Kolsch Recipe Suggestions

[Morrey]

Greetings. I am thinking of doing a Kolsch as I believe this beer may offer a lager like profile with an ale like time line. If I am thinking correctly, would this be a G2G beer in 6 weeks?

Any AG recipe suggestions are appreciated. I'll probably use WLP029 unless I hear enough shouts from the crowd not to, but is there an acceptable dry yeast that can be subbed out?

Many thanks.

 

[bucketnative]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33548

Can't go wrong with this one.

 

[Redtab78]

I have made quite a few Kolsch style beers (including a SMASH with just Vienna and Motueka) using both the wyeast as well as the white labs (both are good in my opinion, but I like kolsch beers more than most). My timeline has been primary for about 10-12 days, then I rack into a secondary, and "lager" at about 45° for 14-21 days, but have gone longer due to work, and had one in secondary for about 45 days.

Here are 2 recipes I have used that has been good and that I have gotten great comments on:

Kolsch-1:
(90 min boil with 75% efficiency assumed)
8.5# Pilsner 2-row
.5# wheat
.5# munich 10L

1oz perle @50min
.5oz Hallertaur @15
.5oz Hallertaur @ flameout (not traditional, but I like the extra aroma it gives)



Kolsch-2: (non-traditional hops)

(90 min boil with 75% efficiency assumed)
8# Pilsner 2-row
1# Vienna malt
.5# Munich
1# wheat

.5 oz Motueka @60
.25 motueka and .25oz Pacifica @ 20
.25 oz Pacific jade @ 10



As I said, those are the 2 that have had the best response on, however I do have a "red-rye" kolsch style beer fermenting now that I feel like is going to be a pretty big hit as well. If your interested in that recipe, PM me.

 

[dmtaylor]

Kolsch is fine to do as a SMASH beer if you like, or minimal specialty grains besides pilsner malt base. Noble hops. Definitely use WLP029 if you want it within 6 weeks, as the Wyeast 2565 alternative is an extremely sluggish yeast that would take much longer.

 

[Morrey]

Good suggestions. On each of these I have all the ingredients on hand except the yeast. I DO have US-05 on hand, and while I know this will not be a Kolsch if I use 05, what will I "lose" by going the dry route?

 

[bucketnative]

Good suggestions. On each of these I have all the ingredients on hand except the yeast. I DO have US-05 on hand, and while I know this will not be a Kolsch if I use 05, what will I "lose" by going the dry route?

I think you will lose the distinct Kolsch yeast contribution.

I have seen folks use K-97 for German style beers, because it supposedly produces few esters. If you absolutely need to go dry, try that one.

 

[Morrey]

I think you will lose the distinct Kolsch yeast contribution.

I have seen folks use K-97 for German style beers, because it supposedly produces few esters. If you absolutely need to go dry, try that one.

That only stands to reason. The 029 is a very good yeast and I figured 05 is trying to take a convenience shortcut. I'd just end up with a generic style ale with 05 I suppose which is not my goal.

 

[KeninMN]

Kolsch yeast is a low flocculator, so unless you have the ability to cold crash and fine with gelatin, be prepared to wait a long time for it to clear. And if you can't cold crash and fine with gelatin, and you also bottle, be prepared for a lot of sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

My recipe for a 5.5 gallon batch is simple: 9 lbs of German Pilsner Malt, 1 oz of Tradition at 60 minutes and 1 ounce of Hersbrucker at 30 minutes. A strong, rolling boil for 60 minutes is sufficient. Ferment it cool, around 60 degrees F until the airlock goes silent and the krausen drops, and then D-Rest at normal room temperature for at least a few days minimum. I leave mine for a week because I only ever have time for doing brewing stuff on the weekend. For me it works out to be about a week from brew day until active fermentation ceases, a week at normal room temp finishing, and then up to two more weeks for cold crashing/fining, followed by bottling and at least two weeks to carbonate.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Try this using 95% Pilsen (German) and 5% Vienna (German) malt and 24 IBUs of Hallertauer (German) hops. Mash in soft water and ferment at 60F with White Labs WLP029 - German Ale/Kölsch Yeast™. Enjoy. It makes a very tasty Kölschbier.

 

[JKaranka]

As above, aim very simple. 95+% Pilsner malt, no silly crystal or stuff. Plain noble hops in one or two additions. One of the Kolsh yeasts. Think of it as brewing a pale lager in a hurry.

 

[Morrey]

Try this using 95% Pilsen (German) and 5% Vienna (German) malt and 24 IBUs of Hallertauer (German) hops. Mash in soft water and ferment at 60F with White Labs WLP029 - German Ale/Kölsch Yeast™. Enjoy. It makes a very tasty Kölschbier.

I like that balance with a small amount of Vienna as you suggested or maybe a bit of Crystal 10L. I love German beers and figure Hallertau is likely my favorite noble hop.

With your version of Kolshbier, how do you manage your hops additions to make a classic bier as I believe yours to be? Two additions maybe...60 and 15 to make the 24 IBU goal? Not sure the way a classic styled Kolsch is hopped.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I like that balance with a small amount of Vienna as you suggested or maybe a bit of Crystal 10L. I love German beers and figure Hallertau is likely my favorite noble hop.

With your version of Kolshbier, how do you manage your hops additions to make a classic bier as I believe yours to be? Two additions maybe...60 and 15 to make the 24 IBU goal? Not sure the way a classic styled Kolsch is hopped.

I use a single 2.5 ounce hop addition, 30 minutes into a 90 minute boil, works perfectly.

 

[Redtab78]

I use a single 5 ounce hop addition, 30 minutes into a 90 minute boil, works perfectly.

For what size batch? Surely not 5 gallons,.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

For what size batch? Surely not 5 gallons,.

Sorry about my math error. For a 5 gallon batch it should be 2.5 ounces of hops, added with 60 minutes remaining to the boil.

 

[Totally]

This was my last Kolsch, enjoyed by myself and many others. I was testing a split batch between the two popular Kölsch yeasts.

No one was able to tell the difference between the yeasts.

I really enjoyed both versions and could never correctly tell the difference.

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Kölsch
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 11 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 12 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.047
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.004
ABV (standard): 6.18%
IBU (rager): 20.18
SRM (morey): 4.89

FERMENTABLES:
19.84 lb - American - Pilsner (90%)
1.1 lb - American - Vienna (5%)
1.1 lb - Belgian - CaraVienne (5%)

HOPS:
2 oz - Hallertau Hersbrucker, Type: Pellet, AA: 4, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 16.79
0.5 oz - Tettnang, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 2.62
0.5 oz - Tettnang, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 0.77

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 149 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 8 gal
2) Sparge, Temp: 170 F, Amount: 8 gal
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp - Irish Moss, Time: 15 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
0.5 tsp - Gelatin, Type: Fining, Use: Other

YEAST:
Split batch fermented at 20C between:

5 gallons:
White Labs WLP029

5 gallons:
Wyeast 2565

 

[Morrey]

Decided to go with WLP029 as I have always been pleased with this yeast. My LHBS will have it in on his next order so I'll do this Kolsch beer after I brew my Threefloyds Gumball Head clone next weekend.

About the Kolsch boil time; Most old school brewers stress 90 minute boils due to the potential of off flavors in a dominate Pils brew quoting "this is the way I have always done it". Totally in the above post lists his boil at 60 minutes. Frankly, I'd like to go 60 if this is a safe boil time. This leads me to my final question regarding the Kolsch.....60 or 90 minute boil?

 

[giraffe]

Decided to go with WLP029 as I have always been pleased with this yeast. My LHBS will have it in on his next order so I'll do this Kolsch beer after I brew my Threefloyds Gumball Head clone next weekend.

About the Kolsch boil time; Most old school brewers stress 90 minute boils due to the potential of off flavors in a dominate Pils brew quoting "this is the way I have always done it". Totally in the above post lists his boil at 60 minutes. Frankly, I'd like to go 60 if this is a safe boil time. This leads me to my final question regarding the Kolsch.....60 or 90 minute boil?

Depends on your boil off rate and the batch of malt. 60 is most likely safe. As in 95% likely to be safe.

 

[oujens]

I've brewed with weyermann pilsner for 60 minutes with no issues.

 

[Morrey]

Depends on your boil off rate and the batch of malt. 60 is most likely safe. As in 95% likely to be safe.

My typical boil off rate is 1.25G per hour this time of year and the current humidity. Malt addressed below.

I've brewed with weyermann pilsner for 60 minutes with no issues.

I bought two sacks (50 or 55 lb ??) of Weyermans Pilsen Malts recently. I think I have settled on 95% Weyermans Pils and 5% Vienna with WLP029 fermented at 60F. I am going to try a 60 minute boil this time around.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I have always boiled wort made with Pilsner malt for 90 minutes. Pretty much because a 90 minute boil was something someone somewhere had recommended a while ago. The extra 30 minute boil did not darken beers to the extent anyone ever mentioned it, or I could tell. As for any flavor changes, caused by melanoidins developed in the extended boil, all I know is the beers tasted pretty darn good.

 

[Paulaner]

I do mine with 90% floor malted Bohemian Pilsner malt, 5% Floor malted Bohemian wheat malt, 3% Melanoiden Malt and the rest acid malt to get my mash PH correct, 2 hop additions first wort hops and the rest with 10 minutes of the boil remaining. I brew this with anywhere from 24-34 IBU's, but I only use one noble hop variety, depending on what I have. The thing that most people don't understand is the subtle differences in Kolsch bier, if you go to Cologne and have them, you can taste this for yourself. For instance, have Malz muhle and it will be slightly malty, have Sion and you'll understand the dry yeast finish that everyone talks about, have Peters and you will taste a balanced Kolsch, have a Fruh and you'll have a fruitier Kolsch or a Pfaffen and you'll taste a hoppier Kolsch. If you can't already tell I am in love with Kolsch beer and travel to Cologne regularly to truly appreciate this beer. Now for a rant, I absolutely hate when I read about people making a Kolsch style that has to be this or that, especially when you read the guidelines for Kolsch, I mean really go to Cologne and taste the difference in every brewery. I will admit this is one style that took me years to truly appreciate the subtle differences in each one.

 

[masonsjax]

The hardest part of making Kölsch is pronouncing it the way they do in Köln.

 

[signpost]

I do mine with 90% floor malted Bohemian Pilsner malt, 5% Floor malted Bohemian wheat malt, 3% Melanoiden Malt and the rest acid malt to get my mash PH correct, 2 hop additions first wort hops and the rest with 10 minutes of the boil remaining. I brew this with anywhere from 24-34 IBU's, but I only use one noble hop variety, depending on what I have. The thing that most people don't understand is the subtle differences in Kolsch bier, if you go to Cologne and have them, you can taste this for yourself. For instance, have Malz muhle and it will be slightly malty, have Sion and you'll understand the dry yeast finish that everyone talks about, have Peters and you will taste a balanced Kolsch, have a Fruh and you'll have a fruitier Kolsch or a Pfaffen and you'll taste a hoppier Kolsch. If you can't already tell I am in love with Kolsch beer and travel to Cologne regularly to truly appreciate this beer. Now for a rant, I absolutely hate when I read about people making a Kolsch style that has to be this or that, especially when you read the guidelines for Kolsch, I mean really go to Cologne and taste the difference in every brewery. I will admit this is one style that took me years to truly appreciate the subtle differences in each one.

That is awesome, and I'm jealous. I tend to like a little hop flavor in my kölsch, so I'm glad to hear that isn't completely out of the style.

Also, when I've made a kölsch in the past, I've thought of it as a larger without the temp control, rather than a quick lager. Maybe that's because I used the Wyeast 2565 and it took forever to clear. But even after it cleared and was bottled, it took a while to really hit its peak of flavor.

I guess I'm just patient (or is it lazy?) and don't worry about how long a beer takes to be ready. Efficiency in time is not a priority for me when I'm brewing.

 

[thunderwagn]

I've made a couple batches of Tiber's Perfect Kolsch and I think it's outstanding. Everyone I share it with loves it. It's nice and light yet very flavorful with great body. I wasn't real familiar with the style until brewing this. So we set out and have tried many since, including some pretty well knowns, and friends and family say this is "just better".
I use wlp029, and giving it plenty of cold time is key I have found to making it great.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=231590

Still a little young out of the keg, but has since cleared perfectly

 

[Totally]

Decided to go with WLP029 as I have always been pleased with this yeast. My LHBS will have it in on his next order so I'll do this Kolsch beer after I brew my Threefloyds Gumball Head clone next weekend.

About the Kolsch boil time; Most old school brewers stress 90 minute boils due to the potential of off flavors in a dominate Pils brew quoting "this is the way I have always done it". Totally in the above post lists his boil at 60 minutes. Frankly, I'd like to go 60 if this is a safe boil time. This leads me to my final question regarding the Kolsch.....60 or 90 minute boil?

After reading more current literature and some experimentation I only boil Pils for 60 mins now. I have never had any issues with DMS off flavours.

@Brulosopher tested this with a 30min vs 90min boil.
http://brulosophy.com/2015/09/14/boil-length-pt-2-pilsner-malt-exbeeriment-results/

 

[dmtaylor]

I would only boil for 60. Just ensure it's a good vigorous boil. If you could only handle a slow simmer, then it might be safer to boil for 90.