A/G German style Kolsch brewed tonight. Thoughts ?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by jncastillo87, Dec 15, 2013.

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  1. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    ( 3 Gallon )
    5lb German Kolsch malt
    0.5 Munich Light
    0.5 Wheat
    0.5 Vienna
    Mash @ 152 for 1 hour
    .75 Hallertau 60 mins
    .25 Hallertau 15 mins
    Safale K-97 kolsch Yeast
    1.055 OG

    Recipe shows to be about 15 IBU nad 4.2 SRM. I think it will turn out nice. I plan to keep the fermentation temps in the low 60s for about 2-3 weeks. Wanted to see if anyone has used this Yeast strain before and what they experienced with it all ..
     
    #1 jncastillo87, Dec 15, 2013
  2. udubdawg

    udubdawg Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2006 Kansas

    haven't used that yeast but I use Kolsch malt in ever batch I make, including one mashing right now. Usually more like 30% so I'm interested to see how yours turns out. At first glance it will be quite malty and a bit bigger than I aim for.

    good luck!
     
    #2 udubdawg, Dec 15, 2013
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  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I have never brewed with K-97 yeast. I have always used Wyeast 2565 for my Kolsch beers; I really like the subtle white wine flavor that 2565 produces.

    I used Kolsch Malt to make my last batch of Kolsch (spring 2013). I really enjoyed the malt flavors that it produces with note of biscuit and subtle hay like flavors.

    I have never used malts like Munich Light, Wheat, or Vienna in making a Kolsch.

    Please report back on how your Kolsch turns out.

    Cheers!
     
    #3 JackHorzempa, Dec 15, 2013
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  4. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    I certainly will .. im ready to taste it already since this is my own recipe which was based off malt descriptions and what they add to a beer. Not sure really if I should add a 1/2 hallertau as a small dry hop after about three weeks or not. Guess I will have to taste the beer and see how it is.. I am actually aiming for a transparent hop flavor so Im guessing that wouldnt be the thing to do although it would be a small amount. GUess I will let the yeast do the flavoring for me this time.
     
    #4 jncastillo87, Dec 15, 2013
  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “Not sure really if I should add a 1/2 hallertau as a small dry hop after about three weeks or not.”

    Well, this is your beer so you can do whatever you like. When I homebrew Kolsch beers I shoot for a traditional take on this style; I only use a bittering addition of Hallertauer Mittelfruh. IMHO, a traditional Kolsch is ‘defined’ by a substantial malt backbone (and the Kolsch malt will definitely provide that) with just some subtle flavors from the yeast.

    If you don’t mind me asking, how long did you boil your wort?

    Cheers!
     
    #5 JackHorzempa, Dec 15, 2013
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  6. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    I thought that was about right then .. I used almost all the hops on bittering and only a small .25 oz amount at the 15 minute mark. I boiled for 85 mins. Now im curious as to why you ask :astonished:
     
    #6 jncastillo87, Dec 15, 2013
  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “I boiled for 85 mins. Now im curious as to why you ask.”

    I boiled my Kolsch using Kolsch Malt for 90 minutes. Kolsch Malt is not specifically labeled as being a Pilsner Malt but I approached my brewing with Kolsch Malt as though it was a Pilsner Malt. Anytime I brew with Pilsner Malt I boil for 90 minutes to drive off pre-cursers for DMS: S-Methylmethionine (SMM).

    Did you conduct an extended boil (85 minutes) for that same reason?

    Cheers!
     
    #7 JackHorzempa, Dec 15, 2013
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  8. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    I actually had an extended boil due to the batch being a little bigger than I thought it would be. Turns out the second running were more than expected so I wanted to get it down a bit. I ended up with 3.75 gallons vs the 3 gallons I was shooting for. Pre-boil and post boil gravity were so close to predicted so it ended up being almost perfect. I NOW know thanks to you that Kolsch malt does need to be boiled longer and I thank you for that. I learn something every time.
     
    #8 jncastillo87, Dec 15, 2013
  9. jncastillo87

    jncastillo87 Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2013 Texas

    So I had read this yeast takes a long time to get moving .. not so in my case. Hour 18 had air lock activity and a thin Krausen. Now we are on day 3 and it has a 1 to 2 inch krausen and the beer looks like a hot tub moving around in the car boy. Temp hasnt been above 63 so everything looks pretty good so far.
     
    #9 jncastillo87, Dec 17, 2013
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