Oh really? Sorry but I have to disagree! I ferment my Kolsch at about 65 and it comes out like a beauty... same yeast and almost same grain bill.
I didn't say you couldn't do it. You could do that with any ale yeast and have beer. I like to ferment with dry yeast at about 62°-64°, depending on how vigorous it takes off.
There are many brewers that feel that fermenting as cool as is practical for the yeast makes a cleaner beer. The Oregon clubs are believers of this practice. Kolsch yeast was developed specifically for cold fermentation, so high 50's low, 60's is possible. My point is that kolsch yeast is meant to be fermented cold, being a sort of hybrid lager/ale yeast.
As to the wheat, apparently only about 1 brewery in Cologne makes a kolsch with wheat. By using a german or euro pilsener, you can have the good head and body without the need for wheat.
EDIT: heh, minutes later I ran across this:
From:
http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbst...8A?searchTerm=johnson+refrigerator+thermostat
'Digital Temperature Controller
Like the #7051, our Digital Temp Controller operates by overriding the internal thermostat in a refrigerator or freezer and gives the brewer greater control over the fermentation. Unlike the #7051, however, the digital controller has a digital display with adjustable differential. It can be used to heat or cool a fermentation environment - when hooked up to a refrigerator, it turns the compressor on when the ambient temperature rises above your programmed temperature; when hooked up to a heater, it activates when the temperature drops too low. A sensor probe monitors the temperature inside while the readout displays it in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. This is the ideal choice for lager brewers who include a diacetyl rest in their fermentations
or for ales like altbier or Kolsch that require fermentation temperatures in the low end of the ale range.'
