Kolsch

[Matt]

I'm mid boil, and brewing Mr Malty's Kolsch recipe, as recommended to me by Mysterio ages ago. Fermenting with WLP029.

Hoping this will keep a mate happy who is a lager drinker.

Happy Good Friday brewing everyone!

Matt

[spearmint-wino]

Cool, hope it goes well. The only Kolsch I've tried is Kuppers Kolsch - available on draught in the UK so I'm guessing its nothing like a real one

Do you need fermentation fridge for this one?

[oblivious]

Good luck with it

[edit1now]

Kuppers is very nice in Cologne where it comes from. I'd be surprised if they bother making it in the UK, though Sainsbury's had the Meantime one which wasn't too bad.

[ECR]

Hope it went well

[mysterio]

Good luck with it! I think I must have sampled the majority of the Kolsch last year in Cologne, I had around 20 of them I reckon. I remember whatching one guy brewing (I forget which one), he was using square open fermentation vessels and top cropping yeast, so it's not a million miles away from English brewing.

I'd be surprised if they bother making it in the UK

Of course, being German, they made a law protecting the beer style - you're only allowed to call it Kolsch if it's made within the city limits of Cologne. Thats why the Meantime beer was called a "Cologne style lager". I thought the meantime beer was excellent though and very authentic.

[prodigal2]

Hey there Matt, how did it go?
What tempreture will you be fermenting at?

[Matt]

Hi chaps,

I've got it in a cool room and it is at 16°C at the moment, and forming a head slowly. According to the White Labs spec this is risking being a bit too cool so I might put the little rad back on low and get it up a degree or two.

Thanks for the comments, I'll see if my local Satansburys has the Meantime one - never tried Kolsch so no idea what to expect.

And excellent work on sampling 20 Myste, I think that deserves a JBK purple pint badge of honour

Matt

[oblivious]

Just to be aware i think Kolsch yeast can be very poor at flocculation:

[Matt]

Thanks Ob, the White Labs spec says medium flocc. I seem to be getting good results clearing brews using a couple of nights in the cold garage at the end of secondary, prior to bottling, so fingers crossed.

Matt

[maltman]

Hi guys just thought i would add my 2pence.

Brewed one of these in early January (Jamil's Recipe).

90% German Pilsner
5% Munich Malt
5% Wheat Malt
Hallertauer Hersbrucker 60 Mins (21 IBUs)
WLP029 (2L starter)
(Mash 65C 90mins)

This was my first brew at a hybrid and it turned out excellent IMHO.

Fermented on the cool side, 15C primary (white labs say min 18c, but with a bigger starter your fine) and secondary at 6-7c.
Read about the yeast being very dusty but this brew went crystal clear after 4 weeks at secondary for me (no finings). Fresh from the tap it was a joy, pity that its the end of the corny tonight . Hope yours turns out as well as mine.

p.s. sorry its taken so long to post, have been lurking for a long time..

[roger the dog]

p.s. sorry its taken so long to post, have been lurking for a long time..

No problem Maltman, I suspect most of us lurked here for a while before joining, welcome to Jim's

[maltman]

Thanks a lot guys

[Matt]

Hi Maltman,

Thanks for your input, appreciated

Mine is fermenting at 16.5-17°C and smelling good, I'm not getting the dodgy smell that the White Labs site warns about.

Cheers,

Matt

[mysterio]

Interesting to hear about your experience with the recipe Maltman, I'm very tempted to give this a go at some point.