One Gallon Kolsch Recipe
A Kolsch is a remarkably clean and refreshing ale originating from Germany. Think of it as a hybrid between an ale and a lager. The base grain is mostly a light Pilsner Malt. The addition of a small percentage of Wheat Malt adds a little extra color, body and helps with head retention. The hop additions (two classic German hop varieties) are intentionally small - Kolsch is not meant to be a hoppy beer - rather the hops help round out the flavor and add a mild amount of bitterness. So far this sounds like the beginning of a classic Lager or Pilsner but here comes the deviation. Kolsch is fermented with an ale, not a lager yeast, meaning that it will ferment at room (as opposed to ‘fridge temperature). The room temperature fermentation allows some additional subtle flavors to develop that you wouldn’t normally pick up in a Lager/Pilsner.
Ingredients
Grain Bill
Pilsner Malt - 32 oz (94%)
Wheat Malt - 2 oz (6%)
Hops
Spalt - 6 g
Hallertau - 6 g
Yeast
White Labs German Ale / Kolsch Yeast (WLP029) - 1 package
Instructions
Click here to review full instructions for your brew day
Heat 0.8 gallons of water to 170 degrees F. Add the grains and mash at 145-150 degrees F for 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of mashing, fill a second pot with 1 gallon of water and heat to 170 degrees.
After 60 minutes, heat the mash up to 170 degrees F and hold for 10 minutes. Strain the mash into a large container. Sparge the grain in the strainer with the 170 degree water until you collect about 5 quarts of wort.
Bring wort to a boil and half of the Spalt and half of the Hallertau hops. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the remaining hops.
After boiling, cool the wort down to about 65 degrees. Pitch your yeast and let ferment at 65 degrees for three days with a blow-off tube. After three days (the bubbling should have subsided by now), replace the blow-off tube with an airlock and let it sit in the carboy for another 11 days (14 total days ).
Like classic Lagers and Pilsners, a Kolsch will need some time to age in a cold place before its ready to drink. There’s a few ways to do this.
If you bottle it, let the bottles sit at room temperature for two weeks to carbonate, then refrigerate for at least 2 weeks before drinking.
If you keg it, let it sit in the keg for 2 weeks before you carbonate it. After those 2 weeks, carbonate it for another 1-2 weeks. Whether bottling or kegging, the longer this beer sits in a cold place, the better it gets. If I have the patience for it, I may let it sit for 6 weeks before drinking. This aging (or conditioning) will really make a difference in yielding a final product that’s crisp, clean and clear.
Optional - Water Chemistry Adjustments
Total water needed for this recipe is 1.8 gallons. To start, I measure that out into one pot and then dissolve in half of a Campden tablet and let that sit for 15 minutes
After that, I add in the following to the water:
Calcium Chloride - 0.9 grams
Epsom Salt - 0.9 grams
My resulting water profile looks like this:
Please note: These results are unique to my specific water profile.
After making these adjustments, I split my water into two pots - 0.8 gallons to be used for mashing and 1 gallon to be used as sparge water.
I also added 1.25 ml of Lactic Acid added after the first 15 minutes of mashing to lower the pH to 5.25
With 15 minutes left during the boil, I also added half of a Whirlfloc tablet to help clear the beer up.