Kolscherated

The LHBS was out of regular malted wheat the day I went,
so I substituted dark wheat (10L or so) and unmalted wheat
berries. Strange ingredients for a Kolsch-style, but none-
the-less it came out fantastic.

This is probably one of the best beers I've ever made. It
may not be completely true to style, but it sure was tasty.
I'll be making this again next spring for sure. Let me know
if you try it.

Brewer:	John Harvey		Email:	theharv0157@yahoo.com
Beer:	Kolscherated		Style:	Kölsch
Type:	All grain		Size:	5 gallons
Color:	7 HCU (~5 SRM)		Bitterness:	23 IBU
OG:	1.050		FG:	1.006
Alcohol:	5.6% v/v (4.4% w/w)
Water:	Carbon filtered tap water, which is VERY soft around here. Added just a little (1/8th) gypsum to mash and sparge water. pH adjusted to 5.2 with acid blend. I might use lactic acid next time.
Grain:	8 lb. German Pilsner 1 lb. Wheat malt 1 lb. German Munich 1 lb. Raw wheat
Mash:	60% efficiency
	Single infusion mash 1q/1# ratio. 148°F for 90 minutes or until conversion. Add boiling water to achieve mashout at 170°F. (I actually missed and only got up to 160°) Batch sparged with 170° water. Note the low efficiency. Not sure what happened, but make sure to adust grain bill accordingly.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.041	6 gallons
	Irish moss last 15 minutes of boil. Added 1tsp of yeast nutrient.
Hops:	1 oz. Saaz (5% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Saaz (5% AA, 15 min.)
Yeast:	Wyeast 2565 Kölsch Yeast from a 1L starter.
Log:	Primary fermentation at 58°F for 14 days. Active fermentation within 6 hours. Racked to keg and placed in refrigerator at 48°F for two months.
Carbonation:	2.7 volumes	Keg: 20.1 psi @ 50°F
	Pressurized to 20psi. The carbonation calculator says this style should have 2.4 to 2.7 volumes of CO2. Ok.
Tasting:	At racking this beer wasn't very good. One month into lagering it wasn't any better. Thin, uninteresting, lacking something in the middle of the tongue, no Kolsch-like crispness, and cloudy. I was really getting worried. Somehow after two months of lagering it come into it's own. Do not drink this beer too early! It continued to get better over the next month until it was gone. The best pint was the last one. Next time I'll lager at least three months. The aroma was primarily malt. Very slight hop nose, not much at all. Color was a bright golden yellow. The beer cleared after the first three or four pints, and became bright 1/4th of the way into the keg. Head stand was excellent, thin white foam leaving belgian lace down the glass. Taste was very clean and lager like, only a slight hint of ale fruitiness. Hop flavor very light, but bitterness is prominent. Balance is toward bitterness, but not enough to overpower delicate malt flavors. Very slight wine-like tartness, would have liked more. Munich maltiness is present but barely noticable, only adding to complexity. No obvious wheat "softness." Body is very thin, almost like water. Overall an excellent beer. My only criticism is that the body was a little to thin for me. It may be true to style, but next time I'll mash a little higher (maybe 150°F or 151°F) to a little retain more body. Let me know if you try this one!

Recipe posted 07/21/04.