Something Light? Try a Kolsch

Back in September and October, I was brewing up a storm, making American Ale, Oatmeal Stout, and Hard Cider. My corny kegs were all full, and there wasn't an empty returnable bottle to be found. Much like a squirrel, I was stocking up for a hard winter.

Well, the winter hasn't been that hard (so far) in the Upper Midwest of the U.S.A.. Nevertheless, holiday dinners and parties performed heavy damage upon my supply of fermented beverages. It's time to dust off the brewing equipment, crank up the propane burner, and take advantage of my all-natural wort cooler (a snowbank).

The question is what to brew. My last remaining supply includes five gallons of stout. By the time my tap dispenser begins to suck air in another month or so, I'll be ready for something different: something light and without a lot of bitterness. It's time to make a Kolsch!

Most Kolsch beers have a starting gravity of 1.040 to 1.050, are pale gold, and have a low hop flavor and aroma. Kolsch typically has medium body, hints of fruitiness, and a dry finish. Friends and family (the kind who drink Bud/Miller/Coors and make retching noises when presented with a dark beer) love my Kolsch. It doesn't tend to last long, so I often make two consecutive batches, pitching the second batch on top of the yeast cake.

Here's the recipe:

Recipe type: All Grain Batch Size: 5 gal. Starting Gravity: 1.050 Finishing Gravity: 1.010 Time in Boil: 60 min. Primary Fermentation: 7 days Secondary Fermentation: 21 days (last 14 days at 35 F)

Ingredients: 9 lbs. 2-row pale 1 lb. Wheat 1.25 oz. Tettnanger for 60 min. 1.25 oz. Tettnanger for 15 min. Wyeast #1007 German ale

I mash at 150 F for 60 minutes. Wyeast 1007 is a very explosive yeast. During the first time I used 1007, initial fermentation blew the top off of my plastic fermenter. After that time, I tried an open fermentation, and beer just streamed down the sides of the fermenter. Now, I use a blow-off tube and expect to lose some beer through the tube.

If I were going to make this beer as an extract, I would use six pounds of dried malt extract or seven pounds of liquid malt extract to replace the mashed grains. Unless you can find a pound of wheat extract, I would skip the wheat. I would not steep wheat; it needs to be mashed.

This all-grain recipe makes a very pale beer. The beer

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