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Kolsch Ale

A crisp, golden German ale with a subtle fruity note and clean finish, perfect for homebrewers seeking a hybrid lager-ale experience.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 10 hours
Servings: 50 12-ounce servings
Course: Drinks and Beverages
Cuisine: German
Calories: 98
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • 6 pounds 8 ounces pilsner malt
  • 1 pound Vienna malt
  • 8 ounces wheat malt
  • 1 ounce German noble hops bittering at 60 minutes
  • 0.5 ounce German noble hops flavor at 15 minutes
  • 0.5 ounce German noble hops aroma at 0 minutes
  • 1 vial Kolsch yeast or 1 packet dry yeast
  • 0.5 teaspoon yeast nutrient at 15 minutes
  • Brewing salts to match Cologne water profile
  • 5 ounces corn sugar for priming
  • 1 cup water for priming solution

Equipment

  • 10-gallon brewing kettle
  • Mash tun or brew-in-a-bag system
  • Water thermometer (0-220°F)
  • Hydrometer and test jar
  • Stirring paddle or mash rake
  • Wort chiller (immersion or counterflow)
  • Fermentation vessel with airlock
  • Auto-siphon and tubing
  • Bottling bucket with spigot
  • Bottle filler and capper
  • 12-ounce beer bottles
  • Bottle brush and sanitizer
  • pH strips or meter
  • Scale (0.1 oz accuracy)

Method
 

  1. Heat 12 gallons of water to 162°F for strike water.
  2. Mill the pilsner, Vienna, and wheat malts to a medium crush.
  3. Mash grains at 152°F for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Sparge with 170°F water until you collect approximately 11 gallons of wort.
  5. Bring wort to a rolling boil and add 1 ounce bittering hops at the start; boil for 60 minutes.
  6. With 15 minutes remaining, add 0.5 ounce flavor hops and 0.5 teaspoon yeast nutrient.
  7. At flameout (0 minutes), add 0.5 ounce aroma hops.
  8. Chill wort to 65°F within 30 minutes using a wort chiller.
  9. Transfer wort to a sanitized fermenter and aerate vigorously for 5 minutes.
  10. Pitch Kolsch yeast at 65°F and ferment at 62–68°F for 2 weeks, then perform a diacetyl rest at 68°F for 3–4 days.
  11. Crash cool to 45–50°F and hold for 7 days for cold conditioning.
  12. Take final gravity readings 24 hours apart; target 1.009–1.012.
  13. Dissolve 5 ounces corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water and cool for priming solution.
  14. Rack beer into a bottling bucket, mix in priming solution, and bottle 50 12-ounce bottles; cap and condition for 2–3 weeks.

Notes

Maintain strict temperature control during fermentation for clean Kolsch character and store finished bottles upright in a cool, dark place.