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Kölsch II: the Kölschening


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:33
Style:Kölsch
Brew Date:22 January 2011
Original Gravity:1.052 (12.86 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.007 (1.80 °Plato)
ABV:5.9%
ABW:4.6%
Calories per pint:222
Estimated IBU (Rager):36.2
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):28.1
Mash Temperature:150°
Mash Efficiency:80%
Days in Primary:15  
Days in Secondary:0 (kegged on 6 February 2011)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:58-60° with a short spike to 63° ca. 66 hours into fermentation
Yeast Used:2565 Kölsch
Apparent Attenuation:87%
Real Attenuation:70%
Rating:3.60
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 22 March 2011)
Availability:44 days
 Recipe:

9 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Munich malt

6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 60
3 AAU (24g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 30
4 AAU (32g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 5

1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min

Wyeast 2565 - Kölsch
General Notes:

 
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 9 March 2011. Poured from tap into a pint glass.

Appearance: nice golden-yellow hue with a touch of haze. Head poured a thick finger of creamy white foam but was rather short-lived. It does appear to have left a bit of creamy lacing on the glass, however. Kölsch is supposed to be pretty brilliantly clear, I believe, but that's hard to attain with this notoriously low-flocculation yeast; however, I wanted to get this reviewed before I drank it all so 31 days of conditioning is all it gets. Overall not too bad, but better head retention and clarity would be really nice. (3.5)

Smell: mild malt aroma with a slightly sweet character and a slightly bitter edge. It's got a tiny bit of funky yeast character to it, but overall it's a clean aroma, if rather mild. (3.5)

Taste: clean maltiness with a hint of dry biscuit flavor. The Saaz hops are much more prominent than they ought to be, but overall it's not a bad beer. I would call this beer competent, but it doesn't really stir anything in me. For the future, I will go easier on the hops and maybe bump up the Munich or something to add a touch more character. (3.5)

Mouthfeel: there is a nice medium body to this beer, and although apparent attenuation clocked in at 87% it does not feel overattenuated at all. Carbonation is pretty rich, by design, which is something I like. Creamy and satisfying! (4)

Drinkability: for its faults, this is a relatively light and refreshing beer. Dialing back the hops might help, as might switching to a less-spicy noble like Hallertauer or Tettnanger, but really this beer does hit the spot when I want a clean, relatively low-bitterness brew. (4)

Overall score 3.6 (B). My drinkability notes pretty much sum up what could be improved in this beer. A marginally sweeter beer with gentler hops could really help this recipe.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Czech Saaz 60 6.00 3.5 48 Pellet 24.7 18.5  
Czech Saaz 30 3.00 3.5 24 Pellet 8.4 7.1  
Czech Saaz 5 4.00 3.5 32 Pellet 3.1 2.5