I am new to homebrewing and this is my 4th batch, it happens to be my first Kolsch and there are tons of post on what the proper temp to ferment is. I am a bit confused. I first pitched my yeast at 75 then let it sit for 24 hours at this temp. I then moved it to the fridge to sit at 54 and it has been there for 4 days now. I am wondering should I keep the temp where it is through the primary fermentation? Or should I raise/lower the temp for the remaining time? What should be the proper lagering temp. once I rack to secondary?
You want to start lower rather than higher. I start in the low 50’s and let it rise to 59-60. I use to ferment at the lower end but found that fermenting a little higher allows for more of the yeast profile to come through. That’s what a Klosch is all about. After about 5-6 days when it slows I let it rise to about 65 for a couple days to finish. I raise the temp on the controller high and leave the freezer door open.
Instead of racking to a secondary just let it sit. Lower the temp 3 degrees or so daily until you get to around 33-34. Then lager for two weeks.
Great!! Thanks for the info
I cringe when I hear about people pitching at a high temp. Then lowering it a day or so later. IMO, you will never know when the yeast have started their journey and start produce off flavors because of the high temp.
Start where you want to be or a little lower has always been my thought.
This seems to be the bulk of advice I see from the likes of John Palmer and Jamil Z, as well.
So I planning on adding Vanilla Bean to my Kolsch to add a little flavor. If I am not going to rack to a secondary, when should I introduce the Vanilla. If I am not racking onto the Vanilla in a secondary will the flavor still get mixed around!
Cut the bean in half and scrape the meat out. Add it all 4-5 days before you plan to bottle/keg.
The flavor will mingle just fine. If you added it to a secondary, it will take a couple of days for the alcohol to extract the vanilla flavor form the bean anyway.
IMO, 1 bean is enough to give slightly more than a hint of flavor. Commercial beers have to much flavor for my taste.
