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Kölsch-Style Ale
| Brewer : |
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Alan McKay |
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| Objective : |
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Compare Ale and Lager yeast by fermenting
identical worts of average gravity (circa 1.045) with each yeast. All
other factors identical, only the yeast varies. A lighter beer was
chosen to allow the flavour of the yeast to come through more. In
hindsight, the beer may be slightly over-hopped to properly achieve
this. |
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| Method : |
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All Grain |
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| Date : |
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98.03.22 |
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This is an extremely versatile recipe. If you use rice or corn in the mash,
it becomes a premium North American beer, whereas if
you leave that out and use a good German hops, it becomes and excellent Kölsch-style
beer.
Ingredients for 40 litres :
- 12 lb 2row
- 1 kg Munich
- 1 kg Wheat
- 1 lb flaked maize
Procedure :
- 13:00 - 22 l @ 167F mash in to 155. Add 500ml @ 45F to bring to 150.5F
- 13:11 - add 1l boiling to 151.6F
- 13:25 - add 1l boiling to 152.9F
- 14:03 - add 1l boiling to 153F
- 14:25 - add 5l to fill cooler, recirc 7l
- 14:30 - batch sparge begin
- 14:37 - end, refill, recirc 7l
- 14:48 - begin 2nd
- 14:55 - end
- 15:00 - turn on heat 145F OG 1.026 @ 129F
- 16:10 - boil commences
- 16:20 - add 1.5oz Perle @ 6.7
- 16:45 - add 0.5oz Perle @ 6.7
- 17:00 - add moss
- 17:20 - heat off, add 1.0oz Bill Crick's Hallertauer
- 17:30 - begin CF chill to 2 carboys
- 19:25 - Lager & Ale rehydrate 20 min in 300ml 60F water. Lager yeast
still very granular, not completely dissolved
Notes
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| Date/Time |
Ale |
Lager |
| 98.03.23 07:00 |
activity barely visible in lock over 1 min.
No Foam |
No activity. No foam. |
| 98.03.23 17:00 |
same as above. Add 2 tsp yeast in 300ml 30C
water. |
same as above. Add 2 tsp yeast in 300ml 30C
water. |
| 98.03.24 07:02 |
fermenting like hell. Small amount of foam. |
fermenting like hell. Small amount of foam. |
| 98.03.24 21:44 |
1"-2" foam on |
foam 1" from neck |
| 98.03.25 7:00 |
blew a bit out the stoppers, high kraeusen
down |
blew a bit out the stoppers, high kraeusen
down |
| 98.03.25 19:55 |
airlock once per minute - SG 1.012. Yeast
still very much in suspension. Cloudy, murky. Taste sharp, young,
yeasty. Ferm temp 63F |
airlock once per 5 seconds SG 1.012. Yeast
still very much in suspension. Cloudy, murky. Taste sharp, young,
yeasty. Ferm temp 63F |
| 98.03.28 13:00 |
Rack to 2ndary. SG 1.011 |
Rack to 2ndary. SG 1.010 |
| 98.04.01 07:00 |
Yeast still very much in suspension in bottom
1/3 to 1/2 of carboy. |
Yeast pretty much completely flocced out |
| 98.04.08 19:00 |
Flocced out quite a bit, but still cloudy,
and could use another week in the fermenter, or some finings. Kegged it
anyway. FG 1.010. |
Bright. Kegged. FG 1.008 |
| 98.04.09 14:00 |
Hopping is just about right, near
the "medium" end of "low". First use of Perle hops :
pleasant spiciness. Try next time with Saaz last 20 minutes instead of
Perle. Excellent head and retention. Excellent lace. Yeast still in
suspension in Ale probably just under the flavour threshold, so a
sensative set of tastebuds might detect it. Lager is chill-hazed, but
was bright before refridgeration. This young, both taste identical. |
| 98.04.12 12:00 |
Lager tastes cleaner than Ale,
but difficult to tell if it's simply from yeast still in suspension in
Ale. |
Comments :
- from the lack of activity on the initial pitch, it is quite obvious that
neither yeast likes being rehydrated at such a low temperature. In
hindsight, this should have been a foregone conclusion. After a proper pitch
was done, both seem to ferment extremely well, and very fast.
- 98.04.01 07:00 10 days after brew day the Lager yeast has flocced
out almost completely, where the Ale is still very much in suspension. If it
stays in much longer, it could prove problematic. Nothing a bit of chilling
won't fix, but your average brewer doesn't have this tool at his disposal.
- 98.04.09 07:00 unfortunately the Ale had to get kegged before it
had fallen bright, simply because I'm getting low on beer :-) Will do
another batch, though. Both carboys will be Ale yeast, one of which will be
fined if not bright after my regular 2 week 2ndary, the other of which will
be allowed to sit as long as it takes to fall bright.
Conclusions :
- The Ale yeast is far too powdery, and takes far too long to flocc out,
even when chilled
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