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Recipe: Emancipation Kölsch-Style Ale
From Emancipation Brewing in Fairbury, Illinois, comes this recipe that local patrons have been enjoying in quantity at their occasional Kölsch Nights.
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Lincoln Slagel, cofounder and head brewer of Emancipation Brewing in Fairbury, Illinois, shares this homebrew-scale recipe for the beer that his rural patrons enjoy in considerable quantity at their occasional Kölsch Nights. It embraces a traditional German step-mash but also some Midwestern flavor via Indiana craft malt and a kiss of Michigan hops.
“A well-made Kölsch-style ale is just as comfortable taking a back seat to conversation as it is to being appreciated for its subtle complexities,” Slagel says. “In my opinion, it’s at its best when neither flavor nor drinkability are sacrificed.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.009
IBUs: 20
ABV: 4.9%
Lincoln Slagel, cofounder and head brewer of Emancipation Brewing in Fairbury, Illinois, shares this homebrew-scale recipe for the beer that his rural patrons enjoy in considerable quantity at their occasional Kölsch Nights. It embraces a traditional German step-mash but also some Midwestern flavor via Indiana craft malt and a kiss of Michigan hops.
“A well-made Kölsch-style ale is just as comfortable taking a back seat to conversation as it is to being appreciated for its subtle complexities,” Slagel says. “In my opinion, it’s at its best when neither flavor nor drinkability are sacrificed.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.045
FG: 1.009
IBUs: 20
ABV: 4.9%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
5.9 lb (2.7 kg) Sugar Creek Malt Pilsner
2.1 lb (953 g) Sugar Creek Malt Vienna
5 oz (142 g) Bestmalz Acidulated
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 60 minutes [8 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Hallertau Mittelfrüh at 15 minutes [4 IBUs]
0.5 oz (14 g) Mackinac at 10 minutes [8 IBUs]
1 tablet Whirlfloc or finings of your choice at 10 minutes
YEAST
Omega OYL-044 Kölsch II, Fermentis SafAle K-97, or similar
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and do a Hochkurz step mash: Start at 144°F (62°C) and rest 30 minutes; raise to 158°F (70°C) and rest 30 minutes; then raise to 168°F (76°C) for mash out. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings according to the schedule. After the boil, chill the wort to 60°F (16°C), aerate, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 60°F (16°C) until fermentation is complete. Test for diacetyl or allow it to free rise for a few days for a diacetyl rest. Once gravity has stabilized and fermentation is complete, cold crash and lager for a few weeks, until the beer is clear, or longer. Package and carbonate to about 2.7 volumes of CO2. Serve in 200ml stangen for the optimal experience!
BREWER’S NOTES
Mashing: For more about the benefits of a Hochkurz step mash, see Short and High: The Hochkurz Mash. Don’t be intimidated by the multistep mash. It’s not a requirement, but our goal here is a very dry beer. If you’re unable to do a multistep mash, you can still get great results from mashing at 148–150°F (64–66°C) for at least 60 minutes.
Ingredients: German malts are traditional for the style, but we love the beautifully complex character we get from Sugar Creek Malt. As a bonus, they’re local to us. Same with the Mackinac hops, which are locally grown and lend a touch of unique citrus-melon-spice without moving our Kölsch out of the traditional flavor profile.
Totally Optional: Kölsch is great because it’s delicate, and that allows small changes to shine through. Switch up later hop additions for a subtle tweak, substitute wheat malt for the Vienna, or go nontraditional and condition on some fresh lemon zest (one lemon’s zest per gallon works well) for a tasty, dry, shandy-like treat.
