Kölsch

[Chcarpenter]

Just look for some peer review on a Kölsch recipe I am working on.

Recipe is as follows: (it is for a 20 gallon brew)

84.8% (28lbs) Pilsner 2 Row German 2.0 SRM
15.2% (5lbs) Munich Malt 9.0 SRM

2oz Herkules 14.5% boil 60 minutes

Kölsch yeast (Wyeast Labs #2565) 3 packs w/starter

Thoughts?

 

[BigEd]

Here's my minority report: No Munich.

It's very trendy to add a higher kilned malt, usually Vienna, to homebrew Kolsh recipes. I'm an all pilsner guy for the barley malt. A small addition of CaraHelles or CaraPils (3-4%) and/or German malted wheat (5-6%) is optional. I think Vienna, and to a larger extent Munich malt, adds too much color and too much malty sweetness that is better reserved for other styles.

The hops look about right, maybe 20-22 IBUs.

 

[sudndeth]

Second the Munich. I'd do pils and no more than 10% wheat. I mash 149-50* and ferm at 60*.

 

[dhelegda]

Why no Munich?

 

[ArcaneXor]

Yeah, Munich in large amounts is inappropriate for a Koelsch, although you could add a very small amount of a dark Munch to substitute for the decoction mash character. I wouldn't bother with it, though.

I'd do about 90% Pils and 10% Wheat, or 100% Pils. Tiny amounts (~2-3%) of melanoidin and acidulated malt can give it a touch of malty complexity and increased crispness, respectively. I wouldn't go higher with them - you don't want the beer to taste like a bock, or be tart.

As for the hops, I wasn't able to brew an authentic Koelsch until I started first wort hopping with Spalt or Select hops. I use the FWH in addition to a 60' addition. I go for about 30-32 IBUs, with the FWH calculated as a 20' boil addition.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Why no Munich?

A Koelsch is an extremely delicate beer. Malts in the Munich range would overpower the Pils malt character and make the beer too dark and malty.

 

[sudndeth]

^^^exactly.

 

[dhelegda]

A Koelsch is an extremely delicate beer. Malts in the Munich range would overpower the Pils malt character and make the beer too dark and malty.

Good to know, I am doing one but it has no Munich, but I'm curious, do you lager your Kolsch?

 

[BigEd]

Good to know, I am doing one but it has no Munich, but I'm curious, do you lager your Kolsch?

A Kolsch is technically an ale but a short term (2-3 weeks) of cold conditioning will reward you.

 

[BigEd]

Why no Munich?

Because a Kolsch (or more appropriately a Kolsch style) should be very light in color, have crisp profile and a nice dry finish. Darker, richer malts like Munich will interfere with that goal.

 

[syd138]

My 2 cents, just to echo what others have said, don't use the Munich.

I did a fantastic Kolsch before and I only used Light DME. This is a really simple beer as far as ingredients go.

If I were you, I'd just to straight Pilsner.

 

[MaxStout]

Kölsch is one of those styles that lends itself well to SMaSH brewing. Pilsner and German noble hops. Couldn't be simpler.

And +1 on the cold-conditioning for a few weeks.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I do 80% Pilsner, 10% Munich and 10% Wheat. It does have a bit of malt sweetness and it is a lovely beer. If you're brewing for a competition maybe you should omit the Munich but if you're brewing for yourself and for people that aren't big on non-BMC beers this is a good beer to have them try.

 

[Chcarpenter]

Alright so I decided that I liked the idea of just going German Pils, but as I play with my recipe I am not able to hit my color range very well. This is currently what I have. Thoughts?

 

[LandoLincoln]

No, you're not going to hit your color numbers with only Pils unless you go way above your OG range. Unless there's some brand of Pils out there that's way darker than the usual stuff. According to BeerSmith, Durst makes a Pilsner malt that has a color of 7L. Maybe you could get your hands on that and blend that with other light Pilsner malts to get the color right. Not sure if I've ever seen that particular malt for sale anywhere.

If you go 96% light Pils / 4% 20L Munich (Briess makes 20L Munich malt) then you'd have all of your numbers in the style range and not much Munich.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Alright so I decided that I liked the idea of just going German Pils, but as I play with my recipe I am not able to hit my color range very well. This is currently what I have. Thoughts?

Unless this is a competition beer, who cares that your SRM is too low by 0.2 units? But if you do want to hit your color range, toss in a few kernels of Black Barley or Debittered Black malt - try 1/4% of the grist and see what that does. That's better than messing with darker base malts.