Your favorite Kolsch recipe with 34/70 and American hops?

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@bstacy1974 -
Sorry to hear that though there are some obvious upsides to where you live - a beautiful place. I pay $6.99 locally at Midwest Supplies here in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
 
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I used kolsch malt at 100% but now blend 50/50 with pils. Basically trying to make that rare sack of German malt last. Once I run out of German kolsch malt I can't honestly call it a "kolsch" beer any more IMO. Most "kolsch" beers in the US are just using pilsner malts. Way cheaper but a bit dishonest...like making an English pub ale with domestic 2-rwo and not MO...it will taste fine but deep inside, you know it ain't right...
 
I did find the Weyermann Cologne after a web search.it looks like it could be utilized at 100% of the mash, but a blend with another German base grain plus some acid and/or carapils would add depth. Good point on the fermentation temperature: ferment like a low ester ale, extended cold condition like a lager.

The Kolsch malt is too malty for a Kolsch. I tried it. Stick with Pilsener malt.
 
The Kolsch malt is too malty for a Kolsch. I tried it. Stick with Pilsener malt.
How about BestMalz Heidelberg malt? It looks to be darker than Weyermann Cologne and most German pilsners. I'm thinking to probably go with no more than 50% Kolsch malt, probably 30~40%, with a touch of carapils and acidulated, and the majority pilsner. Hops will be Perle and Spalt, with WLP029 for the pitch.
 
Monkeymath has an interesting explanation why and where wheat can be used:


Only the breweries affiliated with the ruler were allowed to use wheat. It served a dual purpose of reserving wheat for baked goods and creating a state-owned monopoly on Hefeweizen.
And yes, it is dumb that you often find "In line with the Reinheitsgebot of 1516" on bottles of Hefeweizen.

Today, beer production is regulated by the "vorläufiges Biergesetz" (or "preliminary beer law"). This law is still often alluded to as "Reinheitsgebot" (a term which is itself of unclear origin). In particular, it allows the use of grains other than barley in ales, but not lagers. Therefore, wheat can be used in Kölsch, although it is not a typical ingredient.
 
Monkeymath has an interesting explanation why and where wheat can be used:


Only the breweries affiliated with the ruler were allowed to use wheat. It served a dual purpose of reserving wheat for baked goods and creating a state-owned monopoly on Hefeweizen.
And yes, it is dumb that you often find "In line with the Reinheitsgebot of 1516" on bottles of Hefeweizen.

Today, beer production is regulated by the "vorläufiges Biergesetz" (or "preliminary beer law"). This law is still often alluded to as "Reinheitsgebot" (a term which is itself of unclear origin). In particular, it allows the use of grains other than barley in ales, but not lagers. Therefore, wheat can be used in Kölsch, although it is not a typical ingredient.

I think it's also true that compliance with the Purity Laws was not universally followed, outside of Bavaria. IIRC it was viewed in northern regions of Germany as "suggested guidelines."
 
People get too pissy about styles. Let’s remember that most beer styles came from availability of ingredients and local water source. We live in a different time where sourcing anything we want from all across the world is available. So if you want to brew a kölsch with American ingredients and a lager yeast, so be it. Unless it’s in Koln it’s a “kolsch-style” anyway. If anything, it’s more traditional to brew with what’s locally available to you.

34/70 ferments well at ale temperatures anyway. Some brewers are using it for west coast IPAs even though it’s technically a lager yeast. I’d say fermenting 34/70 at Kölsch temps (58-62F) you will get the clean lager like character of a kolsch with a small touch of esters from the elevated temps. Ultimately, the beer is inspired by kolsch. To brew one traditionally, yes you need the right ingredients. However, if you want something close or inspired by kolsch, you’ll do just fine with what you have.
 
People get too pissy about styles. Let’s remember that most beer styles came from availability of ingredients and local water source. We live in a different time where sourcing anything we want from all across the world is available. So if you want to brew a kölsch with American ingredients and a lager yeast, so be it. Unless it’s in Koln it’s a “kolsch-style” anyway. If anything, it’s more traditional to brew with what’s locally available to you.

34/70 ferments well at ale temperatures anyway. Some brewers are using it for west coast IPAs even though it’s technically a lager yeast. I’d say fermenting 34/70 at Kölsch temps (58-62F) you will get the clean lager like character of a kolsch with a small touch of esters from the elevated temps. Ultimately, the beer is inspired by kolsch. To brew one traditionally, yes you need the right ingredients. However, if you want something close or inspired by kolsch, you’ll do just fine with what you have.

Amen... and sometimes you need to brew with your feelings/taste. Experimentation always make us better brewers.
 
I have used Citra in my Kolsch style ales and it is delicious -- nice and citrusy and clean. I usually use Imperial Yeast's Deiter, but have also used the Lallemand dry Kolsch yeast with great success.
 
The Reinheitsgebot made an exception for wheat. Otherwise there would not be any hefeweizens.
Reinheitsgebot never made an exception. Reinheitsgebot, issued in Ingolstadt in 1516, had three aims: to protect drinkers from high prices; to ban the use of wheat in beer so more bread could be made; and to stop unscrupulous brewers from adding dubious toxic and even hallucinogenic ingredients as preservatives or flavourings. As things evolved and wheat became more abundant, brewers ignored the law and the law became either out of date or was unenforceable, then wheat began showing up in beers like Hefeweizens. Wheat was not allowed in beer because the decree wanted the wheat to feed the masses.
 
Reinheitsgebot never made an exception. Reinheitsgebot, issued in Ingolstadt in 1516, had three aims: to protect drinkers from high prices; to ban the use of wheat in beer so more bread could be made; and to stop unscrupulous brewers from adding dubious toxic and even hallucinogenic ingredients as preservatives or flavourings. As things evolved and wheat became more abundant, brewers ignored the law and the law became either out of date or was unenforceable, then wheat began showing up in beers like Hefeweizens. Wheat was not allowed in beer because the decree wanted the wheat to feed the masses.

Call it what you want, but I call it an "exception":
What about wheat? Readers familiar with Weiβbier, Altbier, of Kölsch might ask why Germans are permitted to brew these beers because they include wheat as an ingredient. The exception for wheat dates back to the inception of the Reinheitsgebot, when the Wittelsbachs allowed the continuance of the existing feudal wheat beer brewing privilege exclusively held by the Degenberger family. Controlled by the Wittelsbachs, this exclusive right not only maintained a secure market for the new barley beers, it also created a monopoly for wheat beer brewing.
 
Call it what you want, but I call it an "exception":
I think the more accurate statement is that YOU made the exception , not Reinheitsgobot. You're responding as though Reinheitsgebot is still in effect. The original law forbid Wheat for beer except for the rich. The law was designed to forbid wheat in beer in order to supply bakers with enough Wheat and Rye to feed the people. So, there was no exception ever made and the law has never been changed to include Wheat. Please do research on this matter. If you still feel I am wrong please provide a reliable source supporting your claim. I would be interested in passing that on to my students.
 
Kolsch is an ale, not a lager. Use a german ale yeast if you can't source kolsch yeast.
Technically, it is a hybrid.... An ale yeast that is often fermented at lager temperatures and then laggered over time.
 
Be interesting to know what percentage of German brewers still adhere to it.
If you are asking about how many people still adhere to the Purity Law. I would have to say quite a bit. When touring through Germany a few years ago I noticed a lot of breweries advertising the adherence of Reinheitsgobot as a selling point. The further away from Germany you get, the less people know about it and thus the less it is use.
 
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