Brewing A Kölsch

The inaugural beer in the new kegging system is going to be a kölsch. While I was picking up the kegs and ancillary equipment I grabbed the ingredients for the brew. Here’s the ingredients and procedure:

  • 2 pounds Great Western 2-Row Pale Malt
  • 3/4 pound Weyermann Light Munich Malt
  • 3.25 pounds light malt syrup
  • 2 pounds wheat malt syrup (60% pale / 40% wheat)
  • 1.5 oz, Tettnanger hops
  • 3/4 oz. Spalt hops
  • 1/4 oz. Czech Saaz hops
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet
  • White Labs German Ale/ Kölsch Yeast WLP029

Preparation steps

  1. Bring 2 gallons of water to 122° and steep grains for 10 minutes
  2. Raise the water to 140° and steep grains for 10 minutes
  3. Raise the water to 150° and steep grains for 90 minutes
  4. Sparge the grains with 2 quarts of hot water
  5. Bring the wort to a boil, remove from heat, and add the extracts and 1.5 oz. Tettnanger hops
  6. Return to heat and boil for 45 minutes
  7. Add 1/2 oz. Spalt hops and the Whirlfloc tablet
  8. Boil for 10 minutes
  9. Add 1/4 oz. Spalt hops and 1/4 oz. Czech Saaz hops
  10. Boil for 5 minutes
  11. Chill the wort as quickly as possible and transfer to the carboy
  12. Fill to 5 1/8 gallons and aerate well
  13. Pitch yeast

My starting gravity is a little high, but it was dropping as suspended particles settled out so I’m estimating it at somewhere around 1.052