Needed, Kolsch recipe

[borischarlton]

Hi,

I am going to brew over the weekend and it's going to be a Kolsch.

Anyone got a killer recipe. I have just about everything to hand but need a recipe sharpish.

Cheers

Rob

[coatesg]

I'll be brewing this (pretty much lifted out of Classic Styles) when I finally get chance, and get the next brew out of the way for Sutton...and use the yeast I'll harvest from the best bitter I have in fermenter at the moment...

Pilsner 95.5%
Vienna 4.5%

Mash 65C, Boil 90min

Hallertauer Mittlefruh 25IBU 60min

Yeast: WLP029 - ferment at constant 16C, and then lager for a month or two.

[leedsbrew]

Not quite as 'classic' as Graham's but I've got

Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
UK Lager Malt 3.538 kg 85.0 % 2.7 In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.416 kg 10.0 % 0.3 In Mash/Steeped
UK Munich Malt 0.208 kg 5.0 % 0.4 In Mash/Steeped


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
German Hallertauer Mittlefruh 6.4 % 28 g 18.9 Loose Whole Hops 60 Min From End
German Hallertauer Hersbrucker 3.5 % 12 g 2.2 Loose Whole Hops 15 Min From End
German Hallertauer Hersbrucker 3.5 % 12 g 0.9 Loose Whole Hops 5 Min From End


Yeast
White Labs WLP029-German Ale/Kolsch

[TheMumbler]

lancssteve made a kolsch which tasted right from my memory of drinking them in Cologne, I think he hopped with tettnang or spalt (possibly both) and used the white labs Kolsch yeast.

[Invalid Stout]

What's with all this putting Vienna and Munich malt in Kölsch??

[BigEd]

What's with all this putting Vienna and Munich malt in Kölsch??

That's a good question. I've noticed the majority of Kolsch recipes on the US boards of late all seem to include Vienna or Munich malt neither of which is necessary or indigenous to anything I have ever read about Kolsch beers. I suspect some US writer or internet wonk recommended it recently and all the masses picked it up. The only malt needed for a Kolsch is German pilsner with the option of adding a touch of malted wheat. At least that's the way I look at it and the way I brew them.

[steve_flack]

Brewed this earlier this year. Came out very nice.

Recipe: Kolsch
Style: 6C-Light Hybrid Beer-Kolsch

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 45.00 l
Wort Volume After Boil: 42.00 l
Volume Transferred: 42.00 l
Water Added: 0.00 l
Volume At Pitching: 42.00 l
Final Batch Volume: 38.00 l
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG
Expected OG: 1.047 SG
Expected FG: 1.011 SG
Expected ABV: 4.7 %
Expected ABW: 3.7 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 30.8
Expected Color: 5.6 EBC
Apparent Attenuation: 74.9 %
Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 18 degC

Fermentables
Belgian Pilsen Malt 7.550 kg (90.0 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Munich Malt 0.420 kg (5.0 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 0.420 kg (5.0 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
German Hallertauer Mittlefruh (4.2 % alpha) 100 g Bagged Pellet Hops used All Of Boil

Other Ingredients

Yeast: White Labs WLP029-German Ale/Kolsch

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (65C/149F)
Step: Rest at 65 degC for 60 mins

I put in Munich because I like it. IMO the yeast choice is critical in this.

[borischarlton]

Thanks for your help, went with this in the end:-

KOLSCH

Date:10/10/10

Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio

Bohemian Pilsner Malt 16 lbs. 12.0 oz 7600 grams 88.4%
Munich Malt 20 EBC 2 lbs. 3.3 oz 1000 grams 11.6%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Saaz Whole 3.3 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 2.3 oz 65 grams 65.7%
Tettnang Whole 4.3 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.2 oz 34 grams 34.3%


Final Volume: 40 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.048
Final Gravity: 1.011
Alcohol Content: 4.8% ABV
Total Liquor: 58.6 Litres
Mash Liquor: 21.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 22.6 EBU
Colour: 7 EBC

White Labs Kolsch 029 2 pint starter


May not be strictly to type, but I don't often go by the rules and it's not for competition.

Just about to sparge now.

Rob

[coatesg]

What's with all this putting Vienna and Munich malt in Kölsch??

I think it's there as a way of increasing the malt profile without having to do a "traditional" step mash. Not sure there's anything in the convention about not using it:

"The term Kölsch is only allowed to be used for a blond, top-fermented, bright and hops-accentuated full-bodied beer which was brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot in the area of origin of Kölsch."

So I guess if we want to be really strict, they are all not Kölsch, but Kölsch-style beers as they are not brewed in Cologne, being a legally protected product and all Any chill haze, and you're against the rules

[mysterio]

There is room for experimentation in the style I think. Sion Kolsch is quite malty, Peters is quite fruity, Fruh is quite hoppy (from the brewery, not particularly in the bottle). The West brewery in Glasgow threw in a Styrian Goldings late addition to their Koelsch offering and it still tasted authentic.