Kolsch - protocol for kegging

[permo]

My kolsh will be on week #2 in primary coming this weekend, 1.054 OG 1.011 gravity as it stands. Krausen has fallen and hydro sample tasted amazing! Obviously still some yeast in suspension.

Typically, I would just leave this beer in primary for another week or two and then bottle it for 3 weeks and chill it down.

I am going to keg this batch, so I am wondering if I should just keg the beer now, it is finished.....or should I cold crash for a week or so to drop the yeast like a rock and then keg...or just keg it and chill it?

For the record, this is Jamils's recipe, with magnum for bittering and willamete for aroma, and it is the most drinkable hydro sample I have ever tasted.

 

[Bensiff]

I like giving yeast time to clear out fermentation by-products. So I would let it sit a bit longer and then cold crash because I don't like a ton of yeast on the bottom of my kegs. If you cold crash down to about 30 degrees it won't take a week to clear out.

 

[permo]

I like giving yeast time to clear out fermentation by-products. So I would let it sit a bit longer and then cold crash because I don't like a ton of yeast on the bottom of my kegs. If you cold crash down to about 30 degrees it won't take a week to clear out.

I'll cold crash her in the fridge for a while and see what happens....I don't have a dedicated lagering unit, so that is my only choice.

 

[DKershner]

I'll cold crash her in the fridge for a while and see what happens....I don't have a dedicated lagering unit, so that is my only choice.

Just use the fridge to lager it in a secondary vessel, which could easily be a keg.

 

[permo]

Just use the fridge to lager it in a secondary vessel, which could easily be a keg.

I might as well put her under a little pressure too...that could start the carbonating process.

 

[DKershner]

I might as well put her under a little pressure too...that could start the carbonating process.

I lager carb sometimes when it's a short lager. Go for it. Just make sure you can transfer out with pressure too, or else you will probably lose significant carbonation.

 

[malkore]

since the kolsch yeast is technically a cold ale yeast, not a warm lager strain, you don't HAVE to lager it to get a great beer.

i think a few days in the fridge, then keg and carb, will eliminate most of the yeast, and the first pint off the keg will clear out the rest.

 

[skiwithg]

The process that I follow is: once fermentation is complete ( and given a few days), I rack to a keg that I use as a brite tank; cool to serving for 24 hours, add gelatin, given it 4 or 5 days and then closed transfer to a serving keg. The Wyeast Kolsch strain takes a long time to clear, IME. Once in the serving keg, I carb @ 12 PSI and let it sit for 2 weeks. This works great for me. BTW, the White labs Kolsch strain clears better for me, but I prefer to characteristics of Wyeast.

Cheers,
Glenn

 

[Brocster]

My kolsh will be on week #2 in primary coming this weekend, 1.054 OG 1.011 gravity as it stands. Krausen has fallen and hydro sample tasted amazing! Obviously still some yeast in suspension.

Typically, I would just leave this beer in primary for another week or two and then bottle it for 3 weeks and chill it down.

I am going to keg this batch, so I am wondering if I should just keg the beer now, it is finished.....or should I cold crash for a week or so to drop the yeast like a rock and then keg...or just keg it and chill it?

For the record, this is Jamils's recipe, with magnum for bittering and willamete for aroma, and it is the most drinkable hydro sample I have ever tasted.

My Kolsch is the #1 beer I have on tap, since it is the most liked by SWMBO and the neighbors, so I brew this a lot. My recommendation is to let sit in the primary for 2-3 weeks, condition for at least 2 weeks more, and then let sit on the gas in a keg for at least 3 weeks, using gelatin.

I really work to condition and clear the beer, and since Kolsch is a very simple recipe type beer, it does benefit from extra conditioning in my opinion, since any small off-flavors can not be easily hidden.

For the record I use WLP029, and as a previous poster said, it does seem to clear better.

Here is a link to my recipe that has a pic of the finished product as well as some descriptions of the techniques I use.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cricket-mountain-kolsch-180852/

Cheers!

 

[dstar26t]

The process that I follow is: once fermentation is complete ( and given a few days), I rack to a keg that I use as a brite tank; cool to serving for 24 hours, add gelatin, given it 4 or 5 days and then closed transfer to a serving keg. The Wyeast Kolsch strain takes a long time to clear, IME. Once in the serving keg, I carb @ 12 PSI and let it sit for 2 weeks. This works great for me. BTW, the White labs Kolsch strain clears better for me, but I prefer to characteristics of Wyeast.

Cheers,
Glenn

This is the process I use too except in the brite keg, it gets crashed to 32 after 3 weeks ferment. Then 4 weeks in brite keg adding gelatin during the last week. Then CO2 transfer to serving keg and carb.

 

[permo]

Dang, now that I switched to kegging I may have to start using some finings to clear my beer. Gellatin appears to be preferred.

9 pounds pilsen
1 pound munich
1/2 pound wheat
.60 oz magnum at 90
1 oz willamete at FO
2 quart WLP029 starter

this is my recipe.....I know the hops aren't traditional, but hey...magnum is sort of german.

 

[Brocster]

Dang, now that I switched to kegging I may have to start using some finings to clear my beer. Gellatin appears to be preferred.

9 pounds pilsen
1 pound munich
1/2 pound wheat
.60 oz magnum at 90
1 oz willamete at FO
2 quart WLP029 starter

this is my recipe.....I know the hops aren't traditional, but hey...magnum is sort of german.

Recipe looks good. The only suggestion I have is to add the Willamette earlier on, IF you are trying to stay closer to style. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the addition at FO for pure taste and aroma, however, Kolsch beers have very little hop aroma according to style.