Maggie Kolsch - Sunday, September 5, 2021 - Conical

I didn't like the Perle/Hersbrucker hop combo in the last Kolsch. I don't hate it, it is just quite different. I will go with my older hops this time just to use them up. I may go with all Perle next time to see if it is better. I assume it is the Hersbrucker since I use it as an aroma hop. I can sell them if that is the case. I only have 14 ozs. anyway. Nope, it is the Hersbrucker hops that is giving this beer an odd taste which I am not fond of. The Kolsch may be a good beer when aged properly, so I will not toss the Hersbrucker hops out as of yet. I hate wasting hops. I have to think more carefully for now on before I buy stuff. It is nice to brew on this system because nothing fails to work, not like Mr. Robobrew which is starting to give me false temp readings. Not sure if I can even get another PC board for it. If this just is too expensive, or can't find parts, I will never buy a system like this again. I can still get a 19L system with 2 pots and two 240 V elements with tri-clamps. Or just use your old system and get some sort of venting for the laundry room.

                                                                GRAIN UPDATE

I am not going in on the bulk grain buy. I hate driving up to Toronto and the prices are not that great. I am going to Lindsay and buy just enough grains, yeast etc. for one brew. I can buy a sack of 2 row for $51.00 which is a good price. 2 more Kolsch beers and I will stop brewing them until next spring. Stouts, Milds, English Pub Ale and make some IPA's until you use up your Citra and that will be the last of my IPA brews. I am sick of them. I like the English Pub Ale style, simple and easy.

                                                        KEEZER UPDATE

Elsie took my keezer to use for a freezer. Saves money on another freezer I guess. Still using it so far.

Ingredients

22 lbs. CMC

1 lb. Munich I

1 lb. Wheat

10 ozs. Acid Malt

23 g German Magnum at 60 min.

43.8 g Hallertauer at 10 min.

20 g Tettnanger at 10 min.

Escarpment Labs Kolsch yeast

                                                              NO   SMB ADDITION

I got sulphur in my lager when I sampled in the keg. Hope it goes away. It didn't.

                                                                 VALVE PROBLEMS AGAIN

For the 2nd time this year my valve when fully open didn't allow any wort into my ss pail which goes into my ss fermenter. Can't figure it out. I opened it fully and stuck my long sanitized dip tube cleaner into it and still nothing came out. I had to use my pitcher to go to my ss bucket then to my ss fermentor. A lot of trub and hops and shit made it into the fermentor, but I had no choice. Maybe it was the pressure fittings from the hop stopper that may be squeezing the hop stopper? But the dip tube cleaner went in with no resistance. Resistance is futile I guess. I will do the same thing but with another valve and do a mock brew with water before I use it again. I am not totally convinced it was the valve. I am leaning towards the compression fitting in the hop stopper. Will do a trial run for my next brew which will be my last before I put it away for the winter.

O.G. - 1.050

F.G. -  1.011

% -

SRM - 3.6

BU - 20.7

                                                         FERMENTATION NOTES

Pitched Yeast On: Monday, September 6.

Day 1 - Sept. 7 - Bubbling slowly. 62 F.

Day 2 - Picked up a bit.

Day 5 - Same. Activity is normal at this stage. Keg when done, usually on day 16 - 18.

Day 6 - Slower activity for some reason, steady though but slower. Rubber insulation coming off

             every time I open the fridge, so I will not open it again until I get near to kegging it.

Day 9 - Seems to have really slowed down. I think it is too early to get to this stage, but the only way to

             be sure is to take a gravity reading. I turned off the fridge this afternoon, maybe that will help a

             bit to finish.

                                             Keg it in 9 or 10 days from now, no hurry, let it finish.

                                                      SAMPLED FROM KEG ON SEPT 22

Normal. Yea, not saying much but compared to my last Kolsch, a vast improvement. Not sure if I did anything wrong, I did everything I was supposed to do but something went wrong somewhere.

Still bubbling away every 10 - 20 seconds. Day 17, Bloody finish already. Kegging next day.

                                                KEGGED FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Letting this get as clear as I can before tossing some in my pop bottles for the cottage. I can stretch it to 12 days if needed. Carbed up a couple of pop bottles and this is an okay Kolsch, not my best. I hope it gets better when I decide to take this or my Pub Ale or my ESB to Dorchester on Nov. 5th. It will have 42 days to age.