Brewing a Kolsch that’s a bit on the heavy side (OG=1.055) using a two-stage fermentation profile, pure O2 aeration @ 68 deg. F., and 1800ml starter (160 billion cells est.)
Since the WY-2565 seems to hold true to the claim of low/no diacetyl production, I’ve skipped the temp ramp for the diacetyl rest.
I haven’t built-in any ramp-time between the stages or the cold-crash.
Wondering if I should be doing the secondary conditioning at a higher temp rather than lower.
Also, was impatient and pitched at 68 deg, rather than putting everything in the fridge and stabilizing at my starting temp (65 deg. F.) before pitching.
It’s been two days and krausen has risen and fallen already, blow-off bucket is a happy mess.
Any advise or suggestions?
Profile summary:
Slow ramp down during 14-day primary from 65-58 deg. F.
Rack to secondary
A week of additional conditioning, ramping from 51-40 deg. F.
Two weeks of cold-crash with gelatin and polyclar around day 30
Keg at day 35 and carb to 2.8 vols
Condition as long as I can stand to wait.
Most times you would want to ramp up: the yeast start eating more and more complex sugars and need a higher working temp to do so.
My profiles usually look the opposite. I let the yeast start at 20C, then when it is going well, I slowly decrease the temperature to hold it around 18 for a few days if I want a clean beer, but higher if I want esters. But as soon as the bubbling starts to slow down, I do a slow ramp to 22-23.
This of course all depends on the type of yeast, and I have no experience with Kolsch.
Well, to be honest, it’s something I’m experimenting with based on a BeerSmith profile I found, running an additional secondary conditioning for a week in a clean carboy racked away from the primary yeast cake.
Primary ferment for me with this brew is usually fully attenuated in 4-6 days, so the second week sitting around between 50-40 deg. F. in the primary may be taking care of a lot of cleanup. A couple of days at a higher temp for a diacetyl rest might do the same in less time, but I don’t notice any diacetyl-related issues with the profile I’m using either. Maybe the additional time takes care of it, or maybe it’s not there in the first place given the WY-2565 characteristics…
This is my second Kolsch attempt in prep for a 70th bday party for a woman who only likes pilsners. My attempt to gently broaden her palate. I don’t usually brew them either. The first batch was really promising, but I had a faulty o-ring on the keezer beer line and the day after tapping it I found an empty corney and a sticky floor. 5 gal, 40 days - down the drain. Got one pint the night I tapped it. not much beer to cry in!
I don’t like to rush, but if I could shorten this up a bit at the start, I could lager it a bit longer.
