Just bottled up a kolsch, and after doing some reading (that I probably should have done before bottling), most people say to cold condition/lager it for a period ranging from a few weeks to a "long time" prior to bottling. I didn't, thinking I was supposed to cold condition it *after* bottling. Two questions: will I gain / hurt anything by cold conditioning now that it's in the bottles, aside from no carbonation till I remove it from the cold, and 2. Should I just chalk it up to a newb mistake, let it carbonate, and forget about cold conditioning it? I cooked this one up more for the wife, and honestly don't really mind if it's not crystal clear. I care more that it tastes good. Time for a home brew...thx!
kolsch conditioning
- Thread starter pilot210
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
dirt55
Well-Known Member
You should be fine to let it carb in the bottle like normal and then cold condition it. It will develop more of a balanced flavor with time. I have a Kolsch in a keg that had a slight sulfur aroma with a more then desired sour tang due to the fermentation and it's improved tremendously every month it's aged. I was under the assumption like you that it was ok to drink fresh. I brewed in in July of '09 and it's very enjoyable now and mellowed like some of the commercial examples I've had. At first I thought I messed it up, turns out I just jumped the gun on drinking it. Just another reason to set it aside and brew more batches! 
Similar threads
