Kölsch yeast question

[oliver]

i brewed this past Friday with WLP029, Kölsch strain. My plan was to ferment at 67, then free rise it to about 75 when it was 50% finished.

It finished really quickly, like in 2 days. Do I need to let the Kölsch sit in primary for an extra week? What kind of conditioning should I be planning on this beer?

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

That's kind of high for fermentation temp, but I'm sure it will by fine (just fermented one with K97 at 52F). The 029 yeast and for that matter, all German Kolsch/Alt yeast are very bitter/tart in flavor and need to be dropped. I would leave it in the primary for at least a week, maybe even two to let the yeast clean up and to start to floc. After that, crash to 32F (0 C) to finish the beer for at least 2 weeks, fining with gelatin or bio-fine. Lagering does help the Kolsch's a lot. They should be smooth, clean, crisp and refreshing. The 029 will give a little tartness to the beer, but it's actually a pleasant pop at the tail end of the taste.

 

[Mase]

Novice here, so other, more experienced brewers may jump in... But let it sit. The majority of yeast work has been done, but there is still yeast in the wort/beer that are cleaning up all the rest of the "undesirable" flavors and precursors.

 

[jeffpn]

I ferment that at 55° and cold store at 40° for a couple of weeks. Crisp and clean every time. I used that yeast at room temp once and I had a blowout.

 

[J A]

You won't like that yeast at high ale temps...I switched early on to K-97 because I hated the flavor of the 029 yeast.
Stay below 60 if possible for initial fermentation. It'll still go fairly vigorously and you'll able to free-rise to 68 or 70 after 5 days or so if you want. I'd leave it at 60 for 10 to 14 days and then bring it up to 68 for another week. Don't start cold-crashing until the yeast has really started to clear on it's own. I always figure 3 weeks at fermentation temp and then at least a week at 34 before keggng a Kolsch. It's quite drinkable within a couple weeks, but it's a month or two before it really starts to come into its own.

 

[oliver]

I fermented at 67 because that's what's recommended by White Labs.. "Does not ferment well below 62°F (17°C) except during peak fermentation... Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65.00-69.00"

But it's finished, cleared, and sitting at ambient, I'll give it a little crash tonight and "condition" at like 55-60 for a week I guess.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I fermented at 67 because that's what's recommended by White Labs.. "Does not ferment well below 62°F (17°C) except during peak fermentation... Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65.00-69.00"

But it's finished, cleared, and sitting at ambient, I'll give it a little crash tonight and "condition" at like 55-60 for a week I guess.

Reading brulosophy blog he overbuilds his kolsh wlp029 yeast and ferments it cool for lager like results (not my own experience).

 

[thunderwagn]

029 makes a fabulous kolsch imo. I do tend to get better results right around 62-64. 64 being about max. I get mine crystal clear by cold crashing in serving keg for 24 hrs, then adding gelatin and allowed to lager below 40 for several weeks.

 

[thehaze]

I fermented warm ( 23C ) an IPA made with K-97. Amarillo and Chinook for the hops.

The IPA was very good. Very crisp, dry, but without being annoyingly dry, a subtle maltiness/grainy taste in theback from the yeast.

K-97 works great at lower and higher temps. Or I might have been lucky, but K-97 will be used again here with me.

 

[oliver]

Well, 029 finished really fast for me, I reset the temperature control this morning to 55ºF, and I'll just let it go a full 2 weeks total in primary before pulling it to bottle. And I'll do half the bottles on a double long condition, see what happens.

 

[thunderwagn]

Well, 029 finished really fast for me, I reset the temperature control this morning to 55ºF, and I'll just let it go a full 2 weeks total in primary before pulling it to bottle. And I'll do half the bottles on a double long condition, see what happens.

Last Christmas I wanted bottles of my kolsch to take/share easier. I cold crashed and hit with gelatin. I lagered the whole lot in bottles in my fridge (had room luckily) and it turned out great! Others may have different experiences, but for me, when kolsch is ready. It's ready!