Authentic Kolsch Protocol and Technique

[permo]

Can some of you folks please help me with the best procedure for making a true to style kolsch? Here is my recipe:

10 pounds german pilsen malt
1 oz saaz at 60
1 oz saaz at 30
whitelabs kolsch yeast in starter.

I know I will be fermenting this in the upper 50's for about two weeks..it is after primary that I start to wonder what to do with it.

Do I rack to secondary for a few weeks, then prime and bottle it..wait for it to carbonate and then bottle lager it for a month or two?

I was also thinking after two weeks in secondary at 58 degrees I could move it to 33 degrees for a month and then prime, bottle and carbonate it but having enuff yeast in suspension to carbonate is a concern.

I am reallly looking for a good clear kolsch procedure. My basement is sitting in the upper 50s and my garage slightly above freezing. Should be a good time to make a kolsch in time for spring.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Well...I am not 100% certain on the right way to make a Kolsch. I have been trying to find the right way for some time now. I will give you my opinion though.

First...you want to ferment in the primary for two weeks between 68-70 degrees.
I believe keeping it between that temp is a big issue. It is hard sometimes to keep it between 68-70 but you have to try. Watch the temp everyday.

Second...After 2 weeks in the primary move to secondary and drop temp to 34-40 degrees. This is called cold crashing. It is not lagering. Keep it cold for 3 weeks.

Three...Use german hops. Saaz is good. There are others as well. True german hops are the key. Same as Kolsch yeast. You also might want to try white wheat malt.

Four...it takes many different tries to find the right way to make a Kolsch. I have done it many times and only one batch has come out ok. I have a batch fermenting right now at 70 degrees in my basement. I used 100% perle hops.

Many people are going to tell you many different ways to brew a true Kolsch. Just keep brewing and you will find the right way you like. I hope I do.

 

[Edcculus]

Brian - 68 is way to warm for Kolsch. I wouldn't let it get any warmer than 62. It will take a little longer than a normal ale, since its fermenting at a lower temp. To make a proper kolsch, some lagering is required. I think a month would be sufficient. You might consider a d-rest before lagering.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Well I guess it depends if you are making an extract batch or going all grain. If you are going all grain you are right that you should ferment around 62 degrees. I have not made an all grain batch. I have made extract and partial mashes. I would like to try an all grain batch.

The classic beer styles series has a Kolsch book that looks to have many different recipes. A good amount of info on Kolsch and Cologne Germany in that book. I have brewed the lawnmower kolsch from the book. It was ok.

 

[Edcculus]

Well, from what the BJCP style guide says, some Cologne brewers do ferment at 70. It seems to say the majority ferment cooler and lager for about a month.

We did a Kolsch swap earlier this year. If I remember right, we all fermented around the 60F range.

 

[wrench001]

I just brewed a kolsch and used the WLP029 @ 65F for a week. Moved to a secondary yesterday to sit for a few days at 68F-70F and then crash cool.

The temp needed depends on the yeast used:

WLP029 German Ale/Kolsh - Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-69°F. Does not ferment well less than 62°F, unless during active fermentation.

Wyeast 2565 Kolsch - Temperature Range: 56-70° F (13-21° C) - I've read in other posts that around 60 works well for this yeast

 

[humann_brewing]

Well, from what the BJCP style guide says, some Cologne brewers do ferment at 70. It seems to say the majority ferment cooler and lager for about a month.

We did a Kolsch swap earlier this year. If I remember right, we all fermented around the 60F range.

The weird things is that White Labs say the temp range for WLP029 is 65-68.

I plan on doing a kolsch in time for my superbowl party and have been troubled about this too. I see so many people say to go no warmer than 62, but the yeast says 65-68..........

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Exactly...the yeast says 68 degrees. That is where a yeast starter comes in handy.
Biggest issue brewing a Kolsch the right way is the temp.

 

[permo]

What to do about carbonation after a month of lagering? Is suspend yeast an issue?

Also, can somebody please clarify diactyl rest?


Personally, I think that the cooler fermentation temperatures may limit some of the fruity esters that have become associated with kolsch. I personally, would rather have a crisp, clear dry finishing beer.....so i will ferment low 60's maybe....58 may be too cold.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Thats what anyone should be looking for in a Kolsch when they brew it. A crisp, clear, dry, bread like taste.

I would carbonate it like most beers. If you are bottling...room temp then.
Thats what I have done.

 

[permo]

Thats what anyone should be looking for in a Kolsch when they brew it. A crisp, clear, dry, bread like taste.

I would carbonate it like most beers. If you are bottling...room temp then.
Thats what I have done.

Nice! I am getting thirsty just thinking about it.

now another question about mashing.

i was just going to do a single 60-90 minute infusion at 149-150 degrees.

Do you think a more authentic euro pilsen taste might be had if you go through a decoction process? Maybe just a 122 degree protein rest for 20? I know modern malts are well modified but maybe this is the secret to that nice german pils taste?

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Nice! I am getting thirsty just thinking about it.

now another question about mashing.

i was just going to do a single 60-90 minute infusion at 149-150 degrees.

Do you think a more authentic euro pilsen taste might be had if you go through a decoction process? Maybe just a 122 degree protein rest for 20? I know modern malts are well modified but maybe this is the secret to that nice german pils taste?

Honestly I dont know. Try it out and see what happens. If it comes out the way you like please let me know.

 

[Soulrebel]

When I heard Jamil speak about brewing a Kolsch at the NCHF this year he said he does not even use the "Kolsch" yeast for either mfg. I cannot remember what yeast he preffered...too many good homebrews at the time. Maybe someone else can shime in.
In the past I have had a problem with a sulfur aroma. As did a few of the beers in the NCHF competition. Any ideas how to prevent that in a Kolsch?

 

[humann_brewing]

When I heard Jamil speak about brewing a Kolsch at the NCHF this year he said he does not even use the "Kolsch" yeast for either mfg. I cannot remember what yeast he preffered...too many good homebrews at the time. Maybe someone else can shime in.
In the past I have had a problem with a sulfur aroma. As did a few of the beers in the NCHF competition. Any ideas how to prevent that in a Kolsch?

time seems to be the key

from WL

Great for light beers. Accentuates hop flavors. Slight sulfer flavor will fade with age and leave a clean, lager like ale.

 

[DavidP]

What to do about carbonation after a month of lagering? Is suspend yeast an issue?

Shouldn't be an issue. Your bottles may take a bit longer to carbonate than usual but they'll eventually get there. Unless you're filtering there will always be plenty of suspended yeast for carbonation.

 

[malkore]

The Jamil Show did an excellent podcast on Kolsch and Altbier (it was a 2 hour podcast), its available at www.thebrewingnetwork.com

i just listened to it so its fresh in my mind. your recipe looks fine...sticking to noble hops, and a simple grainbill.

one of Jamil's 'tricks' is extremely fast cooling, so that any possible DMS production is halted quickly enough to be completely absent in the finished beer.

and then keeping primary nice and cool, running it longer because of this, and then a cold crashed secondary for clarity. however its not uncommon for kolsch to have a very minor haze.

a diacetyl rest may be needed IF you detect diacetyl when racking to secondary (make sure you let the sample warm up to 70F as diacetyl can be less pronounced when very cold)

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

It seems that the OP wants an 'Authentic Kolsch'. If this is the case you must use Kolsch yeast... there is no way around that.

I make a few kolsch's here and there and I ferment in the low 60's over the course of 2 weeks then transfer to a lagering vessel and let it sit for about 1 month... Then I transfer from my lagering vessel ( Usually a keg) through a .5 micron Filter into its serving keg... Voilla... Authentic Kolsch.

 

[permo]

Also, are we in agreement that authentic kolsch should use exclusivley Geraman Pilsen malt as the only grain? I am also thinking SAAZ hops..but perl, halleratu and tetnang, mount hood and others come to mind.

My plan is this:

5.5 gallons


10 pounds german pilsen malt
1 oz saaz at 60
1 oz saaz at 30

122 degrees for 20 minutes

149-150 degrees for 60 minutes

WL kolsch yeast pitched at 64 degrees

primary fermentation at 63-65 degrees for two weeks

secondary fermentation for 2 days at 63-65 degrees

3 weeks at 33 degrees in my garage

prime, bottle and carbonate for 3-4 weeks at 63-65 degrees in my fermentation room.

I am thinking this should yield a great result. Won't be ready for the super bowl! Maybe April. This is my plan to taste the authentic kolsch

I have tasted two commercial examples and was not impressed with either and found my first attempt to be better.

Great Lake Summer
Summit Kolsch

 

[daveooph131]

Also, are we in agreement that authentic kolsch should use exclusivley Geraman Pilsen malt as the only grain? I am also thinking SAAZ hops..but perl, halleratu and tetnang, mount hood and others come to mind.

My plan is this:

5.5 gallons


10 pounds german pilsen malt
1 oz saaz at 60
1 oz saaz at 30

122 degrees for 20 minutes

149-150 degrees for 60 minutes

WL kolsch yeast pitched at 64 degrees

primary fermentation at 63-65 degrees for two weeks

secondary fermentation for 2 days at 63-65 degrees

3 weeks at 33 degrees in my garage

prime, bottle and carbonate for 3-4 weeks at 63-65 degrees in my fermentation room.

I am thinking this should yield a great result. Won't be ready for the super bowl! Maybe April. This is my plan to taste the authentic kolsch

I have tasted two commercial examples and was not impressed with either and found my first attempt to be better.

Great Lake Summer
Summit Kolsch

I have used the WLP029 on many occassions. It is by far my favorite yeast. I make Kolsch's and APA's primarily with this yeast.

I'll tell you from my experiance pitch a good starter (based on mrmalty.com). Pitch yeast at about 62F, because once it starts fermenting it will reach 68F or so. 68F with this yeast still produces a very clean nice beer. If you have temp control I would set the temp controler to 60F, that way the ambiant air is a little cooler to help keep fermentation temps below 70F. I would let it sit in primary for 15 days, then sample and check gravity. By this time it should be well done fermenting. At this point, the beer will clear pretty quick with a cold crash. I would just leave in primary and cold crash for 2 weeks, then keg or bottle. But if you want you could move to a secondary...I have done both and didn't notice a difference in the final product.

 

[permo]

I have used the WLP029 on many occassions. It is by far my favorite yeast. I make Kolsch's and APA's primarily with this yeast.

I'll tell you from my experiance pitch a good starter (based on mrmalty.com). Pitch yeast at about 62F, because once it starts fermenting it will reach 68F or so. 68F with this yeast still produces a very clean nice beer. If you have temp control I would set the temp controler to 60F, that way the ambiant air is a little cooler to help keep fermentation temps below 70F. I would let it sit in primary for 15 days, then sample and check gravity. By this time it should be well done fermenting. At this point, the beer will clear pretty quick with a cold crash. I would just leave in primary and cold crash for 2 weeks, then keg or bottle. But if you want you could move to a secondary...I have done both and didn't notice a difference in the final product.

Extended primary straight to cold crash. Sounds like a great plan to me.
May ask what varieties and hop schedule you use? Being a hophead at heart, it is difficult for me not to use 1 oz of SAAZ for FWH and then another ounce at 45 or so....FWH generally yields some hop aroma and flavor so I am avoiding it for authenticies sake.

I am also brewing this so that I can show my BMC friends that i can brew a beer that we all like.

 

[kuphish]

Also, are we in agreement that authentic kolsch should use exclusivley Geraman Pilsen malt as the only grain?

Not necessarily. Eric Warner, in his Kölsch book, states that some breweries use 100% Pils malt, while others use up to 20% wheat malt (p. 64).

 

[cyberbackpacker]

As far as the two commercial brews you sampled, I would be hesitant to judge the Kolsch style on a US inspired version. I have sampled quite a few, and have yet to have one that matches the one's brewed in Koln.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

As far as the two commercial brews you sampled, I would be hesitant to judge the Kolsch style on a US inspired version. I have sampled quite a few, and have yet to have one that matches the one's brewed in Koln.

My sister had an exchange student working from Germany here last March. He lives right outside Cologne Germany. I had him try a beer that is brewed in MA by the Cape Ann Brewing Company. It is called Fisherman's Ale. It is a Kolsch style ale. When he tried it he said it tasted just like a Kolsch in Cologne.

Ballast Point from San Diego brews something called Yellow Tail Pale Ale.
That beer is wonderful, if you can get it...get it!

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Alaskan Summer is also a great Kolsch Style Ale.

 

[daveooph131]

Extended primary straight to cold crash. Sounds like a great plan to me.
May ask what varieties and hop schedule you use? Being a hophead at heart, it is difficult for me not to use 1 oz of SAAZ for FWH and then another ounce at 45 or so....FWH generally yields some hop aroma and flavor so I am avoiding it for authenticies sake.

I am also brewing this so that I can show my BMC friends that i can brew a beer that we all like.

Ya saaz is great. I don't have my notes in front of me...I'm working, but I believe I used saaz and tettnager. If you're going for a true Kolsch watch over hopping. I would shoot for 30 ibu, since you like hops. This yeast I also think does a good job of pronouncing the hops over malt.

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

I am using Perle at the moment. I have brewed with Saaz and Tettnager as well.

 

[Brew-boy]

I have won several times with my Kolsch and I agree with others 68F is to hot. You want to keep your kolsch 62-65F max in my opinion.

 

[permo]

just got back from LHBS and they were low on pilsen malt and the saaz hops looked a little old. So I improvised, it is going to be a tad higher OG than a true kolsch, so we'll call it a Kolsch like ale.

7 pound pilsen malt
2 pound vienna
1 pound wheat

1 oz Tradition FWH
1 oz Tradition at 30 minutes.

1 liter kolsch yeast starter

63-65 degree primary fermentation for 10-14 days.
3 weeks at 35 degrees
prime, bottle and 3 weeks at 65 or so


IBU roughly 25
OG roughly 1.054
FG less than 1.015

60 minutes at 152 degrees


I know that traditional kolsch is not supposed to have any hop flavor or aroma..but I couldn't resist. What do you think? I think the vienna will give a nice little hint of maltiness and the wheat will give it nice foam. It should be a pleasant beer to drink all day for the super bowl.

I am hoping to unveil this puppy at a super bowl party

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

I would not use Tradition for a FWH... Kolsch beers are not FWH'd at all.
you would end up at over 40 IBU's which is way outside of Kolsch guidelines.

If i were you I would consider revamping your hop usage and schedule. Also I would mash in at 148-146 for 90 minutes to ensure that you get full conversion and a very fermentable wort.

Kolsch needs to be dry with very little residual sugars... Most end up around 1.008-1.012

 

[permo]

mash in the upper 140's got it.

I just plugged the numbers into beersmith. My tradition hops are AA 5.8%

7.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.00 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
1.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
1.00 oz Tradition [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 20.6 IBU
1.00 oz Tradition [6.00 %] (5 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) Yeast-Ale



I also had another question on the cold conditioning. I have two options...a 33-35 degree garage or a 55 degree basement? I am thinking garage.


does this look to be a little more like a Kolsch? It should have a little hope aroma, which is outside the style..but I think should give it more of a pilsner effect.


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 FG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.99 %
Bitterness: 24.7 IBU
Est Color: 4.0 SRM Color: Color