Kölsch Tiber's Perfect Kölsch

[Tiber_Brew]

Awesome, glad the beer is coming along so well. Trust me, this one gets better with age. Patience will be rewarded for sure.

Please let me know your final thoughts when you taste the finished beer!

TB

 

[celts]

Why did you use Saaz and Hallertau for your bittering hops? What effect does this bring out instead of only using one type? And why scrape off the hot break?

 

[lumpher]

looks great. i think i'll try this this weekend. decided to make an 11g kolsch this weekend instead of cream ale, so this is it

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Why did you use Saaz and Hallertau for your bittering hops? What effect does this bring out instead of only using one type? And why scrape off the hot break?

Good questions!
I used Hallertau and Saaz for bittering because I love both of their bittering properties, so I figured that I would combine them. I also use both for early favoring, so that keeps it consistent, for whatever that's worth. You could use one or the other for bittering and get good results too.

I scrape off the hot break whenever I brew pale lagers and German ales (unless I FWH). This leaves less break material to be removed in the kettle from whirlpool, and improves clarity. I know professional brewers who do this as well. In fact, it was a professional brewer who gave me the idea. Don't worry if you skip this part; you can still get a clear product if you use Irish moss and get good coagulation and a good whirlpool.

looks great. i think i'll try this this weekend. decided to make an 11g kolsch this weekend instead of cream ale, so this is it

Great! Looking forward to your feedback when it's done!

TB

 

[celts]

Good questions!
I used Hallertau and Saaz for battering because I love both of their bittering properties, so I figured that I would combine them. I also use both for early favoring, so that keeps it consistent, for whatever that's worth. You could use one or the other for bittering and get good results too.

I scrape off the hot break whenever I brew pale lagers and German ales (unless I FWH). This leaves less break material to be removed in the kettle from whirlpool, and improves clarity. I know professional brewers who do this as well. In fact, it was a professional brewer who gave me the idea. Don't worry if you skip this part; you can still get a clear product if you use Irish moss and get good coagulation and a good whirlpool.


Great! Looking forward to your feedback when it's done!

TB

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying why you scrape off the hot break. What bittering properties are you looking for? I was under the impression that alpha acid is alpha acid and at 60 minutes, all the flavor and aroma will be boiled off.

And thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it as a somewhat new brewer. I'll probably be brewing this one up real soon.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying why you scrape off the hot break. What bittering properties are you looking for? I was under the impression that alpha acid is alpha acid and at 60 minutes, all the flavor and aroma will be boiled off.

That not necessarily true. There are three types of alpha acids in focus here - humulone, adhumulone, and cohumulone. It is said that the cohumulone alpha acids impart a harsher bitterness, and noble hops are typically much lower in cohumulones than other varieties. This property gives hops such as Saaz and Hallertau a more smooth and pleasant bitterness. They differ slightly between the two, but I just love both, so that's why I used both.

And thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it as a somewhat new brewer. I'll probably be brewing this one up real soon.

Hey, no problem. I'm glad to help. Hope this recipe works well for ya.

TB

 

[Powers]

Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was super clear. I followed your directions on scraping off hot break and did some other clarifying work (vorlauf, lagering). Very fine beer. Thanks for the recipe--I was damn glad I bought enough ingredients for a second batch after the event!

Notes:
In my two batches, the only variation was water. I used pure reverse osmosis water for the first batch, and it was outstanding. I used spring water from our cabin for the second batch with a higher mineral content, and it was not quite as good as the first batch. Still very good, but not as technically sound as the first one. I recommend a very soft water for this brew.

I also used Perle hops for bittering on both batches and found them to be very adequate on imparting a smooth bitterness. I agree that Saaz and Hallertau would be good, but was trying to save a few bucks and Perle worked fine.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Tiber, I had to check back in and give you a kudos on this excellent brew! I brewed the first batch for the Kegs for the Cure cancer benefit, and it was a hit. There were six other home brewers at the event, and this was the easy crowd favorite. After a couple weeks of lagering, this beer was super clear. I followed your directions on scraping off hot break and did some other clarifying work (vorlauf, lagering). Very fine beer. Thanks for the recipe--I was damn glad I bought enough ingredients for a second batch after the event!

That's great! I'm glad the beer turned out well. It really is a crowd pleaser for a variety of people, and I try to keep this one on tap for a several months out of the year.

Notes:
In my two batches, the only variation was water. I used pure reverse osmosis water for the first batch, and it was outstanding. I used spring water from our cabin for the second batch with a higher mineral content, and it was not quite as good as the first batch. Still very good, but not as technically sound as the first one. I recommend a very soft water for this brew.

I've used distilled water before with good results too. Of course, when I brew this with charcoal filtered tap water, it's still pretty good, just not as soft.

I also used Perle hops for bittering on both batches and found them to be very adequate on imparting a smooth bitterness. I agree that Saaz and Hallertau would be good, but was trying to save a few bucks and Perle worked fine.

That's fine. You could also use Northern Brewer hops to save some bucks. They're low in cohumulones, high in alphas, and taste good.

Cheers!
TB

 

[Powers]

That's fine. You could also use Northern Brewer hops to save some bucks. They're low in cohumulones, high in alphas, and taste good.
TB

exactly my thinking, and the Perles are borne out of a Northern Brewer strain

 

[bknifefight]

Tiber, thanks for the recipe. I just won first place in Wootown Brewer's competition "Barley Legal 2" for light hybrid ale with this recipe!

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Tiber, thanks for the recipe. I just won first place in Wootown Brewer's competition "Barley Legal 2" for light hybrid ale with this recipe!

Hey, great! Congrats on the win! Glad the recipe worked out for you!

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Kegged more of this recently. I've gotten requests from friends & family and I'm always pleased to make more.

 

[rgauthier20420]

I'm gonna bump this thread as I'm doing a Kolsch in a couple weeks and searching for a recipe. I've decided on this one, but wanted to clarify something that I've been reading on other lager posts. Since this is a brew that requires lagering, would a D-rest be needed? I've also read a number of threads that say closer to 50 degrees is better for a Kolsch style. This is the first lager type brew I'm making so do excuse the ignorance. I will be making a 10 gallon batch and breaking it and adding .5 lb of honey to one of the 5 gallons buckets.

Thanks in advance for the help guys! Really looking forward to this one.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Since this is a brew that requires lagering, would a D-rest be needed?

It's recommended, but not entirely necessary. I've done with and without a d-rest for this beer and had success both ways. Keep in mind, however, that I ferment at about 62F on average, not 50F.

I've also read a number of threads that say closer to 50 degrees is better for a Kolsch style.

It might be a matter preference. The WLP029 Kölsch yeast does really well at 58-64ish for a good balance of flavors while keeping that lager-like crispness. I've never tried fermenting this one any colder than 59-60F before. This, again, is a matter of preference, so you may want to experiment a bit yourself and see what you like.

If you do ferment at 50 or so, I would strongly recommend a d-rest.

 

[rgauthier20420]

So I'm going to be brewing a 10 gallon batch next Saturday. Planning on following the recipe (accounting for efficiency) and separating it into 2 buckets and into the temp controlled fridge. Making a 4L starter to split between them of Wyeast 2565 (I'm fond of the brand really). Will ferment at 59-60 until gravity is 2-3 points from the FG then raise temps to 65-68 for 2-3 days. Then cold crash in the buckets in the same fridge for another 3 days then keg.

One of the 5 gallons will be getting 3 pineapples sliced and diced and put into a sanitized bag while lagering. Not sure how long it will stay in there. I'll likely take some small tastes after we hit the 1 week mark to see how the flavors are melding. Probably will leave the other 5 gallons to itself to have a good understanding of what the base flavors will be.

Comments on this plan anyone?

 

[Tiber_Brew]

So I'm going to be brewing a 10 gallon batch next Saturday. Planning on following the recipe (accounting for efficiency)

Note that I would recommend adjusting only the base malt for your efficiency, not the wheat and Munich.

One of the 5 gallons will be getting 3 pineapples sliced and diced and put into a sanitized bag while lagering. Not sure how long it will stay in there.

Well that's different! Let us know how that goes. It is a good idea and will be nice to have the plain recipe in your other carboy for comparison and a good reference for the style.

Good luck with your brew!

TB

 

[rgauthier20420]

Break this on Saturday over the weekend. First time using the new setup with pump and quick disconnects. Everything went very smoothly. Prior to doing that brew, I ran a couple tests on amount of loss in the kettle and all the seals were good. Didn't run a test for boil off though, so we boiled down to 8.5. I'm only getting around 65% efficiency for some reason, so we actually ended up at the 1.047 goal with this volume. Currently sitting in a temp controlled fridge at 60 degrees for a few weeks. I'll take a refractometer read around 2 weeks to make sure we are progressing as we should. I've attached a picture of the set up and also a picture of the sparge arm that is attached to the underside of the MT. With this, I just set the correct flow rate with the valve on my pump and can walk away for the whole thing (although you never really do). Oh, and I sparge for 90 minutes on this batch....not sure if that had anything to do with efficiency.

 

[rgauthier20420]

If anyone is still following this thread and can comment that would be great.

So the batch has been sitting at 60 now for 5 days (since last Saturday) and has already gone from 12P to 6.6P. That's 1.047 to 1.013....in 5 days!!! This seems fast, but again this is my first Kolsch yeast and fermentation at such a low temp, so I'm open to opinions on this.

I''m expecting it to be closer to 1.010 by this weekend. I will then move it up to 68 degrees for a D-rest (to be on the safe side) for 2-4 days. Then, I'll drop it to the upper 30's for a couple days for a short cold crash, and then rack to the kegs for lagering.

Anyone care to comment on this process? Thanks!

 

[rgauthier20420]

**Update**

Again, not sure if anyone is following this so. Well we ended up around 1.009 for FG which is a good number for me. There were no sulfar smells or anything so did a D-rest for only 3 days then crashed for 2 then kegged. Currently sitting in the kegerator under 30 psi to get carbed up and then let it continue to lager. I wanted to carb it so I can get a feeling of how it ages.

Planning on kegging the other 3.5 gallons this evening with the pineapple. Once the 5 gallons is done carbing, I'll begin carbing this one.

Overall is smells great right now. I'll update later once I'm able to get a taste.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

**Update**

Again, not sure if anyone is following this so. Well we ended up around 1.009 for FG which is a good number for me. There were no sulfar smells or anything so did a D-rest for only 3 days then crashed for 2 then kegged. Currently sitting in the kegerator under 30 psi to get carbed up and then let it continue to lager. I wanted to carb it so I can get a feeling of how it ages.

Planning on kegging the other 3.5 gallons this evening with the pineapple. Once the 5 gallons is done carbing, I'll begin carbing this one.

Overall is smells great right now. I'll update later once I'm able to get a taste.

Sounds like it's coming along quite nicely.

 

[rgauthier20420]

Sounds like it's coming along quite nicely.

The 5 gallon base recipe is really beginning to come into it's own. It's now been lagering for approx 2 weeks and a lot of the beginning sulfer/corn smells and flavors have gone away. It's clearing up very nicely also.

The 3.5 gallons with the pineapple got that on Friday of last week. I tasted it the day after and the pineapple was pretty prominent. Almost a little to much. My issue was a chopped it all up and put it in a bag, and then had to put it in the keg. I didn't chop it small enough and had to somewhat push it through. This squeezed a lot of the juice out I think and I got a larger amount of pineapple in it at the very beginning. So, I literally took it out the next day. I'd rather have less pineapple and a good brew than way to much pineapple was my thought. I haven't tasted it since then though, so I will have to update that part once I've tasted it.

 

[Sequoia]

"Currently sitting in the kegerator under 30 psi to get carbed up and then let it continue to lager. I wanted to carb it so I can get a feeling of how it ages."

Technically, lagering is not done under forced carbonation. Natural carbonation will continue while the beer lagers. (Of course if you have as typical airlock it will not raise the carb level of your beer though.) Once you finish your target lagering period, then you could force carb.

I just split a 10 gal batch of Kolsch 5 gal each and pitched one with 2565 and one with 029. Ferment temps were held in the range of 66 to 69. At 10 days in, both batches were at exact same gravity: 1.011. But the 029 has pretty much stopped gurgling through the airlock while the 2565 was still working along ever so slowly. Upon transfer the 029 tasted pretty good, pretty well balanced between bitter and a slight vinous notes. The 2565 was also balanced, but both the bitterness and wine notes were both more pronounced. The 029 flocculated much more solidly than the 2565; I'm guessing that there was more yeast in suspension thus contributing to the still higher level of ferment going on. So in terms of clearing, the 029 is easier to deal with so far.

Lowering temps over a few days to ~35 - 38F for 2 week lagering period. Will report back after that. Haven't decided if I will use any fining agent yet (probably gelatin or biofine.) Will depend on how the beer looks then, especially wrt chill haze.

Prost!

 

[gboa]

just made this recipe and it came out delicious, much better than i anticipated. used wy1007 though just cause i had it on hand and really like it. will try wlp029 next batch. thank you for the awesome recipe

 

[Tiber_Brew]

just made this recipe and it came out delicious, much better than i anticipated. used wy1007 though just cause i had it on hand and really like it. will try wlp029 next batch. thank you for the awesome recipe

I'm glad it worked well for you!

 

[gboa]

one question...do you think wlp029 is a good choice to try to match Gaffel kolsch or the wyeast a better choice? im looking for the cleaner of the 2 yeast choices.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

one question...do you think wlp029 is a good choice to try to match Gaffel kolsch or the wyeast a better choice? im looking for the cleaner of the 2 yeast choices.

Never had Gaffel Kölsch. In my experimentation, Wyeast was a tad cleaner, but I didn't care for its flavor compared to White Labs. Wyeast also took significantly longer to flocculate under the same conditions as the White Labs.

Here's my advice: use White Labs WLP029, pitch a slightly higher amount, and ferment at 58F. It will be cleaner than mine because of my fermentation at 62F, and you'll still get great flavor and clarity. I'm not hating on Wyeast in general, but for Kölsch, White Labs is my clear favorite.

 

[gboa]

Thanks for the great advice and recipe. i will try the wlp029

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Did you end up brewing this with the WLP029?

 

[gboa]

just picked up all the ingredients today and went with the wlp029 yeast.
gonna brew this tues. ill let you know how it turned out. thanks

 

[Tiber_Brew]

just picked up all the ingredients today and went with the wlp029 yeast.
gonna brew this tues. ill let you know how it turned out. thanks

Any update to how your brew of this recipe went?