Maple Sap Rye Kolsch

[HawleyFarms]

So i'm not sure exactly if i'm going with extract and steeped grains or if I want to try a partial mash, but I want to get my ingredients ordered as soon as possible because it looks like we are going to have a short sugaring season. Afterall, this is the first time in 34/35 days we have seen an above freezing temperature.

I want this to be a lighter colored beer but not a full on white ale. It will be my first try brewing with maple sap and my first try at a kolsch. I know that both can be tempermental which is why I may stick with extract and skip the partial mash.

So feel free to critique and help change this recipe to something more do-able.

3 gallon batch

3lbs Golden Light DME
4oz Crystal Rye Malt
8oz Kolsch Malt
1oz German Spalt hops

Boil 6 gallons of sap down to 4 gallons

Steep crystal rye and kolsch malts for 30 minutes at 155. Remove grains.

Add DME and bring to boil.
1/2oz German Spalt @60
1/4oz German Spalt @30
1/4oz German Spalt @5

This will bring the projected ABV to a little under 5% with sap water. SRM will be a little higher than a kolsch should be but not a ton.

Should I keep the golden light or replace with pilsen?

Edit: Added 2oz more to rye for a total of 4. SRM will be about 4-5 points higher than a kolsch should be.

Keep the German spalt? Or Tettnang? Hallertau?

This will also be my first time using liquid yeast, unless someone knows of a dry kolsch. So Wyeast 2565?

 

[ong]

I don't think you get to call it a rye beer with 2 oz in the mash! It looks like you're already doing a partial mash -- what about a lb or so of rye malt? You can always back off the extract to keep your OG where you want it.

 

[HawleyFarms]

Well, I went so low on the rye because it was raising my color so high. Most of the rye kolsch recipes I found were using 1/2 lb for 5 or 5.5 gallons. I can probably push it back up to 4-6oz where I started with it. I just don't want the rye to overtake it. I just really want that subtle rye spiciness.

 

[HawleyFarms]

Anyone else have input on this rye kolsch? Also going to be priming with fresh maple syrup to give it a little extra flavor.

How long should I let this sit in secondary? Will a 2-3 week fermentation and 3-4 weeks in secondary be enough to sufficiently clear it?

 

[HawleyFarms]

For anyone interested, I brewed this about 2 weeks ago. Completely screwed up the planned recipe before I realized that the old batteries in my scale were completely throwing my weights off.

Boiled about 3 gallons of sap down to a gallon and a half. Partial mash with around 12oz kolsch and 6-8oz crystal rye. 1lb pilsen dme. Used the planned amount of hops.

Was my first time using liquid yeast, popped smack pack about 5 hours prior. Pitched about half the packet. Almost 18 hours later saw only a tiny bit of activity so I pitched the other half of the packet. I can see now that even with the activator, I will be making starters.

So all in all, what I ended up with is a strong dark kolsch-ish brew. Spent about 14 days between 60and 65 and now down to between 45 and 50 for a couple days before it spends a month at around 34. Tasty, albeit far from the original plans.

Anyone ever get a honey taste out of kolsch malt? Or is it from combining the crystal rye and kolsch together? Or due to the maple sap? Pleasant honeyish slightly rye spiced flavor.