This year I had the opportunity to use real German hops for the first time, thanks to Yakima Valley hops. I figured a great way to get started would be to brew a simple Kölsch Bier.
The recipe for 5.5 gallons
- 9 lbs. Great Western Pilsner Malt
- 8 oz.’s Cara-Pils
- 4oz.’s Sauermatlz
- 1.50 oz.’s Hallertau Mittelfrüh, 4% AA (60 Minutes)
- 2 oz.’s Saphir, 3.5% AA (Flameout)
- Mashed in at 148° F for 75 minutes
- Mash out at 168° F for 15 minutes
- “Fly” sparge with remaining water
Since I was using Pilsner malt, a boil time for 90 minutes was appropriate to drive off excessive DMS.
As for the yeast I use a pitch I got from my local brewery, 3 Weavers. I used the house strain they use for their Seafarer Kolsch Style Ale. This yeast worked rather well. I did make a 2 stage start to make sure it had vitality and viability. This yeast went to work with in 12 hours, noticeable signs of fermentation coming off my airlock. I fermented it at 64° for 5 days. Then 2 more days at 70° to clean it up a little. Cold crashed for 2 weeks at 38°. I then kegged it at 12 psi for 3 more weeks to achieve the proper carbonation levels.
This beer came out pretty “spot on”. I am pleased with the balance of malt, hops and carbonation. I do does have a slight mineral dryness in the after taste, but is not enough to say it detracts from the final product. I use RO water so I always build up my mineral profile and I think next time I will eliminate the mineral additions and use phosphoric acid to maintain a proper sparge Ph. I assume this would eliminate a a bit of the drying effect from mineral additions to produce a more well rounded mouthfeel.