Maggie Kolsch - Saturday, February 22, 2025

 

Making a Kolsch.

Ingredients

12 lbs. Rahr Premium Pilsner - ( first time using it, from Alberta )

24.3 grams Magnum at 60 min.

56 grams Hallertauer at 0 min.

Dry Hop - 42 grams of Hallertauer - ( add to the fermenter on March 5th for 3-4 days )

Since you have nothing to lose, if the dry hop does nothing, try an ounce in the keg for

a few days. Beats what it tastes like now. No hop taste at all.

Escarpment Labs Kolsch yeast ( 96 days old, 50% viability )

Thinking on going back to WLP029 Kolsch yeast.

Ferment at 62F until done. May raise it to 68F a day or so at the end. Maybe.

Make a 1 gallon starter with 1.5 lbs. of Maris Otter. Use your Mash Jacket.

When done, boil 3 L on the stove. You will end up with around 2.75 L of starter wort.

That will give you around 480 billion cells. You only need 457 billion so you are good to go.

Do not forget to pour off 1 L into your spare flasks for an over build. Once done

you need to figure out the amount of slurry for brew #2. I need a measuring container to 

see how much I have. It usually is small, like 30 ml. I ordered a small flask from OBK. I

am no longer making starters from grain. A real pain in the ass. Ordered some DME. Will

store it in mason jars and/or vacuum seal it.

Water Profile - David Heath and 4 Dog Brewery

CA - 37

MG - 7

S04 - 70

CI - 35

PH - 5.30

Mash

Gyp - 1.6 grams

CC - 1.2 grams

Eps - 1.6 grams

Lactic Acid - 2.4 ml

Boil

Gyp - 1.4 grams

CC - 1.1 grams

Eps - 1.4 grams

 

Lactic Acid in Sparge - .2 ml

Mash Volume - 5.75 gallons

Sparge Volume - 5 gallons

Distilled Water - 2 bottles + 11L bottle

Making a starter from your chunks of DME did not work. Your vacuum sealed chunks

were rock hard and just sat on the bottom of the pot and congealed like chewing gum.

                                  MAKE A STARTER ON FEB. 15 OR 16

I am using my Mash Jacket which may be time consuming, but seems to make a more 

efficient starter from what I observed. Besides, I can't buy any DME in this stupid non-

homebrewing city. The yeast really clumped up on the bottom of the package. I did the

best I could do to get it all out. I didn't make enough starter wort. I was short. I will

make it 5 L next time I do it. I have to figure out a way to get all of the small pieces of

grain out of the starter. A strainer didn't work. I do have to use Spring water next time

as my water has water softener salts in it. The next morning it is going good. I hate the

small bits floating around but will try to fix that for the next starter. I will open up the

mill gap a bit. Instead of getting Weyermann Pils Malt, I got Rahr Premium Pilsner

malt. Not sure how premium that is, but I get what I get with free shipping.

Starter seems to be done on Feb. 17. Tossing 500 ml in my flask today. Done.

I checked the 2 flasks and I don't see a lot of slurry at the bottom of either one. That is

a concern as you need the proper amount of yeast cells to do the job. I hope to fix that

when I make the 2nd batch. 

                                             NEXT BATCH 

O.G. - 1.042 - 69% - ( lowest ever ) However, wort tasted quite good.

F.G. -  1.006 ( as of feb. 26. and still going but very slow )

% -

SRM - 3.3

BU - 19.6

Adjust your mill a little higher next brew day. The oxygen regulator worked well. With a

pale beer you can see it coming up in the carboy very easily. I think I got lots of yeast

cells in my starter even though I had to up the water when I made it, I am glad the gravity

is where it is. I don't want to under pitch. 

                                                     BREW DAY NOTES

Mashed in at 5:30 am. Mr. Robobrew may of needed to be calibrated, but

I went with it as it is. 

Boil started at 7:30. 

Chiller added at 9 am.

Yeast pitched @ 11 am

The wort was 62F which seems low now, but we have been in a deep freeze for weeks now.

I didn't turn on the fridge yet, but will check it when it gets going. I stirred the wort in 

Mr. Robobrew after cooling and the bottom plate floated up. I stirred to vigorously. Go

easy next time. I couldn't get the last 1 or 2 litres I may of needed because it was like 

pea soup, so I stopped there.

Day 1 - Next Day - Going good. 60F. Adjusted the temp controler. Nice bready smell.

Day 2 - 60F. Turned off fridge. I hope it isn't slowing down or done. Way too soon.

Day 3 - 64F - with heat belt. Turned it off late last night. 62F. Looks like it is almost

             done. 2 days? Either the yeast pooped out or I under pitched. Gravity check

             soon. I was going to make another batch in my spare carboy but I hurt myself

             playing hockey. Not one, but two injuries in the same game. Should of left after

             the first one which was my ribs.

Day 4 - Gravity at 1.008. My god, that was quick. Now for a taste which is more important.

            Needs a lot of aging. Not that great but it is only 4 days. Needs dry hopping.

                                                KEG ON MARCH 10        

                                                    DRY HOP IN THE FERMENTER

Tossed in 42 grams of Hallertauer on Feb. 26 for 3-4 days then keg. Nothing to lose.

I am going to add some of the idiot 1.8% AA Hallertauer hops in the fermenter for a few days

before kegging. Not sure how much though, at least an ounce should do it. I don't want an

IPA taste, just something as I taste nothing. 

                                                TASTE ON MARCH 1ST

I can taste something, but not that much. Not sure if I should dry hop in the keg. I think I

will stop here and move on to my lager brewing. I have never had so much problems with

Noble hops in my life. If I ever see a higher AA Noble hop again, I am buy like 5 - 10 lbs.

of it. Looks like the 2024 hop crop is lower than the 2022 and 2023 crop. I used to use

an AA of 8.7%.

                                                ADDED GELATIN AT 9 AM MARCH 2ND

Had a taste on March 5. Still has that hoppy edge that is unpleasant. I think it will go away

when I transfer to another keg in a few days. Let it go as long as possible before we go to

Dorchester.

             

                                                  RACKING TO A KEG ON MAR 8

Dry hopping in the fermenter did not go as planned. I added too much. 42 grams. Should of

added only 14 grams. Will not do that again. Tasted like perfume which I have never tasted

but if I did, it would of tasted like that. Tossed. If I left it alone it would be a real clean ale.

I will never add Noble hops after the 60 min. addition. Not needed. Years ago I never did it.