Kolsch - What say you?

[mdbrewer1]

I'd been looking for a nice summer beer that was different than my normal lawnmower styles and thought a Kolsch sounded like it would fit the bill. Without ever having tried one, I ordered a kit.

Fast forward to last night and I tried a Karnival Kolsch from Stoudts. The first thing I thought when I took a sip was "Miller Lite!". As it warmed a bit, it improved some and I starting picking up some white wine flavors.

Is that flavor profile typical of all Kolschs (Kolsches?)? If not, what factors should I focus on to reduce the BMC flavors? The kit came with 6 lbs. Pilsen LME, 12 oz. Bonlander Munich, 4 oz. Crystal 10L, 1 oz. Perle for bittering and 1 oz. Spalt for aroma at 2 minutes. I picked up WLP029 yeast to go along with it.

I can get my swamp cooler down to 60-61 in my basement, but don't yet have a way to cool down further than that for extended periods.

Thoughts from experienced Kolsch drinkers/brewers? Thanks!

 

[iijakii]

Kolsch is pretty similar to a mild pils or blonde, do you like those styles of beers? I don't really equate it with Miller lite but it does have that unique pils taste, usually a bit sweeter and can have some subdued fruity esthers you could equate to white wine flavor.

 

[Auger]

I did a Kolsh a few months ago. I fermented it at around the same temperature, but crash-cooled it, kegged it, and left it cold for another 2 weeks or so...sort of a lagering stage. I still found at first that it had a bud light sort of finish, which I was pissed about. Another few weeks though and it mellowed out/cleaned up and actually ended up being a great beer. Mine was all grain, I used mostly Pilsner malt with a touch of Honey malt for something a little different.

 

[jbrace1]

I used 2-row Pils and 5% wheat malt with Perle for 90 min and Hersbrucker for 10 min. Wyeast 2565 at 60F for 3 weeks.

ABV: 5%
IBU: ~23
SRM: 3


Carbed to about 3 volumes

Mine is crisp and dry (FG 1.007) with a floral aroma. No problem keeping it cold in the glass as it goes down fast

 

[solbes]

Well, Kolsch's usually have mostly pilsner malt base, so that is common with a lite lager. Usually a little wheat to give a crisp finish (I use half lb). The crystal, although low in quantity, seems a tad out of place to me. 4 oz will should not harm it though. The late Spalt addition is also a little weird, I give mine a 25 minute Hersbrucker addition for a little hop flavor. 2 minutes and it will be pretty obvious.

I brew with the other Kolsch yeast WY2565. You can dial in the vinous, slightly fruity flavor by how warm you ferment. 56F and you get so little of that flavor that you can make pseudo-lagers. 58-59 and its perfect. 62F and its a little heavy for me. I would assume its the same thing with WLP029, though you are in the low to upper 60's with that strain.

I don't think yours will taste like a Miller Lite (Triple Hopped!!), no matter what you do. You have more malt, more hops, and should easily be able to pick out the wonderful yeast flavors. Corona must use Hersbrucker hops, b/c I get a little bit of that flavor from my Kolsch (if you can picture an unskunked Corona).

 

[mdbrewer1]

Kolsch is pretty similar to a mild pils or blonde, do you like those styles of beers? I don't really equate it with Miller lite but it does have that unique pils taste, usually a bit sweeter and can have some subdued fruity esthers you could equate to white wine flavor.

I do enjoy both those styles. I don't equate either of them with Miller Lite, but the Stoudts sure reminded me of it.

Auger, that is encouraging. I might try to "bottle lager" for a month in the new (to me) beer fridge I got. That's the best I can do right now.

Would it be reasonable to toss a small amount of wheat DME in as well? Maybe 1/4 lb? If my math is correct, that is about 5%. Also maybe move the Spalt back to 15 minutes or so?

 

[ColoHox]

A Kolsch does very well with a lagering period. After kegging, I hold mine at 34 degrees for 2-4 weeks before tapping. It really seems to help the flavors.

I get more of the white wine flavors when I use WLP029 (Kolsch yeast or german ale 1). Lately, I have been using German Ale 2 yeast for this beer and really prefer the crispness of that yeast.

 

[GuldTuborg]

I think the English plural of "Kölsch" would probably be "Kölsches," or perhaps "Koelsches," if you wish to omit the umlaut. But I could be wrong. Anyway, since you asked...

A small amount of wheat is not out of style for Kölsch, but I doubt it would make a big difference in flavor. Kölsch should be a fairly delicate style. Maybe you just don't like Stoudts' take on it? I know I've had it, and I can't remember it well, but I don't remember thinking it was the tastiest example of the style. I've had lots, though.

There are a few other examples that can be easily had. Maybe try those before you go tweaking the recipe too much. It really might be that you got a bad can or just don't like Stoudts. I don't get much from Miller besides the corn, and there's not going to be any corn in any of these recipes, so a bad can is a possibility.

 

[mdbrewer1]

I really enjoyed the white wine flavors I did pick up, so that is encouraging as well. Thanks ColoHox.

This has been reassuring. I'll have to pick up some wheat DME to add to the mix and give it a shot.

 

[mdbrewer1]

I think the English plural of "Kölsch" would probably be "Kölsches," or perhaps "Koelsches," if you wish to omit the umlaut. But I could be wrong. Anyway, since you asked...

A small amount of wheat is not out of style for Kölsch, but I doubt it would make a big difference in flavor. Kölsch should be a fairly delicate style. Maybe you just don't like Stoudts' take on it? I know I've had it, and I can't remember it well, but I don't remember thinking it was the tastiest example of the style. I've had lots, though.

There are a few other examples that can be easily had. Maybe try those before you go tweaking the recipe too much. It really might be that you got a bad can or just don't like Stoudts. I don't get much from Miller besides the corn, and there's not going to be any corn in any of these recipes, so a bad can is a possibility.

I'll go with Koelsches since it would take me forever to figure out the umlaut.

I'll have to see if I can find any more singles to try. I know Harpoon has a Kolsch as their summer beer. Maybe find a place where I can mix and match.

Thanks!

 

[madscientist451]

I've never been to Germany, and so never any authentic Kolsch. The beers Stoudts make are mediocre to my tastes, but I've never had their Kolsch. If you don't want it to taste like BMG, use German malts and a good dose of German hops as listed below
My own Kolsch has a malt forward flavor profile and the kolsch yeast notes are different. I noticed I liked it more after it cold lagered in the bottle for about a month (after carbing). If you don't have an extra 'fridge for lagering, try to put a six pack in the way back and resist the urge to drink it. Throw together a cardboard box lined with insulation board and chill it with frozen 1/2 gal or 2 liter bottles, this should be able to do better than your swamp cooler.
I used Schill (German) Cologne Kolsch malt as my base base grain: https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/schill-cologne-kolsch-25-kg
Norther Brewer and Homebrew4 less.com carry the Kolsch malt
5 gallons: Target OG: 1.048 Target ABV 4.3-4.9 ABV
8lbs German Schill Kolsch malt or Pilsner Malt
1 lb Weyermann light Munich
.5 lb Weyermann CaraBelge 15L
.5 Rahr white wheat malt
60 min 1 0z crystal or other Hallertau hops
20 min 1.25 oz crystal or Hallertau
20 min 1.5 oz Saaz
0 min .5 oz crystal
0 min .5 oz Saaz

Step mash 122F for 20 mins then 152F 60 min or just infusion mash @152. 90 min Boil
Ferment 56-60 if possible with Kolsch yeast, let rise to the mid-high 60's when its almost done. Cold crash and bottle, lager 4-6 weeks.
Get is started now and it will be ready about the end of July. Cheers!

 

[ba-brewer]

If you plan to bottle you might want to consider doing a cold crash and possible gelatin as well. The yeast stays in suspension pretty bad and can muddle the clean flavor if you dont get it out.

I have only made a couple kolschs, the first was a smash with german pilsner malt and tettenang hops which I think was the best. I did a cool ferment in the low 60s then a cold secondary at 40 for a month wth gelatin added at the end. The other I just put in the keg and added gelatin and even with more than a month in the cooler they still had a yeasty haze and bite.

 

[GuldTuborg]

I'll go with Koelsches since it would take me forever to figure out the umlaut.

Hold "alt," type 0246 on the numpad, release "alt." Voila!

 

[mdbrewer1]

Hold "alt," type 0246 on the numpad, release "alt." Voila!

I'd normally say I'd forget that right away, but the counting by 2s aspect means I'll probably remember.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

I used to live in Aachen, near Cologne for 3+ years. I make my kolsch with 2565 at 60 for 2 weeks, then straight into the keg and after a min of 2 weeks it tastes awesome. I'm just about to kick a 2+ month old keg of it and it does mellow a bit as it ages and you get less yeast in suspension. I love this beer, not miller light at all.

 

[mdbrewer1]

I used to live in Aachen, near Cologne for 3+ years. I make my kolsch with 2565 at 60 for 2 weeks, then straight into the keg and after a min of 2 weeks it tastes awesome. I'm just about to kick a 2+ month old keg of it and it does mellow a bit as it ages and you get less yeast in suspension. I love this beer, not miller light at all.

That's good to hear. Either I got a bad bottle or just don't care for the Stoudts version. Hopefully I'll get a chance to pick up the DME tomorrow and can brew on Sunday or Monday morning.

 

[lowtones84]

If you plan to bottle you might want to consider doing a cold crash and possible gelatin as well. The yeast stays in suspension pretty bad and can muddle the clean flavor if you dont get it out.

I have only made a couple kolschs, the first was a smash with german pilsner malt and tettenang hops which I think was the best. I did a cool ferment in the low 60s then a cold secondary at 40 for a month wth gelatin added at the end. The other I just put in the keg and added gelatin and even with more than a month in the cooler they still had a yeasty haze and bite.

That's interesting, mine wasn't that bad. What strain did you use? I used the White Labs strain and didn't use any finings at all. I "lagered" in the bottle since I lack a dedicated fridge for fermenting vessels as well as kegging equipment, and after 2-3 weeks in the fridge it dropped out quite nicely. Before putting them in the fridge they definitely remained in suspension for a while.

 

[ba-brewer]

That's interesting, mine wasn't that bad. What strain did you use? I used the White Labs strain and didn't use any finings at all. I "lagered" in the bottle since I lack a dedicated fridge for fermenting vessels as well as kegging equipment, and after 2-3 weeks in the fridge it dropped out quite nicely. Before putting them in the fridge they definitely remained in suspension for a while.

The first batched I used white labs and I would say that did clear better. I bottled a 6pack straight from primary and put the rest in a 3gal carboy for 3weeks then kegged. I put some bottles in the cooler once carbed and let to sit until the keg was ready so 3 or 4 weeks, bottles were still cloudy with a yeast bite and the keg was clear. I dont recall how long it took the bottles to clear.

Second time was the wyeast 2565, straight from primary to keg to carb and aged at 40F, 2months it was still a bit cloudy and at 3months it was finally clear. I did add gelatin after a couples days in the keg. I used the wyeast yeast on a helles like beer that has been in the keg for a little over a month now and is still a bit cloudy, it had gelatin added too.

 

[Silentdrinker]

If you don't end up liking it, you can always dry hop it.

 

[GuldTuborg]

If you don't end up liking it, you can always dry hop it.

I'm pretty sure that works with just about any style, doesn't it?

 

[beerclone]

Just brewed this style yesterday with WLP029 yeast. It says on the label optimal temp is 65-69F,so I am fermenting at 67F. Am I missing something?

 

[SpeedYellow]

A good kolsch, like a good Pilsner, succeeds due to its subtleties. And you're not going to achieve those with extract. So this recipe will produce a very mediocre, at best, kolsch. Extract can work fine in certain beers like IPAs and stouts, but kolsch won't do it.

 

[lowtones84]

Just brewed this style yesterday with WLP029 yeast. It says on the label optimal temp is 65-69F,so I am fermenting at 67F. Am I missing something?

You'll be fine. I used that very same yeast recently around the same temperature, although many people use it lower. You may get a slight mineral or white wine character, but it's certainly not overpowering and it pretty much disappeared after my bottles were in the fridge for two weeks.

 

[mdbrewer1]

A good kolsch, like a good Pilsner, succeeds due to its subtleties. And you're not going to achieve those with extract. So this recipe will produce a very mediocre, at best, kolsch. Extract can work fine in certain beers like IPAs and stouts, but kolsch won't do it.

Thanks for your insights. How many extract Koelsches have you had?

 

[solbes]

My second batch ever was an extract Kolsch. I thought it turned out excellent. As long as you are getting fresh extract (LME MUST be fresh!!), I think you can make beers that rival partial mash and all grain.

Kolsch malt profile is almost all Pilsner right? Use some fresh Pilsner LME, add any specialty grains to steep, and brew away. I bet it would turn out great if you pitched enough yeast and fermented at the right temps.

I also use some gelatin to drop out a lot of the WY2565 yeast (add to secondary as I'm racking in cold beer, hold at 35F for 2-3 weeks). Some still stays in suspension which doesn't bother me. In fact it usually tastes better a tad cloudy than crystal clear due to the yeast flavors.

 

[mdbrewer1]

My second batch ever was an extract Kolsch. I thought it turned out excellent. As long as you are getting fresh extract (LME MUST be fresh!!), I think you can make beers that rival partial mash and all grain.

Kolsch malt profile is almost all Pilsner right? Use some fresh Pilsner LME, add any specialty grains to steep, and brew away. I bet it would turn out great if you pitched enough yeast and fermented at the right temps.

I also use some gelatin to drop out a lot of the WY2565 yeast (add to secondary as I'm racking in cold beer, hold at 35F for 2-3 weeks). Some still stays in suspension which doesn't bother me. In fact it usually tastes better a tad cloudy than crystal clear due to the yeast flavors.

The grains and extract should be fresh. I have WLP029 in the fridge and will make a starter as per my normal process. I can hold ferm temps in the low 60s in a swamp cooler in my basement.

I'm going to give it a shot and see what I get. I don't have a discerning palate at this point, so as long as it's not a Miller Lite clone, I'll be happy. If someone else wants to call it mediocre, that will just mean more for me.