Maggie Kolsch - Saturday May 26, 2018
Carboys
Ingredients
23 lbs. Weyermann Bohemian Pils Malt
1 lb. CaraPils
95 g Saaz @ 4% AA for 60 min.
Escarpment Kolsch Yeast
100% RO water
CA - 34
S04 - 30
CI - 41
10.8 ml Lactic Acid in mash
0.7 ml Lactic Acid in sparge ( Not needed, but Bru'n Water says to
add it so I am )
PH - 5.2
Add acid to room temp water before turning on the heat in both vessels.
Added both salts to kettles.
O.G. - 1.044 ( 73% ) - Far from 82 or even 93 like last time.
F.G. -
% -
SRM - 3
BU - 22
Going with 2 qts. water per pound of grain. Adding acid to the sparge water for the first time. Lowered the PH in the mash to 5.2. We will see. Nothing has worked so far. Sick of tossing out beer, or whatever it is. Sucks real bad.
Pitched yeast @ 4:30 pm after Scarlett Rose's recital.
Again, the wort looks dark in the carboy. Too dark, just like the last one. I used no dark crystal at all, the srm is really at 2.9. Should be way lighter. No idea what is going on. Wort tasted okay though, slow to clear before going in the carboy. I did taste a slight something or other which may be the PH is at 5.2. I don't think I have ever gone that low before. 10.8 ml of lactic acid? Now, that seems like a lot since I usually added around 4.2 ml in my mash, but I did go with 12 gallons in the mash - 2 qts/lb grain ratio. My efficiency was 74% though. Isn't using 2 qts. per lb. of grain supposed to make this very fermentable, maybe it will get down to 1.008 or something. I still have little faith in this brew. I wonder if it is my kettle elements turning my wort dark? Oxygenation? I have no idea. Hope it at least tastes like beer.
FERMENTATION NOTES
Checked it at 8 pm on brew day and it was starting to ferment. The next am was kind of the same. Starting to kick it up a few hours later. Carboy krausen but not from the pail. No muffin mix smell but it is early. Carboy srm is light which is normal which was not seen with my last kolsch/muffin mix shit. 66 F, turned it down and want to get to 64 F and keep it there. Going with 66 F now as it seems to be quitting early. The pail is spewing out now and then. The carboy is still steady, but slow. Will sample and take a reading on Sunday, June 3. Still fermenting on June 5. Since the FG will be high, ( 1.018 ), I have to wait until it stops. Won't buy this yeast again.
UPDATE
June 16 - One week after kegging. Slowly starting to clear. Still tastes funny, but losing it's odd taste just a bit. I guess I can clear it, but this beer isn't going to get any better, so just carb up the last keg and be done with it. I will use Escarpment yeast again though. It is a fast starting yeast, but slows down quickly and just keeps on going and going at a slow and steady pace. Patience is needed with this yeast. I will give it another try with my robo brew later on in the fall.
I am using Kal's water profile for another Kolsch in 2019. I hope it attenuates more than this one. I do think the water profile is the key for this brew and this water profile didn't cut it. Big starter with low mash temp should get me a better Kolsch.
 |
| The Mags |
23 lbs. Weyermann Bohemian Pils Malt
1 lb. CaraPils
95 g Saaz @ 4% AA for 60 min.
Escarpment Kolsch Yeast
100% RO water
CA - 34
S04 - 30
CI - 41
10.8 ml Lactic Acid in mash
0.7 ml Lactic Acid in sparge ( Not needed, but Bru'n Water says to
add it so I am )
PH - 5.2
Add acid to room temp water before turning on the heat in both vessels.
Added both salts to kettles.
O.G. - 1.044 ( 73% ) - Far from 82 or even 93 like last time.
F.G. -
% -
SRM - 3
BU - 22
Going with 2 qts. water per pound of grain. Adding acid to the sparge water for the first time. Lowered the PH in the mash to 5.2. We will see. Nothing has worked so far. Sick of tossing out beer, or whatever it is. Sucks real bad.
Pitched yeast @ 4:30 pm after Scarlett Rose's recital.
Again, the wort looks dark in the carboy. Too dark, just like the last one. I used no dark crystal at all, the srm is really at 2.9. Should be way lighter. No idea what is going on. Wort tasted okay though, slow to clear before going in the carboy. I did taste a slight something or other which may be the PH is at 5.2. I don't think I have ever gone that low before. 10.8 ml of lactic acid? Now, that seems like a lot since I usually added around 4.2 ml in my mash, but I did go with 12 gallons in the mash - 2 qts/lb grain ratio. My efficiency was 74% though. Isn't using 2 qts. per lb. of grain supposed to make this very fermentable, maybe it will get down to 1.008 or something. I still have little faith in this brew. I wonder if it is my kettle elements turning my wort dark? Oxygenation? I have no idea. Hope it at least tastes like beer.
FERMENTATION NOTES
Checked it at 8 pm on brew day and it was starting to ferment. The next am was kind of the same. Starting to kick it up a few hours later. Carboy krausen but not from the pail. No muffin mix smell but it is early. Carboy srm is light which is normal which was not seen with my last kolsch/muffin mix shit. 66 F, turned it down and want to get to 64 F and keep it there. Going with 66 F now as it seems to be quitting early. The pail is spewing out now and then. The carboy is still steady, but slow. Will sample and take a reading on Sunday, June 3. Still fermenting on June 5. Since the FG will be high, ( 1.018 ), I have to wait until it stops. Won't buy this yeast again.
UPDATE
June 16 - One week after kegging. Slowly starting to clear. Still tastes funny, but losing it's odd taste just a bit. I guess I can clear it, but this beer isn't going to get any better, so just carb up the last keg and be done with it. I will use Escarpment yeast again though. It is a fast starting yeast, but slows down quickly and just keeps on going and going at a slow and steady pace. Patience is needed with this yeast. I will give it another try with my robo brew later on in the fall.
I am using Kal's water profile for another Kolsch in 2019. I hope it attenuates more than this one. I do think the water profile is the key for this brew and this water profile didn't cut it. Big starter with low mash temp should get me a better Kolsch.
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