For a malt profile we wanted to go with something that was going to be simple but also have just a hint of grainy flavor. We decided to go with a grain bill of 82% Pilsner malt, 10% Vienna malt, 5% Acidulated Malt to control ph, and 2.5% corn sugar to promote the crispness we were aiming for.
As a result the grain bill looked like this.
8lbs Pilsner Malt
1lb Vienna Malt
.5 lbs Acidulated Malt
.25lbs Corn Sugar
Our base water profile is as follows. All numbers are in PPM.
Ca+2 55
Mg+2 8
Na+ 18
Cl- 39
SO4-2 7
HCO3- 2.3
We added 4 grams of Calcium Chloride and 10 grams of Gypsum. This pushed our Chloride to about 100 and our Sulfates to around 150. This allowed for the bitterness to shine a little bit more, and add to the crispness we were looking to achieve. We were aiming for 152 degrees but ending up mashing in at 150.6 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes, recirculated a few times until we had clear wort and then sparged into the brew kettle. In order to save time, we try to heat the wort as it is being collected into the kettle.
We ordered this past years South African Hop yield from Yakima Valley so we decided to use all four varieties that we had on hand.
We used 1 oz of Southern Aroma at 15 mins left in the boil.
At 180 degrees we dropped the four different types of SA hops for the whirlpool. We did not stop and hold the temperature at 180, but continued to cool to pitching temps because it started to rain.
At day 3 into fermentation we dropped in 1 oz of each of the SA hops for a single charge dry hop.
The hop summary is as follows.
| 1 oz | Yakima Valley - Southern Passion | Pellet | 11.2 | Whirlpool | min | 8.39 |
| 1 oz | Yakima Valley - African Queen | Pellet | 10 | Whirlpool | min | 7.49 |
| 1 oz | Yakima Valley - Southern Aroma | Pellet | 5.8 | Whirlpool | min | 4.34 |
| 1 oz | Yakima Valley - Southern Promise | Pellet | 10.4 | Whirlpool | min | 7.79 |
| 1 oz | Yakima Valley - Southern Aroma | Pellet | 5.8 | Boil | 15 min | 11.74 |
| 4 oz | South African Varieties | Pellet | 10 | Dry Hop | 3 days |
Yeast nutrient and whirlfloc tabs were both added with 10 minutes left in the boil.
Since we chose to make a Kolsch Style Ale we went with Imperial Yeasts Dieter Strain. Since this is a Kolsch Style yeast, and a Kolsch style beer we figured that we would get cleaner profile with it. There is a caveat to this because we did not condition this beer at lager temperatures after fermentation.
The beer was fermented at 62 degrees Fahrenheit for the entire time. Cold crashed at 38 degrees for 48 hours, and then kegged. Carbonated at 30 psi for 48 hours and then turned down to 10 psi for serving.
Tasting Notes.
Appearance
The beer pours a slightly hazy straw color. It isn't completely opaque as you can see your fingers through the glass. Looks more like a dry hopped ale than a traditional Kolsch. Almost glows a little bit from the brightness of the color. It has a very white head that has a good amount of retention and lacing as the beer is being consumed.
Aroma
The malt character shines through and has a slight sweetness on the nose. A hint of citrus is present but does not over power the malt character.
Taste & Mouthfeel
A nice lime zip at the beginning of the beer gives way to a grainy sweetness that finishes with a mild bitterness and almost white wine like character. This beer has more body than a traditional Kolsch and feels a bit fuller on the palate.
Final Thoughts
As far as experiments go, this wasn't crazy by any means but is a good interpretation of the style of beer we like to drink. At 5.2% it is easy to drink, and has enough character to keep you going back for another sip. Kolsch style ales are sort of forgotten most of the time it seems. With a little tweaking and some dry hops we think this shows a new age twist on classic style. Don't forget to follow s on Instagram @twoshepherdsbrewing
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