Cohesion 8° (homage)

Posted on by
Reply

I like to keep my process simple for most batches, but sometimes it’s fun to go a little bit over the top. Adding a new ingredient, perhaps a decoction step, maybe another fiddly process, and so on, can keep things interesting and help me stretch my brewing toolkit. Most often, this is in pursuit of lager perfection. The Fall 2026 issue of Craft Beer & Brewing highlighted a recipe for Cohesion Brewing’s 8° lager–it was dead simple in the ingredients (single malt, only two varieties of hops), but the process (decoction, recommended spunding, etc.) were going to be something else altogether. Having been to Cohesion and sampled their (amazing) beers, I thought it was absolutely worth a try. The low abv on this one, due to the 8° starting gravity, and its purportedly robust flavor was another mark in the recipe’s favor.

Cohesion uses a Colorado Craft malthouse, Troubadour, for their recipes; although European-style lagers tend to lean in to a “European malt only” philosophy (at least in homebrewing circles), I trust Cohesion’s results. Their beer is simply excellent, and that is worth something. So, I special ordered Super Pevec Foundation malt (from Colorado Craft Malt–they carry virtually the full line of Troubadour malts), as well as WLP802. The only ingredient from the recipe that I couldn’t source at a homebrew scale was Agnus hops, which were the bittering charge in the published recipe. I swapped in Magnum, which I figured would be fine because it’s a small amount (only 0.3 oz. in a 5 gallon batch) at the front end of a 90 minute boil.

decoction mash of barley malt boiling in a kettle with a long metal spoon stirring the mash
Decoction mash in process

I followed the technique from the article as closely as I could; it called for spunding during the second half of fermentation, which involved purchasing a spunding valve. I’ve been thinking about acquiring one of these for awhile, so I pulled the trigger. The single decoction was not my usual technique, but something I’ve done a few times; in many ways, that was the easiest part of the extended process! Between extra mash steps totalling nearly 2 hours, a 90 minute boil, 20 minute whirlpool, and a chill down to 47°, this was going to be a long brew day. Thankfully, the results were worth it!

Cohesion 8°

  • 6.5 lb. Super Pevec Foundation malt (Troubadour)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 0.3 oz. Magnum hop pellets (12.0% alpha), 90 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Saaz hop pellets (2.4% alpha), 30 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Saaz hop pellets (2.4% alpha), 20 minute whirlpool at 194°
  • 2 pkg. Czech Budejovice lager WLP802 (White Labs)

Target Parameters

  • Decoction mash, with initial infusion and 20 minute rest at 122°, 30 minutes at 145°, 20 minute decoction, 20 minutes at 165°, full volume mash
  • 1.032 o.g., 1.008 f.g., 3.2% abv, 28 IBU, 4 SRM
  • Water built from RO, to hit target of 47 ppm Ca, 20 ppm SO4, 68 ppm Cl
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

closed transfer of beer, from tall keg with a black top into a shorter keg with a red top. The smaller keg has a spunding valve attached, and a CO2 tank is sitting next to the two kegs. A clear line of tubing connects the two kegs. The smaller keg is sitting in a metal tray.
Closed transfer of finished beer
  • I built the water from RO, starting with 7.4 gallons of water to which I added 3 g calcium chloride and 1 g gypsum. Next, I heated the water to 124°, and added the grains (along with BrewTanB) to hit a 20 minute rest at 122° (with recirculation). Next, I raised the mash temperature to 145°, and rested it there for 30 minutes.
  • I pulled about 10 quarts of thick mash to a separate pot, and brought it to a boil for 20 minutes, with frequent stirring (especially in the early stages).
  • After adding the decoction back to the main mash, this raised the mash temperature to around 165°. I held it here for 20 minutes, before removing the grains and bringing the kettle to a boil.
  • I collected 6.8 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.026, for 74% mash efficiency.
  • Once the kettle was at a boil, I added the Magnum hops, boiling for 60 minutes before adding the first charge of Saaz. With 10 minutes to go, I added BrewTanB, and with 5 minutes to go I added Whirlfloc.
  • After the full 90 minute boil, I turned off the heat and chilled to 194° before adding the final Saaz addition. I held here, recirculated for 5 minutes, and then let steep and settle for an additional 15 minutes (without recirculation).
  • I chilled down to 78° (as low as the groundwater would allow), and transferred the wort to the fermenter, with minimal splashing.
  • Approximately 5 gallons of wort went into the fermenter, with a gravity of 1.032.
  • In the fermentation chamber, I chilled the wort to 47°, which took around 5 hours. I pitched the yeast (two packets, directly into the fermenter) and then added 30 seconds of pure oxygen with a carbonation stone. I put a piece of foil over the opening where the airlock would normally fit, to allow an initial open fermentation.
  • I set the fermentation chamber for 50°, and held it here for most of the fermentation.
  • The beer was brewed on 6 September 2026. No krausen was visible on 8 or 9 September, and a low krausen was visible on 12 September 2026. At this point, the beer showed 7.2 Brix on the refractometer, corrected (for fermenting wort corrections) to 1.026 (6.6 Plato). The recipe called for transfer to a pressurized fermenting vessel at this point (around 5 days into fermentation), so I used a semi-closed transfer to move it over to a keg. I put the spunding valve on and set it at 16 psi.
  • By the next morning (13 September 2026), the pressure was down to around 5 PSI. I adjusted the valve, and it ended up stable at around 14 PSI for the next stretch.
  • The beer was down to 5 Brix on 17 September 2026 (1.012 s.g.); I wasn’t sure if this would be the end, so I ran a forced diacetyl test. I heated a sample to ~170° for 15 minutes, and a buttery aroma was detected.
  • Due to some other fermentation chamber needs, I brought the fermenting keg out to ambient for ~12 hours on 19 September 2026. I was bringing another lager down to fermentation temperature, and didn’t want to cold shock the yeast. I left the keg out overnight, and then put it into a 52° fermentation chamber on the morning of 20 September 2026.
  • I ran another forced diacetyl test on 30 September 2026, and the beer passed. At this point, I reduced pressure to 13.5 PSI at 52°, and let it stabilize there.
  • I cold crashed the beer to 33° on 3 October 2026.
  • The final gravity, measured on 7 October 2026, was 1.008 (4.4 Brix, which I corrected using the appropriate conversions).
  • In initial tastes, it was clear that this is an amazing beer. From my notes at the time: “Virtually perfect malt flavor, balance on everything is superb. It might be one of the very best things I’ve ever made. Well worth the effort.” Remarkably, I hit the target gravities perfectly at both start and finish. WOW!
  • The beer was brilliantly clear by 26 October 2026.
  • Because the beer had been sitting on the last bit of fermentation yeast, I was mildly concerned about some off flavors developing. So, I used a closed transfer to move the beer over to a 2.5 gallon keg on 30 October 2026 (between kettle trub and a hefty number of servings already, this was pretty much all that was left). I used the spunding valve to regulate pressure during the transfer. Interestingly, there was way less yeast on the bottom of the keg than I had expected. Maybe I was worried about nothing? Maybe not–after all of that effort, I didn’t want to chance things.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Although the calculated color in BeerSmith was 3.7 SRM, in the glass it’s a bit closer to 5 SRM–a deep gold color, with brilliant clarity. The beer pours with a persistent white head (but not as nice as on the fancy taps at Cohesion!). It is so gorgeous.
  • Aroma
    • Bready, medium-high malt aroma, and a medium-low herbal hop aroma. Perfect!
  • Flavor
    • Medium-low bready flavor, with a bit of caramel on the back end. Medium-high bitterness, with an herbal quality. The malt/hop characters play well together. I love how I squeezed so much complexity from just a single malt variety! High quality malt plus careful technique paid off.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium light body, medium-low carbonation. Smooth finish with a pleasant bitterness.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This recipe was a ton of work, but so worth it. I love how I captured so much character with basic ingredients of high quality, amped up by a close attention to process. I can’t go this over the top with every batch (I just don’t have time or energy), but I enjoyed every aspect of this batch.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Hoppiness is an IPA

Posted on by
Reply

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie, from Brewing Classic Styles. I wanted an IPA on tap, particularly something with citrusy American hops and a good malt backbone (I don’t fear the crystal malt!). My version is virtually identical to the published one on the hot side, with just a few minor ingredient adjustments. I added a mix of 2-row varieties to use up the last bit of my Rahr supply, and subbed in Magnum as my bittering hops. The original recipe didn’t call for dry hops, so I added those to increase the hop aroma and flavor.

Hoppiness is an IPA

  • 11.5 lb. 2-row Xtra pale ale malt (Viking)
  • 1.25 lb. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 1 lb. crystal 15 malt (Great Western)
  • 0.75 lb. Barke Munich malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.25 lb. light crystal malt (Simpsons)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 1.25 oz. Magnum hop pellets (12.0% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Cascade hop pellets (5.5% alpha), 10 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (13.0% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.2% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool at 185°
  • 2 pkg. California Ale dry yeast (White Labs, WLP001)
  • 1.0 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.2% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 1.0 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (13.0% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 0.5 oz. Cascade hop pellets (5.5% alpha), dry hop in fermenter

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 149°, full volume mash
  • 1.066 o.g., 1.009 f.g., 7.5% abv, 65 IBU, 7 SRM
  • Water built from RO, to hit a target of 89 ppm Ca, 154 ppm SO4, 44 ppm Cl, -64 RA
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I built up my water from 7.65 gallons of RO water with 8 g of gypsum and 2 g of calcium chloride, and then heated it to 156°. I added the BrewTanB, grains, and 1 tbs. of 10% phosphoric acid to adjust the pH, holding the mash at 149° for 60 minutes, with recirculation.
  • After 60 minutes, I raised the mash temperature to 168° for 10 minutes, before removing the grains and bringing the runnings to a boil.
  • The mash yielded 6.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.059, for 71% mash efficiency.
  • I boiled the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings per the recipe. Then, I turned off the heat, chilled to 185°, and whirlpooled for 5 minutes with the Amarillo hops.
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled down to 84° and transferred the wort to the fermenter. In the fermentation chamber, I continued the chill down to 71° before pitching the yeast; it took about 3 hours to reach this temperature. I am fermenting at 68°.
  • I brewed the beer on 15 August 2026. Starting gravity was 1.061, just a touch low (probably because I didn’t boil hard enough).
  • I added the hops to the fermenter on 24 August 2026, and then cold crashed to 34° on 26 August 2026. I kegged using a closed transfer on 5 September 2026.
  • Final gravity was 1.010, for 6.8% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • This IPA pours as a deep gold beer with a slight haze; the off-white head is creamy, long-lasting, and leaves nice lacing down the sides of the glass.
  • Aroma
    • Naval orange and orange peel on the aroma at a medium-high level. Very light caramel maltiness.
  • Flavor
    • A very bitter beer, with a light caramel malt quality. The hops have a citrus pith aspect at the forefront, and some pine, with a bit of orange peel building behind that.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry finish that lingers on the tongue.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Amarillo is such a great hop for creating vibrant orange aroma and flavor in a beer! I’m a bit surprised I don’t pick up Simcoe more obviously (e.g., in a piney aroma); the Cascade is a background player, but I think its citrus is melding with that of Amarillo. A different hop combo might be good–I could probably either ditch the Simcoe or lean into it more strongly. The malt character is fairly mild, about perfect for an IPA of this type; it’s a great example of how crystal malt can have a solid supporting role in American IPAs. This is a super drinkable recipe–I could see it making a nice base for various hop experiments, especially with those available back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
  • Overall
    • 8/10

Humboldt’s Hefeweizen 2026

Posted on by
Reply

I finally perfected my weissbier recipe, and with that locked in it’s time to rebrew! My current version is same as the previous in technique, but I swapped in Weyermann pale wheat malt instead of Briess red wheat malt, and used Briess pilsen malt instead of Rahr’s equivalent. Upon starting this quest, I was excited to see if I could replicate the excellent results of my previous attempt. Overall, I wasn’t disappointed (but have a few notes).

Recipe Name

  • 7 lb. pale wheat malt (Weyermann)
  • 4 lb. pilsner malt (Briess)
  • 0.5 lb. rice hulls
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB (mash)
  • 1 oz. Sterling whole hops (4.5% alpha estimated), 45 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 tsp. yeast nutrient (White Labs WLN1000)
  • 1 pkg. Munich Classic Wheat Beer yeast (Lallemand)

Target Parameters

  • 1.050 o.g., 1.010 f.g., 5.4% abv, 14 IBU, 3 SRM
  • Full volume mash, no sparge, 113° mash for 20 minutes, 145° mash for 45 minutes, 162° mash for 30 minutes
  • RO and neutralized Claremont tap water, mixed to hit 43 ppm Ca, 3 ppm Mg, 38 ppm Na, 29 ppm SO4, 43 ppm Cl, 4 ppm CaCO3, RA=-29, effective hardness=33 ppm.
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I collected 2.9 gallons of Claremont tap water and neutralized it with 2.1 mL of 88% lactic acid and a small bit of Campden tablet. Then, I added 4.5 gallons of RO water, to hit my mash water profile.
  • I started the mash at 113° for 20 minutes, to enable a ferulic acid rest. Then, I raised the mash to 145° for 45 minutes, and finally ended at 162° for 30 minutes. Once the mash was done, I pulled the grains and heated the runnings to a boil.
  • The kettle had 6.6 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.043, for 69% mash efficiency. I’m pretty happy with that, as the previous batch had a lower efficiency.
  • Once the kettle was boiling, I added finings per the schedule and then turned off the heat after 60 minutes. As a procedural note, I had a 3 liter boil-off during my boil at 74% power on the Foundry (25 liters down to 22 liters).
  • I chilled the wort to 80° and then transferred to the fermenter, chilling down to 68° in my fermentation chamber, before pitching the yeast. I held the temperature here for fermentation.
  • I brewed this beer on 26 July 2026. Starting gravity was 1.049, just a shade off target, but nothing significant.
  • I kegged the beer on 11 August 2026, splitting it into two 2.5 gallon kegs, with 3.5 oz. of corn sugar into each. One keg was full up, the other around three-quarters full. I let the kegs carbonate at room temperature. This batch was split because I wanted to take some to a festival, but in my experience a full 5 gallons usually isn’t necessary (we rotate the kegs mid-way through the afternoon and have a full tap selection, so it’s rare to kick 5 gallons in 2 or 3 hours).
  • Final gravity was 1.013, for 4.8% abv.
  • I moved the kegs into the chest freezer on 17 August 2026, and topped up with forced carbonation. The sampled beer was really nice, with an excellent clove aroma. However, that was at room temperature, so we’ll see how it manifests once it is at serving temperature.
  • As a note, the less full keg had a pressure of 40 psi at 85°, so around 2.6 to 2.8 volumes of CO2.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • When done properly, this beer pours with a pillowy and persistent white head. It’s not quite as fine of bubbles as on the last edition, though. This is a pale straw beer, with a high level of yeast haze.
  • Aroma
    • Medium level of clove-like yeast character, and very light banana, and a little pineapple comes through, also. The latter is not at all bubblegum-like; it’s truly pineapple, which is interesting to me. Slight doughy malt aroma.
  • Flavor
    • The yeast flavor is at a moderately high level; mostly clove with a low level of banana and a little pineapple, also. Doughy malt character at a moderate level. Slight tartness to the beer, accentuated by the high level of carbonation. Medium low bitterness.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, spritzy carbonation, light and slightly dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a solid recipe overall. I feel like a touch more body would be nice; I might mash at a higher temperature next time. This is a highly drinkable beer, but I’ll notch back hops slightly in future batches. A stronger yeast flavor/aroma would be nice, too. Maybe I need to go to a higher fermentation temperature? Given that the foam wasn’t quite as fine as on my first version, I think I’ll switch back to red wheat malt for my next one. Looking at the stats sheets, Briess Red Wheat Malt seems to have a higher average protein than the Weyermann White Wheat Malt (12.5% versus 10 to 13%), and I think I like the flavor on the Briess product a little better. I know, it’s heresy to use American over German ingredients in this style!
  • Overall
    • 7.5/10

Black Hole American Stout

Posted on by
Reply

I was recently re-introduced to the American stout style, which harkens back to the early days of craft beer and homebrewing. I feel like this variety of stout was somewhat left in the dust after the rise (and decline) of barrel aged imperial stouts, and these kinds of now-neglected classic craft styles are always enjoyable for me. Relative to other stouts, American stouts are characterized by being fairly robust in body and also fairly bitter, often accentuated by dark grains to amp up the roastiness. Big doses of hops particularly set them apart from their English counterparts.

I have only brewed this style once in the past, and surprisingly few recipes are available. As before, I used a clone recipe for Sierra Nevada’s Stout from the BYO Big Book of Clone Recipes. Last time I boosted the 2-row with Maris Otter, but this time around I stuck closer to the recipe with Munich malt. The supporting grains were a bit different from the original recipe, owing to what I had on hand, but it’s still in the general ballpark. I was low on crystal 60 and roasted barley, relative to the proportions in the original recipe, so I subbed in a bit of crystal 80 and black malt instead, and increased the chocolate malt by a small percentage. Because we’re in the thick of summer, I opted to use Lutra kveik; this particular strain has a reputation for fermenting pretty cleanly. The recipe title is because this beer is incredibly dark, even by the standards of this style; no light can escape!

Recipe Name

  • 4 lb. 6 oz. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 1 lb. 4 oz. Barke Munich malt (Weyermann)
  • 6 oz. black malt (Simpsons)
  • 4 oz. Carafa Special II malt (Weyermann)
  • 4 oz. caramel 80L malt (Briess)
  • 4 oz. chocolate malt (Bairds)
  • 4 oz. crystal 60 malt (Great Western)
  • 3 oz. roast barley (Crisp)
  • 0.6 oz. Magnum hop pellets (12.0% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz. Cascade hop pellets (5.5% alpha), 10 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Northern Brewer hop pellets (8.5% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool at 194°
  • 1 pkg. Lutra Kveik (dried; Omega OYL-071DRY)

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 154°, full volume mash
  • 1.057 o.g., 1.013 f.g., 5.9% abv, 61 IBU, 64 SRM
  • Claremont tap water, with Campden tablet to remove chloramines
  • 2.75 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I heated 4.25 gallons of Claremont tap water to 160°, and added the grains. I held the mash at 154°, with recirculation, for 60 minutes, before raising the mash to 168° for a 10 minute mash-out. Then, I pulled the grains and brought the kettle to a boil.
  • In total, I collected 3.76 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.047, for 68 percent mash efficiency.
  • I boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After the boil, I turned off the heat, chilled to 194°, and whirlpooled for 10 minutes before chilling down to 95°.
  • I transferred the wort to the fermenter, and pitched the Lutra. I kept the fermenter in the warmest room in our house, which was around 90° during the daytime.
  • I brewed the beer on 7 August 2026. Starting gravity was 1.060.
  • Active signs of fermentation kicked off within an hour(!), and all bubbling through the airlock had ceased within two days. I left it for a few more days to finish up.
  • The beer had a final gravity of 1.020, for 5.2% abv. I kegged the beer on 12 August 2026, with 2.5 oz. of priming sugar.
  • The beer was moved on tap on 30 August 2026. Carbonation levels were perfect from the start!

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Inky black beer, with a reasonably persistent deep tan-colored head, which leaves a tiny bit of lacing on the glass.
  • Aroma
    • Dark chocolate and creamy coffee malt aroma at a medium-high level. Not much for yeast or hop aroma.
  • Flavor
    • Espresso-like dark maltiness and roast character at a medium-high level, with dark caramel at a low level. Very bitter, with a resiny quality. Slight malt sweetness.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly dry finish. Mouthfeel has a bit of pleasant creaminess.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a great beer, and quite pleasing as my second attempt at the style. The previous version was perhaps a touch more to my liking, especially in the subtle hop and malt characters. For future brews, I would probably go back to my previous recipe with its particular malt formulation and hop selection. I like a resiny hop character for this style, and I think the Columbus+Cascade combination is just a bit better than the Magnum+Cascade+Northern Brewer combo.
  • Overall
    • 8/10

Iceberg! Kölsch

Posted on by
Reply

Kölsch is an accessible style, but its delicate qualities make it a challenge to brew well. Like a light lager, there isn’t much hop or malt character to hide behind, and the yeast character has a narrow separation between “subtle and pleasant” vs. “rotten fruit bomb.” Over several years, I had perfected a house recipe, but changes in ingredient availability restarted my quest.

This new recipe is, unsurprisingly, broadly similar to my old one. While searching the AHA’s recipe archives, I found an NHC-winning kölsch from 2023 (note: an AHA membership is required to view the original recipe), formulated by Metts Potter. It has a simple base of pilsner malt with a hint of Vienna (similar to my original, except I had light Munich instead of Vienna), with a light dose of Hallertauer Mittelfrueh. The original recipe used Wyeast 2565, but White Labs is easier to get so I used a close equivalent, the classic WLP029. I also had mixed pilsner malt types, to use up the last little bit of one sack of Briess. Because I had already done a kölsch semi-recently and didn’t want to get too tired of the style, I opted for a small, 3-gallon, batch.

Iceberg! Kölsch

  • 4.75 lb. Synergy Select Pilsen malt (Briess)
  • 0.75 lb. pilsen malt (Briess)
  • 10 oz. Vienna malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.25 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 0.85 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hop pellets (2.5% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.85 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hop pellets (2.5% alpha), 15 minute boil
  • 0.25 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 0.5 Whirlfloc tablet
  • 1.5 g. WLN1000 yeast nutrient, 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. German Ale/Kölsch yeast WLP029 (White Labs)
  • 1 oz. Biofine Clear, added to keg

Target Parameters

  • Hochkurz mash, with 5 minute rest at 144°, 45 minute rest at 148°, 10 minute rest at 153°, 45 minute rest at 163°, 15 minute mash-out at 170°, full volume mash
  • 1.047 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 4.7% abv, 20 IBU, 4 SRM
  • Water built from scratch, to hit 48 ppm Ca, 44 ppm SO4, 54 ppm Cl
  • 3 gallon batch

Procedure

  • Starting with 4.7 gallons of RO water, I added 1.4 g of calcium chloride and 1.3 g of gypsum, to hit my water profile target. I heated the strike water to 149° before adding the BrewTanB, grains, and 10 mL of 10% phosphoric acid.
  • I held the mash at 144° for 5 minutes, before raising to 148° for 45 minutes, then to 153° for 10 minutes, 163° for 45 minutes, and finally 170° for 15 minutes. All of this was done while recirculating.
  • After the mash, I removed the grains and brought the runnings to a boil. In total, I collected 4.36 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.040, for 75% mash efficiency. This high efficiency probably is a result of the extended mash time.
  • Once the kettle was at a boil, I added the hops and finings per the recipe. After the full 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat, chilled to 75°, and then transferred the wort to the fermenter. Within the fermentation chamber, I chilled the batch to 64° before pitching the yeast.
  • I brewed this beer on 31 May 2026; starting gravity was 1.048.
  • I fermented the beer at 66°, and kegged on 30 June 2026 via a closed transfer. The beer had a very nice flavor and aroma; bitterness seems a bit lighter than in Snowdrop Kölsch, which isn’t surprising given the stats.
  • Final gravity was 1.010, for 5.0% abv.
  • I had a first taste of the conditioned beer on 17 August 2026; it was really nice! There was a very slight but persistent haze, so I added Biofine Clear on 19 August 2026, when I moved the beer into my kegerator. The beer was (finally!) brilliantly clear on 24 August 2026.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Light yellow, brilliantly clear beer; pours with a low but somewhat persistent white head.
  • Aroma
    • Medium-low pear-like yeast character. Medium-low spicy hop character. Low grainy malt character.
  • Flavor
    • Grainy malt at a medium-low level; medium-low level of clean bitterness with a slightly spicy quality. Light pear fruitiness in the yeast, at a low level.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, medium level of carbonation, slightly lingering bitterness on an off-dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a fantastic kölsch, especially so once it was fully conditioned and dropped clear. Every element is beautifully balanced, creating an eminently drinkable beer that is perfect for a hot day. This seems like a worthy successor to Snowdrop Kölsch, as a house kölsch recipe.
  • Overall
    • 10/10