The recipe (5 gallon batch): Posted on 05/20/2015 5:56:18 PM PDT by markomalley
The recipe (5 gallon batch):
This is not mandatory, but if you want a bit more punch, add 2 lbs of Pilsen DME (that will up the ABV from around 5% to 6 - 6.5%)
Cooking instructions: I did a 3 step mash with mash out for this. The reason being that I wanted the beer to attenuate as much as possible. You may or may not want to use Irish Moss as a fining agent...your call.
My pre-boil volume was 7.8 gallons @1.044 gravity. Boiled down to 5.5 gallons over 60 minutes, adding bittering and aroma hops as indicated in the recipe.
The OG was 1.060.
I prepared a 1/2 gallon starter using a stir plate (this turned into a mess, by the way, should have used a larger vessel)
I fermented in primary for 1 week @68° (the active fermentation was over after 3 days, but I left it on the yeast cake for the rest of the week to fully clean up).
I left it in secondary for a couple of weeks while waiting for a keg to free up. I then pressurized to achieve a 2.8 volume carbonation (18 lbs of CO2).
The big thing is that you want to lager this in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks. That is absolutely essential for the Kölsch to turn out right. Frankly, lagering for a month would be better, but I don't have either the refrigerator space or the patience (I have GOT to build myself a Keezer LOL)
This is a great, great lawnmower beer.
How did you ramp up so quickly between steps?
send me a case and i’ll let you know
brew
I mashed in a 11 gallon kettle with a false bottom. Cranked the heat up (and there were a few minutes between steps). Vorlaufed until the runnings were clear. Ran it into a couple of sanitary buckets through a hose, so as to not oxygenate the wort. Cleaned the kettle out and removed the false bottom. Then poured the wort back into the kettle and started the boil.
Yes, I know that's not the "right" way, but it worked. (I normally do brew-in-a-bag, but that doesn't work well for a step mash)
Yeah, I had Pliny the Elder last June. I consider it the 2nd best I’ve ever had. It is OUTSTANDING! I haven’t had the Younger, yet.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/top/
Thanks, Labyrinthos. FABULOUS pick.
Oh that sounds epic!!!!! We need a BBQ! Or MD blue crabs.
The best I had (Pliny the Elder) at that time by far (last June). I made a beer run from Michigan to Vermont last month (April) to get some Heady and I was not disappointed. I've got about 10 left.
Actually, it's already been done (several times).
I think the easiest to follow is the series "Easy Home Brewing" done by Craig Farraway.
That series takes you from the very simplest...making a pre-hopped kit...all the way to brewing an all grain batch.
(Please note that Craig is a bit of a nut, but his videos are easy to follow and show you how easy the process is).
I would also recommend the YouTube channel "Basic Brewing Video" Those guys break it down fairly easily as well.
Also, Northern Brewer TV has some good informational material online. Be aware that they are trying to sell their own stuff...and their source may not be the cheapest in the world, but the videos have a lot of good info on them.
Same here. It's been about 2 - 2-1/2 years for me.
West Coast IPA is terrific. I've have many Palate Wreckers. I'd definitely put it in my top 10. OUTSTANDING!
My go-to beer here in Michigan is Bell's Two-Hearted (and their seasonal Hopslam), but all of these other great beers are becoming more readily available in the state. It's the best time ever to be a beer drinker.
I love good beer stories.
One of my favorite days traveling in Germany was on the west bank of the Rhine in Cologne in 2009, eating sausages and drinking Koelsch in view of the famous Cathedral.
I love good beer stories.
I pour two cans of Budweiser in my transmission in a desperate attempt to drive my car out of a very isolated/remote place.
It worked.
I said, “beer stories.” Budweiser is not beer.Lol.
I love getting good recommendations on beers. It proves that people do their homework and actually test stuff.
/johnny
I take it you’ve never had Paeffgen.
sacrilege.
Putting an IPA into a glass made for bocks and Belgian ales.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.