My general rule of thumb when brewing any lagers is has always been to give the beer a 2 - 5 day diacetyl rest after primary fermentation, before racking to secondary for lagering. Since a Kölsch would be fermented at similar temperatures, would it be necessary to do the same, or is this only necessary with lager yeasts? Any advice is always appreciated. Thanks!
Yes do a d-rest then transfer and lager for few weeks. You will be happy you did
Thanks Damian, that’s what I thought, but I like to get a second opinion whenever possible!
Although I’ve never got a hint of diacetyl from a kolsch strain (which could simply be based on pitching a healthy, sufficient slurry) I would agree with @damian_winter. This will allow the yeast to ensure complete fermentation and re-absorbing other by products.
Wyeast 2565 always seems to have a little bit. I generally ferment on the low end and do a d-rest. Last few kolsch I brewed I used wlp 029 and real like the yeast better than wyeast 2565
