What’s the lowest you’ve ever taken US-05 to? I know it says best between “59 and 72” but I’m making a Kolsch and would like to try it around 55. I really don’t want to wait a month for a snail like fermentation to finish out. Plus “the colder the cleaner” has worked well for me. :?
I’ve done blond ales at 60* with S-05. Though I have raised it over the course of fermentation pretty aggressively, only doing 60* for the first few days. Some say it gives off a peach ester that low, but if it does, it actually works in the blonde I make. Probably not a bad idea to rehydrate when trying it that low.
So you are making a blonde ale as well :mrgreen: ? In all seriousness, if you are making a Kolsch, why not a Kolsch yeast? Just because of the time you mention? The only way to get the Kolsch characteristics are to use one of those yeasts (slight white-wine like/apple/pear, slight sulfur/mineral). Otherwise it won’t taste right.
The foregoing are why I find Kolsch’s to be gargantuan pains in the arse and why if I am going to take the time to make one, I will just make a german pils or CAP and satisfy my light beer craving.
[quote=“Pietro”]I’ve done blond ales at 60* with S-05. Though I have raised it over the course of fermentation pretty aggressively, only doing 60* for the first few days. Some say it gives off a peach ester that low, but if it does, it actually works in the blonde I make. Probably not a bad idea to rehydrate when trying it that low.
[quote]So you are making a blonde ale as well :mrgreen: ? In all seriousness, if you are making a Kolsch, why not a Kolsch yeast? Just because of the time you mention? The only way to get the Kolsch characteristics are to use one of those yeasts (slight white-wine like/apple/pear, slight sulfur[/quote]/mineral). Otherwise it won’t taste right.
The foregoing are why I find Kolsch’s to be gargantuan pains in the arse and why if I am going to take the time to make one, I will just make a german pils or CAP and satisfy my light beer craving.[/quote]
I’ve used White Labs’ German Ale/Kolsch strain to make an excellent pale ale. It had very little of the qualities you mention. It was, as the product description promised, very clean and lager-like. I plan on using it again for my very next batch for another pale ale that’s a refinement of the last one. We’ll see what happens next time.
I use US-05 almost exclusively. It depends on the size of the beer as to how low I can go. For a big barleywine, I have taken it to 55F easily but that is pitching on a big yeast cake and 52-55 was the best way for me to fight the heat that the fermentation was making. Normally I use it at 58-62 for the first few days and then bump it up to 70 for the last week to finish off the last stage of fermentation.
[quote=“deliusism1”]
I’ve used White Labs’ German Ale/Kolsch strain to make an excellent pale ale. It had very little of the qualities you mention. It was, as the product description promised, very clean and lager-like. I plan on using it again for my very next batch for another pale ale that’s a refinement of the last one. We’ll see what happens next time.[/quote]
Very little or none? I didn’t mean to suggest that Kolsch yeasts can’t be used to make other styles, just that other yeasts can’t be used to make a Kolsch. I’ve heard of similar good/great results with APA’s and american wheat beers.
If its a pale ale, I would think the hop and caramel/melanoidin malt additions would drown out any of the slight esters I mentioned. The best Kolschs I’ve had are all pils.
[quote=“MullerBrau”]Normally I use it at 58-62 for the first few days and then bump it up to 70 for the last week to finish off the last stage of fermentation.
[/quote]That’s about exactly how I do it, 3 to 4 days at 60 then bring it in the kitchen where it’s usually 69-72 to finish.
I’m a believer of “the colder the cleaner”, so I keep my fermenter in the mid to low 50’s ambient. During the summer I keep it in an swamp cooler and aim for 52 degrees in the water.
Thanks guys. That’s about what I thought. It looks like it’s going to stay around zero degrees for quite awhile here in Maine so I’m afraid I’m going to have to do a quick and dirty extract batch to replace two kegs I’ve got going down quickly. I think I’ll shoot for the fifties and if it’s too slow I’ll just warm it up into the sixties with a brew belt. PS: Yeah, I know I can brew at below zero but I’m an OOOld man with bum knees and back and don’t need the aggrevation of sitting in a freezing garage. I’d rather put up with a nice warm brewing session and an extract beer,. :cheers:
I’ve fermented it down in the low 60’s with no problems.
But unless you’re using Kolsch yeast, you’re making a blonde ale. I’m no style Nazi, but the yeast character is what makes this delicate style.
Kinda like using neutral yeast on a German hefe. It’s a wheat beer, but an American wheat beer.
Not a problem with me BD. After about forty years of brewing beer and wine I’m far beyond any “style nazism”. As long as it tastes good and is either light or dark, it’s good enough for the likes of me. :cheers:
A man after my own heart!
Shine on, and brew on!
(from another mostly ‘style ambivalent’ old fart)
