Saturday, December 5, 2015

Kerry's Stake It 2Kolsch

OK, its time to get back into the game of making brew Kerry loves.  As an avid Kolsch lover, and temps getting down into the 40s, there is no better time than now to dive in.  I have a big sack-O Pils coming my way and I plan to go simple, but add a nice long lager step to the process.  I have never lagered before and after quite a bit of thought, I am going hybrid-historical.  What Saisons were to farmhouses in Summer this Kolsch will be to my shed in winter.  It's the Falmouth Farmhouse Process - mark it dude!

Stats
OG - 1052 (poor efficiency)
FG - 1011 (assuming a little over 75% attenuation from the sugar)
BUGU - .4ish (1oz Saaz, .2oz Warrior)
ABV - 6%
SRM - 2

Grist
10 lbs Pilsner Malt
1 lbs Clear Belgian Candi Sugar

Mash 152 for 60
Boil 90
Pitch as close to 58 as possible and only allow to free rise to 62.

I havent seen it done this way, but what I know is my lady likes her beers dry and fairly clean.  I feel like we can add just a little something to the Kolsch by utilizing an Clear Belgian Candi Sugar with the munich/Vienna afd per the style.  Furthermore I am going to be fermenting this cool, so the add of sugar will help to achieve a full fermentation.

On that point, I am going to overpitch this beer with a 2L (lager sized) starter sub-60 to assure a very clean start, then allow a free rise into the low 60s.  I'll let the beer finish over a 28 day period, then its off to a purged keg and the Falmouth Farmhouse. (Our shed).  O2 free transfer will be paramount.

Ill fill a clean barrel with water for some buffering and place the keg in said barrel in said shed for 2 months of Winter to finish.  That's it.  Not overly complicated, so far....Water.

I came across this excellent and highly detailed resource on water profiles - a big ole thank you to the person responsible for this!
http://www.brewerslair.com/index.php?p=brewhouse&d=water&id=&v=&term=11

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Location:
Germany
What it does :
The Cologne water profile has a high temporary hardness. It is also known for containing moderately low levels of sulfates. The ratio of sulfates to chloride is 2 which, if not adjusted for brewing, will contribute to a beer that may be slightly bitter for a given hopping rate. The estimated range of beer color that you can brew with this water profile is from deep gold to medium amber. Representative ion levels for the Cologne water profile are shown below.
What it is:
The city of Cologne is located in the European country of Germany. The city of Cologne can trace its origins to a Roman city founded in 50 A.D. The Rhine River runs through the city south to north. In pre- and post-Roman times, the city obtained its water from the Vorgebirge aqueduct supplied by springs and streams to the west of the city. Let's take a closer look at the characteristics of water from the Cologne area to understand its suitability for brewing beer.
Vital Statistics

Calcium (ppm):
104
Sulfates (ppm):
86
Magnesium (ppm):
15
Sodium (ppm):
52
Chloride (ppm):
109
Carbonates (ppm):
152

How it works:
For brewing purposes, knowing the ion profile of your water is important for four main reasons:


  • Mash pH - The six main ions affect the mash pH, which in turn contributes to enzyme effectiveness in converting the malt's starches into maltose. The higher alkalinity of this water profile makes it more suitable for successful conversion of Vienna and Munich malts as well as darker, more acidic, malts.
  • Beer Flavor - These six ions are generally not present in sufficient amounts to affect flavor, unless there is contamination.
  • Hop Utilization - Very high water alkalinity, such as found in this water profile, can contribute to a highly alkaline wort (pH above 5.7), which can exaggerate hop bitterness. Hop dosage may need to be reduced compared to that used with softer water.
  • Yeast Nutrients - There is usually sufficient magnesium present in most water profiles to feed the yeast. In this Cologne water profile, the amount of magnesium is high, and should support vigourous yeast activity.

  • Treating your source water supply is largely needed only for all-grain brewing, since malt extract manufacturers account for the necessary water chemistry in making the extract for you. However, if you use a large percentage of specialty grains in an extract brew, that may make water treatment necessary.





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    Using http://www.brewersfriend.com/water-chemistry/ 
    From RO I need 6g of Calcium Chloride and 5g of Baking Soda and Gypsum.

    It is stated that this profile (harder water) promotes hop bitterness, so I will use Noble hops and hop to .4 vs .5, just to skirt this potential issue.  Delicate is the goal here.  Subtle, and delicate.
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    And that is the brew plan...Let's begin.

    Brew Day: 12/2/15 - Brewing with Devon and Macy.  He is doing a Holiday Stout

    Mash 148 for 90
    Boil 90 - hopped at 60 for .4BUGU.  (1oz Saaz, .2oz Warrior)
    Sugar add at 2 minutes.
    Landed at 1052.
    Pitched .75L starter (all day shake shake) at 58.
    D3 - 68 - chugging.
    12/22/15 - 1010.  Tastes great,  off to Falmouth farmhouse
    2/20/15 - overcarbed initially and thoughtwe had an off flavor.  Accidental degassing brought out a beautiful Kolsch.  Lesson learned, beer winning!

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