Krass Kolsch!

This beer utilizes an upward steep mash. The kettle is filled with 8 gallons of water then heated. When it reaches 90 degrees F, a paint straining bag containing the crushed malts are added and gently pulled up and down every once in a while to ensure proper hydration with no starch balling. When the temperature reaches 150 degrees, the grain remains steeping for 30 minutes. After the steep time elapses, execute a mashout by raising the heat medium-slowly to 169 Deg. F. After that temperature is achieved, raise the bag and allow it to drain into the kettle by gravity, do not squeeze it or you will entrain tannins and lipids in the wort. You might lose efficiency this way but remember since the lions share of the gravity is being supplied by the extract. You pick up enough points of gravity with this method but the point is enhancing flavor complexity, texture and head retention as it is appropriate for the traditional style. Once the bag is successfully drained (top of accumulated grain should be 'somewhat dry), slowly introduce the DME with the heat off. Do not heat it above whatever temperature you landed on at the end of the steep. If there is a bunch of steam present, you get what I call "rock malt". It takes a lot of effort to break that up and some will get stuck to the kettle somewhere and by the end of the brew, it will be like removing ceramic off stainless. This upward steep follows German 101 of lager brewing even though this is an ale. The high water ratio and slightly higher mash rest temperature provides for a drier finished beer which is why the taste very close to lagers. The difference is basically the fruity ester production of K-97 and a 60 Deg. F. fermentation. One other style note... my grain bill in a commercial situation using steam heating would not yield the color value specified to style. I know from experience using a gas fired kettle that on the lighter beers to just hit the color value you undershoot the color specs slightly because of kettle carmelization with high oxygen present during a vigorous boil. That is also why the boil is longer than the typical DME made beer. Additionally, it serves to coagulate albumens that would otherwise present at minimum a chill haze.