The "Perfect" Kolsch

[Broothru]

Long but informative.

It probably took longer to write than reading it.

Yes, absolutely. And it took even longer to work through all the moving pieces.

It kinda’ got started last Fall when I got an email from White Labs that they were releasing their collaboration yeast with East Bay Labs, WLP-4061 “Rhine Kolsch”, from the Vault. That’s what got me thinking that maybe it was the ‘silver bullet’ that would help me finally brew the perfect Kolsch. Things kinda’ took on a life of their own after that.

What followed was several months of study and solicitation for info about all things ‘Kolsch’. After it felt like I finally had a handle on most of the variables, I got busy with the planning and execution in March of this year. The final project included test and evaluation of six yeasts, formulation of seven discrete recipes, and 13 total separate fermentations. This is all in addition to the other five full volume beers I've brewed since May of this year: a NZ Pilsner, a Pivo Grodzeskie, an 1896 Michelob (Bohemian pils), a Mexican lager, and a Tupelo Honey Cream Ale. It's been a busy year!

The comparison tasting was the final metric I needed to evaluate the best recipe and list of ingredients. Now that beer is conditioning in the keg, and all that is left is bottling the samples and submitting them for judging. Finally I'm taking a breather.

Time will tell if it was worth all the effort, since I’ve never gone this far into the minutiae in brewing any beer. It has been fun, and I have learned a great deal in the process, not just about Kolsch beer but also brewing in general.

Many thanks to all who have contributed their insights and suggestions. It's been a journey, but the end goal is in sight.

 

[Broothru]

Long but informative.

It probably took longer to write than reading it.

Yes, absolutely. And it took even longer to work through all the moving pieces.

It kinda’ got started last Fall when I got an email from White Labs that they were releasing their collaboration yeast with East Bay Labs, WLP-4061 “Rhine Kolsch”, from the Vault. That’s what got me thinking that maybe it was the ‘silver bullet’ that would help me finally brew the perfect Kolsch. Things kinda’ took on a life of their own after that.

What followed was several months of study and solicitation for info about all things ‘Kolsch’. After it felt like I handle on most of the variables, I got busy with the planning and execution in March of this year. The final project included test and evaluation of six yeasts, formulation of seven discrete recipes, and 13 total separate fermentations.

The comparison tasting was the final metric I needed to evaluate the best recipe and list of ingredients. Now that beer is conditioning in the keg, and all that is left is bottling the samples and submitting them for judging.

Time will tell if it was worth all the effort, since I’ve never gone this far into the minutiae in brewing any beer. It has been fun, and I have learned a great deal in the process, not just about Kolsch beer but also brewing in general.

 

[Broothru]

Yes, absolutely. And it took even longer to work through all the moving pieces.

It kinda’ got started last Fall when I got an email from White Labs that they were releasing their collaboration yeast with East Bay Labs, WLP-4061 “Rhine Kolsch”, from the Vault. That’s what got me thinking that maybe it was the ‘silver bullet’ that would help me finally brew the perfect Kolsch. Things kinda’ took on a life of their own after that.

What followed was several months of study and solicitation for info about all things ‘Kolsch’. After it felt like I handle on most of the variables, I got busy with the planning and execution in March of this year. The final project included test and evaluation of six yeasts, formulation of seven discrete recipes, and 13 total separate fermentations.

The comparison tasting was the final metric I needed to evaluate the best recipe and list of ingredients. Now that beer is conditioning in the keg, and all that is left is bottling the samples and submitting them for judging.

Time will tell if it was worth all the effort, since I’ve never gone this far into the minutiae in brewing any beer. It has been fun, and I have learned a great deal in the process, not just about Kolsch beer but also brewing in general.

Mods, please delete the double entry. The first one was probably too long already .

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Why the rush to get the beer in the keg so fast? 9-days doesn't seem long enough. Sorry if I missed it above, but how long after after you kegged did you do the testing? Thanks

 

[ClaudiusB]

@Broothru, will you post a picture of your creation?

 

[Broothru]

@Broothru, will you post a picture of your creation?

I’ll do ‘ya one better. I’ve got a Gaffel and a PJ Fruh I’ve been saving to compare with my Kolsch. I’ll even draught off a Stange of my “leftovers” (Beers 2,3 &5, combined) that I kegged to make room for my lagering.

A picture of all four next to each other would be a nice visual contrast. I may even try to get SWMBO’d to set up my own personal blind tasting!

 

[Broothru]

Why the rush to get the beer in the keg so fast? 9-days doesn't seem long enough. Sorry if I missed it above, but how long after after you kegged did you do the testing? Thanks

The youngest was 3 weeks in the keg, the oldest was 6 weeks. All had been spunded to 1 BAR and cold crashed over three days to serving temperature (39F) prior to kegging.

I also this year started adding ALDC enzyme to the fermenter at the same time I pitch the yeast. The literature states that it ensures a more rapid fermentation to full attenuation in addition to blocking the formation of diacetyl. The ‘lagering’ phase is reduced from several weeks to several days. My experience so far (19 fermentations since last March) seems to bear this out. But dang, that stuff is expensive!

 

[duelerx]

Warning: Lengthy (likely boring) post follows:

Update to the Perfect Kolsch of 2025 thread

So, I figured it’s past time for an update on my progress on brewing the Perfect Kolsch this year. To recap, I’ve visited Koln several times, absolutely love the Kolsch beers, have brewed them more than a few times with moderate success in competitions, but have never been able to find that special ‘something’ to take it to the top of the final round. I came close last summer (scored a “39” and took Best of Category in a local BJCP competition), so I made it my project this year to deep dive into just what it is that makes a great Kolsch truly great, from the ground up.

I started with yeast, since I’ve been told that Kolsch is a “yeast driven beer.” I’ve never been a big fan of White Labs 029 Kolsch, which I’ve used quite a bit in the past, so I ‘auditioned’ six other yeasts purported to be “Kolsch,” three of them fairly common and three that are not. The more common ones were: Wyeast 2565 “Kolsch”, Imperial G03 “Deiter”, Omega OYL-044 “Kolsch II.” The less common were: White Labs/Yeast Bay WLP-4061 “Rhine Kolsch”, Escarpmemt Labs (Canada) ESC-126 “Kolsch,” and Jasper Labs (local, and very popular) “Kolsch.” I was unable to acquire several other highly recommended yeasts due to unavailability from the propagator, or bankruptcy.

For a blank slate comparison, I mashed and boiled a full volume of my 2024 Kolsch recipe, divided it into (six) separate one-gallon fermenters to assess their performance under identical circumstances. All performed exceptionally well, with the exception of the local propagation from Jasper labs. That said, I was most impressed with the Escarpment Labs ESC-126. It fermented cleanly to 81% attenuation, cleared quickly, allowed the hops to come through, and left just the slightest taste of red apple fruit.

I had my yeast. Though the competition had been close between #2565, G03 Deiter, WLP-4061 Rhine, and Omega Kolsch II, the Escarpment Labs ESC-126 stood out as the best. Now on to Phase 2.

Determining what the best recipe was going to include would be based on a solid, traditional Kolsch grist with a few small tweaks along the margins, to determine what malts and hops in what proportions proved to be the most authentic and especially enjoyable. They would all be partial batches (2 ½ -3 gal) brewed and fermented separately but in the same equipment with the same water chemistry profile and temperature, not under pressure, but all spunded at the completion of fermentation. Each would be allowed to lager/condition for 3~6 weeks before a comparative tasting and evaluation.

In the end, there were five iterations of the the base recipe. All recipes except for one had Best Malz Heidelburg as the base malt. The odd-out recipe used Weyermann Barke Pilsner as the base grain. One recipe also used half Heidelburg/half Weyermann German Pilsner as the base malt (I was running low on Heidelburg). All recipes included Vienna malt (~10%) and either white wheat or Chit malt (~5%), and sufficient acidulated malt to achieve desired mash pH. Some included small amounts (<4% Carafoam) in the grist.

Hops were Hallertau Mittelfruh, Perle, Tettnang, or Spalter in various additions, combinations and times, either First Wort, :20 minute boil, or :20 minute whirlpool @ 70C. The only hop included in all recipes was Hallertau Mittelfruh. Calculated IBUs were all between 24-26, though one was as high as 28 IBUs. ABV ranged between 4.4% and 4.6%, SRM 3.3-3.6.

By July 4th, the five beers were fully conditioned and ready to be served, which worked out well since my son sponsored a “Friends and Family” cookout that day which afforded an excellent opportunity to get a blind tasting. Amongst the testers were 17 people: 9 men and 8 women (SWMBO’d, being a not beer drinker chose to serve and compile the results). I also participated in the blind tasting, and the entries were truly ‘blind’ to me as to which was which. The group was a mix of age 35-48 year old beer drinkers (and moi, an aging 75ish Boomer) ranging from quite well-informed and experienced tasters to casual beer drinkers who do understand the difference between what they like in BudMillerCoors and what makes (to them) an enjoyable craft beer.

The evaluations were as “private” as could be expected in a group of people trying to offer individual candid opinions on different beers, without cheating to see what their “next door” neighbor rated from best-to-last. The raw choices for tasters were: “It’s O.K.,” “I don’t like this one,” and “This is my favorite,” with short comments on ‘why.’ If an entry received a “Don’t Like” vote, it would have one “My Favorite” vote subtracted from its final score. Were the results conclusive? Was the sample group large enough, diverse enough, and sufficiently ‘educated enough’ for the results to be meaningfully significant?

Probably not. Neither are most Brulosophy ExBeeriments. But it was fun. And it did produce a clear winner that statistically stood out against the other four, even though the ingredients (grains and hops) were very similar, and the brewing processes were virtually identical. I was quite surprised that the discrimination was so similar across a wide differential of tasters, enough to eliminate statistical coincidence. I was equally amazed (and pleased) to see that the majority of blind tasters agreed with my evaluation as well. Even though I was also a blind taster, I could agree with the evaluations and comments the other tasters made.

So, what about the findings?

Beer #1 – Nobody “Liked” it, and 3 people “Didn’t Like.” Voted off the island, with a score of -3.

Beer #2 – 2 “Likes,” 1 “Didn’t Like.” Net score +1.

Beer #3 – 1 “Like,” No dislikes. +1

Beer #4 – 7 “Likes,” No dislikes. +7

Beer #5 – 3 “Likes,” No dislikes. +3

Final Tally : 17 total “Like/Dislike” votes; zero “It’s OK” votes. Opinions were very polarized. Beer #4 was a 7 to 5 favorite over ‘all the other beers combined,’ so clearly it’s the winner.

Last month I brewed beer #4 for competition, and just got it kegged last Wednesday. I’ve got about four weeks before the entries need to be submitted, so the timing should work out just right. In the meantime, I was running out of storage space in my beer fridge and my kegerator, so I combined the remainders of Beers #2, 3 & 5 in a sixtel (dumped that loser #1), and I’m serving it right now from my kegerator. It may sound like braggin’, but that’s one hell of a beer.

tl:dr

If you’ve lasted this long into my rambling post, you’re probably asking, “Where’s the freakin’ recipe?”

O.K. Here goes:

Water: Ca 81.9, Mg 13.0, Na 44.8, SO4 92.6, Cl 53.2, HCO3 185.9
SO4 : Cl 1.7 (slightly bitter)

Grains:

Best Malz Heidelburg 81.2%
Vienna Malt 8.3%
Acidulated 6.2%
Chit Malt 4.2%
Blackprinze (color) 0.1%

Hops:

Spalter Select FWH 5.7 IBU
Hallertau Mittelfruh Boil :20 7.0 IBU
Spalter Select Boil :10 5.9 IBU
Perle Boil :10 6.6 IBU

Yeast: Escarpment Labs ESC-126

Pitched @ 65F
Day 2 @ 61F
Day 6 @ 68F D-rest & spund
Day 8 38F Cold Crash
Day 9 38F Transfer under pressure to keg

OG 1.047/11.7P
FG 1.007/1.9P
Attenuation: 83%
ABV 5.0%
IBUs 25.2
SRM 3.6

I should have results of the competition and score sheets by the 7th of September with hopefully happy news. I’ve poured a lot of time and effort into this adventure, and feel pretty good about the prospects. Wish me luck.

Sorry this post was so long. I’ll report back next month.

Prost!

Have you tried saurgut?

 

[Broothru]

Have you tried saurgut?

No, I’ve looked into it. But it’s fundamentally no different than adding acidulated malt to the mash (which is also compliant with the Reinheitsgebot). For me, including enough acidulated malt to achieve a desired pH (augmented with lactic acid, if needed) is the simplest and most accurate method for my work flow.

 

[duelerx]

No, I’ve looked into it. But it’s fundamentally no different than adding acidulated malt to the mash (which is also compliant with the Reinheitsgebot). For me, including enough acidulated malt to achieve a desired pH (augmented with lactic acid, if needed) is the simplest and most accurate method for my work flow.

I read different experience using it on the mash and boil, not the same

 

[Broothru]

I’ll do ‘ya one better. I’ve got a Gaffel and a PJ Fruh I’ve been saving to compare with my Kolsch. I’ll even draught off a Stange of my “leftovers” (Beers 2,3 &5, combined) that I kegged to make room for my lagering.

A picture of all four next to each other would be a nice visual contrast. I may even try to get SWMBO’d to set up my own personal blind tasting!

So I got all the 'moving parts' together yesterday and did my own private blind tasting and photo-shoot. Even though my final Kolsch has only been in the keg for about one week. I tapped the keg and got a sample (after dumping the first 2-3 glasses due to sediment). I had SWMBO'd label and arrange all four samples in 'stealth mode' so as to not reveal which was which, and it proved to be mostly successful. More about that later.

The four beers being compared were: PJ Fruh import, Gaffel import, a 'combo' Kolsch of my test batches #2,3,& 5, and my week old 'final' Kolsch. Here's a picture of the lineup prior to tasting. Four 200 ml stangen filled with "the bier that made Koln famous!"

Next came the evaluations. All were very good, each with their own strong points. The combination of strong points, indicating the better beers, were clearly present in the commercial ones, the authentic Kolsches, though not to the extent I would have imagined. Remember, I was blind to the true identity or origin of the beers at this point. All beers were visually near identical in color, clarity and foam, with the major difference being the foam. This picture was taken very soon after opening/tapping and labeling. I noticed a subtle, slightly cloudier appearance to one beer, and noted that it might likely be my most recent HB iteration. Later in the 'reveal', my guess proved to be correct. In tasting, it also seemed to be a bit rough or "not quite finished' yet.

My favorites were #1 and #4. Each had a very delicate taste of sweetness not noticed in #2 or #3, though #4's sweetness was almost reminiscent of light caramel malt (think CaraHell) where #1 was more like soft fruit. #2 & #3 had prominent malt presence though not as sweet (think Munich or Vienna).
Spoiler Alert: Later I discovered that #1 & #4 were the authentic Kolsches and #2 & #3 were mine. That said, my Kolsches did not disappoint, and I feel like they held their own. All are similar, pleasant, and very representative of the style. I was kinda' bummed, however, that one of my own didn't (against all odds) blow the commercial Kolsches out of the competition.

After the reveal, the competitors:

#1: PJ Fruh
#2: HB, my Kolsch Combo
#3: HB, my Final Entry
#4: Gaffel

My observations and comments:

#1: Tiny bubbles, good lace, pronounced bitterness but not harsh, medium body, toasty flavor, lightest color, heavier flavor (caramel), excellent clarity.
#2: Medium lace, slight persistent foam, clean sharp flavor, darker color, very good clarity, medium malt.
#3: Medium lace, some bubbles, light persistent foam, darker shade, good clarity, strong malty flavor.
#4: Darkest color (but not too dark), lots of tiny bubbles, good lacing, slightly sweet, most persistent foam cap, mild roastiness, excellent clarity.

My favorites, in order:

#1: Gaffel
#2: PJ Fruh
#3: My HB Kolsch Combo
#4: My HB Kolsch 2025 (Final Entry)

So, my 2025 entry came in last, but there's some good news in defeat. First, the beer is young and still a bit 'green.' There are still a few weeks for the minor faults I detected to be lagered and conditioned out. If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see #3 is slightly darker than #1 and #2, and has the least clarity, though it it still reasonable clear right now. Time and temperature will resolve those issues as well as soften the malty flavor. A pressure check showed it to be a bit undercarbed, so a few weeks at serving temperature and pressure will improve the foam and bubbliness, which are both adequate but have room for improvement. Soon I believe it will eclipse my HB Kolsch Combo, given sufficient time.

In any event, I'd rate all the beers as excellent examples of Kolsch style beers, but the brewers from Koln deservedly came out on top, much as I'd hoped for miracle results to indicate otherwise. I'm confident my Kolsch 2025 will do well in competition. All the fundamentals are present in the finished beer. It just needs a little more time.

Here's a final picture of the contestants :15 minutes and 'a few' sips later. If you look closely I think you'll agree that the Gaffel is darker than the rest, and the clarity of my HB Kolsch 2025 is good but can be better. #3 shows the least amount of lacing and persistent foam, but I expect that also to do better with three more weeks of cold conditioning.

A hearty "thank you" to all who have offered support, interest and suggestions for improvement along the journey to brew my "perfect" Kolsch.

Prost!

 

[Halfakneecap]

Now i'm thirsty

 

[ClaudiusB]

So I got all the 'moving parts' together yesterday and did my own private blind tasting and photo-shoot. Even though my final Kolsch has only been in the keg for about one week. I tapped the keg and got a sample (after dumping the first 2-3 glasses due to sediment). I had SWMBO'd label and arrange all four samples in 'stealth mode' so as to not reveal which was which, and it proved to be mostly successful. More about that later.

The four beers being compared were: PJ Fruh import, Gaffel import, a 'combo' Kolsch of my test batches #2,3,& 5, and my week old 'final' Kolsch. Here's a picture of the lineup prior to tasting. Four 200 ml stangen filled with "the bier that made Koln famous!"

View attachment 881863

Next came the evaluations. All were very good, each with their own strong points. The combination of strong points, indicating the better beers, were clearly present in the commercial ones, the authentic Kolsches, though not to the extent I would have imagined. Remember, I was blind to the true identity or origin of the beers at this point. All beers were visually near identical in color, clarity and foam, with the major difference being the foam. This picture was taken very soon after opening/tapping and labeling. I noticed a subtle, slightly cloudier appearance to one beer, and noted that it might likely be my most recent HB iteration. Later in the 'reveal', my guess proved to be correct. In tasting, it also seemed to be a bit rough or "not quite finished' yet.

My favorites were #1 and #4. Each had a very delicate taste of sweetness not noticed in #2 or #3, though #4's sweetness was almost reminiscent of light caramel malt (think CaraHell) where #1 was more like soft fruit. #2 & #3 had prominent malt presence though not as sweet (think Munich or Vienna).
Spoiler Alert: Later I discovered that #1 & #4 were the authentic Kolsches and #2 & #3 were mine. That said, my Kolsches did not disappoint, and I feel like they held their own. All are similar, pleasant, and very representative of the style. I was kinda' bummed, however, that one of my own didn't (against all odds) blow the commercial Kolsches out of the competition.

View attachment 881872

After the reveal, the competitors:

#1: PJ Fruh
#2: HB, my Kolsch Combo
#3: HB, my Final Entry
#4: Gaffel

My observations and comments:

#1: Tiny bubbles, good lace, pronounced bitterness but not harsh, medium body, toasty flavor, lightest color, heavier flavor (caramel), excellent clarity.
#2: Medium lace, slight persistent foam, clean sharp flavor, darker color, very good clarity, medium malt.
#3: Medium lace, some bubbles, light persistent foam, darker shade, good clarity, strong malty flavor.
#4: Darkest color (but not too dark), lots of tiny bubbles, good lacing, slightly sweet, most persistent foam cap, mild roastiness, excellent clarity.

My favorites, in order:

#1: Gaffel
#2: PJ Fruh
#3: My HB Kolsch Combo
#4: My HB Kolsch 2025 (Final Entry)

So, my 2025 entry came in last, but there's some good news in defeat. First, the beer is young and still a bit 'green.' There are still a few weeks for the minor faults I detected to be lagered and conditioned out. If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see #3 is slightly darker than #1 and #2, and has the least clarity, though it it still reasonable clear right now. Time and temperature will resolve those issues as well as soften the malty flavor. A pressure check showed it to be a bit undercarbed, so a few weeks at serving temperature and pressure will improve the foam and bubbliness, which are both adequate but have room for improvement. Soon I believe it will eclipse my HB Kolsch Combo, given sufficient time.

In any event, I'd rate all the beers as excellent examples of Kolsch style beers, but the brewers from Koln deservedly came out on top, much as I'd hoped for miracle results to indicate otherwise. I'm confident my Kolsch 2025 will do well in competition. All the fundamentals are present in the finished beer. It just needs a little more time.

Here's a final picture of the contestants :15 minutes and 'a few' sips later. If you look closely I think you'll agree that the Gaffel is darker than the rest, and the clarity of my HB Kolsch 2025 is good but can be better. #3 shows the least amount of lacing and persistent foam, but I expect that also to do better with three more weeks of cold conditioning.


View attachment 881871

A hearty "thank you" to all who have offered support, interest and suggestions for improvement along the journey to brew my "perfect" Kolsch.

Prost!

Thanks for posting your results.

 

[AmarikinBrew]

Mods, please delete the double entry. The first one was probably too long already .

Aha! I thot you were OCD..ing.... again.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Thanks for sharing and good write-up. Let us know the comp results, too.

I find a good month+ of cold storage really does wonders for my kolsch. I mean 32 degrees cold not kegerator temp for at least a week or more of that time.

Good luck.

 

[Broothru]

Thanks for sharing and good write-up. Let us know the comp results, too.

I find a good month+ of cold storage really does wonders for my kolsch. I mean 32 degrees cold not kegerator temp for at least a week or more of that time.

Good luck.

I keep my kegerator at 38F, which granted is a bit cold, but that’s how I like my beers in the summer. It’s also the target temperature for my cold crashing, 5F per day from D-rest.

I increased the carb level in the Kolsch to 15 psig Friday night, and by this morning it was showing more foam and lace from a tap sample. Clarity may take a couple of weeks. Still confident it will improve quite a bit before I have to bottle it.