I FWH). This leaves less break material to be removed in the kettle from whirlpool, and improves clarity. I know professional brewers who do this as well. In fact, it was a professional brewer who gave me the idea. Don't worry if you skip this part; you can still get a clear product if you use Irish moss and get good coagulation and a good whirlpool.

looks great. i think i'll try this this weekend. decided to make an 11g kolsch this weekend instead of cream ale, so this is it
Great! Looking forward to your feedback when it's done!

TB
 
Good questions!
I used Hallertau and Saaz for battering because I love both of their bittering properties, so I figured that I would combine them. I also use both for early favoring, so that keeps it consistent, for whatever that's worth. You could use one or the other for bittering and get good results too.

I scrape off the hot break whenever I brew pale lagers and German ales (unless I FWH). This leaves less break material to be removed in the kettle from whirlpool, and improves clarity. I know professional brewers who do this as well. In fact, it was a professional brewer who gave me the idea. Don't worry if you skip this part; you can still get a clear product if you use Irish moss and get good coagulation and a good whirlpool.


Great! Looking forward to your feedback when it's done!

TB

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying why you scrape off the hot break. What bittering properties are you looking for? I was under the impression that alpha acid is alpha acid and at 60 minutes, all the flavor and aroma will be boiled off.

And thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it as a somewhat new brewer. I'll probably be brewing this one up real soon.
 
celts said:
Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying why you scrape off the hot break. What bittering properties are you looking for? I was under the impression that alpha acid is alpha acid and at 60 minutes, all the flavor and aroma will be boiled off.
That not necessarily true. There are three types of alpha acids in focus here - humulone, adhumulone, and cohumulone. It is said that the cohumulone alpha acids impart a harsher bitterness, and noble hops are typically much lower in cohumulones than other varieties. This property gives hops such as Saaz and Hallertau a more smooth and pleasant bitterness. They differ slightly between the two, but I just love both, so that's why I used both.

And thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it as a somewhat new brewer. I'll probably be brewing this one up real soon.
Hey, no problem. I'm glad to help. Hope this recipe works well for ya.

TB
 
Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was super clear. I followed your directions on scraping off hot break and did some other clarifying work (vorlauf, lagering). Very fine beer. Thanks for the recipe--I was damn glad I bought enough ingredients for a second batch after the event!

Notes:
In my two batches, the only variation was water. I used pure reverse osmosis water for the first batch, and it was outstanding. I used spring water from our cabin for the second batch with a higher mineral content, and it was not quite as good as the first batch. Still very good, but not as technically sound as the first one. I recommend a very soft water for this brew.

I also used Perle hops for bittering on both batches and found them to be very adequate on imparting a smooth bitterness. I agree that Saaz and Hallertau would be good, but was trying to save a few bucks and Perle worked fine.
 
Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was super clear. I followed your directions on scraping off hot break and did some other clarifying work (vorlauf, lagering). Very fine beer. Thanks for the recipe--I was damn glad I bought enough ingredients for a second batch after the event!
That's great! I'm glad the beer turned out well. It really is a crowd pleaser for a variety of people, and I try to keep this one on tap for a several months out of the year.

Notes:
In my two batches, the only variation was water. I used pure reverse osmosis water for the first batch, and it was outstanding. I used spring water from our cabin for the second batch with a higher mineral content, and it was not quite as good as the first batch. Still very good, but not as technically sound as the first one. I recommend a very soft water for this brew.
I've used distilled water before with good results too. Of course, when I brew this with charcoal filtered tap water, it's still pretty good, just not as soft.

I also used Perle hops for bittering on both batches and found them to be very adequate on imparting a smooth bitterness. I agree that Saaz and Hallertau would be good, but was trying to save a few bucks and Perle worked fine.
That's fine. You could also use Northern Brewer hops to save some bucks. They're low in cohumulones, high in alphas, and taste good.

Cheers!
TB
 
That's fine. You could also use Northern Brewer hops to save some bucks. They're low in cohumulones, high in alphas, and taste good.
TB

exactly my thinking, and the Perles are borne out of a Northern Brewer strain :D
 
Tiber, thanks for the recipe. I just won first place in Wootown Brewer's competition "Barley Legal 2" for light hybrid ale with this recipe!
 
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