Recently I have been seeking out Kolsch beers. They are a nice light style that is a great change of pace from the bigger bigger bigger trend in the craft beer world. With the addition of temperature control to my fermentation set up, brewing a Kolsch for myself is now within reach. I decided that developing a good Kolsch recipe is my goal for this summer. I started my quest with the Kolsch book by Eric Warner. Warner’s book is part of the Brewer’s Publication’s Classic Style Series. It gives history, techniques and recipes for Kolsch beers. After getting an understanding of the history of the Kolsch beer and consulting Brewing Classic Styles, I came up with the recipe below. There was one change from my initial recipe to what you see below. I planned to use Kolsch yeast, but my local homebrew shop was out. I substituted the German Ale yeast as the closest alternative.
Recipe Specifications -------------------------- Boil Size: 7.22 gal Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal Estimated OG: 1.049 SG Estimated Color: 3.2 SRM Estimated IBU: 24.7 IBUs Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 % Est Mash Efficiency: 85.0 % Boil Time: 90 Minutes Ingredients: ------------ Amt Name %/IBU 8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) 94.1 % 8.0 oz Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) 5.9 % 1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 17.9 IBUs 0.25 oz Perle [8.00 %] - Boil 40.0 min 6.8 IBUs 1.0 pkg German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) [0.75L Starter] Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Light Body Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 8.0 oz ---------------------------- Name Description Step Temp Step Time Protein Rest Add 3.38 gal of water at 127.7 F 122.0 F 30 min Saccharification Heat to 148.0 F over 15 min 148.0 F 75 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F 10 min Sparge: Fly sparge with 5.58 gal water at 168.0 F
I wanted to start simple. Starting simple allows for easier changes and in many cases achieves what you want without muddling the beer. From here I intend to make changes one at a time until I have the beer I want. Making small incremental changes will allow me to understand the effect of each change. If I made multiple changes and the aroma got better, but the flavor was worse I may not be able to decipher what change to keep and which to revert back to original. The sample I tasted when I took my final gravity reading and transferred to the keg was nice and light. There was a slight fruitiness that may be cleaned up as it sits. It could be a byproduct of the German Ale yeast. I will try this same recipe again with the Kolsch yeast to see if there is a difference there.