Step Mashed Koelsh, Fingers Crossed!

[mje1980]

Doing my first step mash today, was going to be a blonde, but i have some fresh 2565 in the fridge. I was umming and aahhing about the protein rest, but there seem to be a lot of people who swear by them even with fully modified malts. Here's what im planning:

4kg BEST pilz malt
400g JW wheat

Super pride 60
Hallertau 10 min

1.045
20 IBU

2565

Mash schedule :

56c for 5 min

62c for 45 mins

69c for 15 mins

Mash out as normal 75 or so.

F*cked if i know what's gunna happen, but i'll update. I plan on using boiling water in my esky tun to bring up temps. I'll have a stock pot full of near boiling water to top up the kettles, or i may just pour into buckets from the stock pot. Dont wanna burn myself!!.

First time using the best malt.

 

[Tim F]

Good luck! Have you done your volume calcs in software to figure out how much to add for each step?

 

[mje1980]

No, not really, but as long as i dont have to add more than my total amount of sparge water, i'll be fine. Hopefully!!\. Im going to mash in a bit thicker than normal, 2litres/kg instead of my normal 2.5. I might even go 1.75l/kg. Havent started yet, im looking after 3 young children while im attempting to brew. Done it before, hopefully things go smoothly!!.

I figure keeping my HLT at my usual sparge temps, and having a 15+ litre stock pot on the boil should see me through for a single batch. For a double i'd struggle i think.

About to crush up malt and fill and turn on the HLT

 

[mje1980]

Stock pot on stove taking FOREVER to come to the boil, but nearly there. HLT pretty much ready to go.

 

[mje1980]

Hit 59c for the first step. Not sure if i should have cooled down or not. Few minutes i'll add boiling water to 62c.

 

[mje1980]

Started with 3 litres to hit 62, ended up higher, so added 2 litres cold!!, too cool, so 2 more litres boiling, and now at 62. Bloody hell!!



Apologies for the "by the minute" posting, but i figure if i lose my notes i'll have something to refer to. I thought it mya actually be of some use to someone doing their first one, to see all the mistakes haha.

Already i know that for my low temp, thicker first rest, my normal strike water temperature calc is a bit out, and needs adjusting.

 

[mje1980]

Took 8 or 10 litres to hit 69 from 62!. I think it was 10, but i may have counted 2 litres twice. Im gunna deserve a beer when im finished!!. Thank god the kids have been angels. Well, except for the youngest she devil!!. Nearly ready to mash out, then its sparge as normal!.

 

[mje1980]

Must've been 8, as im 4 litres short of boil volume. I added grain absorption back in, so i guess it must have been 8 litres. I never add more sparge water for volume, but in this case, i've added 3 litres. Will see what final boil volume ends up at.

 

[mje1980]

Finished sparging, and now back to normality!!. Ended up hitting my boil volume, there's a little bit more coming out, but that's ok, i usually have a little left over. Waiting for the boil, and for the pre boil to cool down.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Hi Mark

I don't know much about step mashing at all

With those steps you have there are you aiming for a lighter body with the 62*C for 45 mins or does the 69*C for 15 mins dictate the overall fermentability

Cheers

 

[mje1980]

Im looking for very fermentable, but still with some malty yumminess. I decided on those steps from reading "how to brew" and also the classoc beer styles "koelsh" book. Its a bit of a ******* of both, though the rest at 69c is to hit the alpha amalayse, i think!. I could have skipped the first step, as technically its not needed with fully modified malts, but i also saw here that some people swear by it, even with fully modified malts. If i had just done the 62, then 69, then mashout, it would have been a shitload easier. No real extra effort than any other brewday, as i always mashout.

I'll let you know how it turns out

Pre boil has come up 1.035, which is 10 points short of Starting gravity. Pretty normal for my beers, so efficiency is no better or worse, though with the extra water i added it may be a touch better. Not worried about that though.

Im thinking of doing the same batch again on friday, but without the first step. Hmmmm

 

[drsmurto]

Im looking for very fermentable, but still with some malty yumminess. I decided on those steps from reading "how to brew" and also the classoc beer styles "koelsh" book. Its a bit of a ******* of both, though the rest at 69c is to hit the alpha amalayse, i think!. I could have skipped the first step, as technically its not needed with fully modified malts, but i also saw here that some people swear by it, even with fully modified malts. If i had just done the 62, then 69, then mashout, it would have been a shitload easier. No real extra effort than any other brewday, as i always mashout.

I'll let you know how it turns out

Pre boil has come up 1.035, which is 10 points short of Starting gravity. Pretty normal for my beers, so efficiency is no better or worse, though with the extra water i added it may be a touch better. Not worried about that though.

Im thinking of doing the same batch again on friday, but without the first step. Hmmmm

The Kolsch classic styles book is good, I borrowed a copy of that and read it a few times before doing my first kolsch.

From memory i use 52/63/71/78, infusing with boiling water as you have done. The overall mashing time isnt much longer than my normal 90 mins.

Sounds like you are on track for this one, a good kolsch is a very nice beer to drink. I judged that section at the SA brewing comp a few weeks agao and tasted a few very nice examples.

 

[mje1980]

Hey dr, with the 52c rest, do you have any problems with head retention etc? There is information that it might be detrimental to fully modified malts, but i have also read lots of people who do it regardless with no ill effects, and actually report positives when doing it.

 

[kieran]

a good kolsch is a very nice beer to drink.

Not that it matters.. but I spent a week in Kln/Cologne and never really got into them. Very very light on malt flavour and not as hoppy as I thought they should've been (but I'm heavily influenced by new-world-ale-hop-profiles) and they are quite highly carbonated. Served in 200mL Klsch-Stange (cordial-like) glasses. I found that I preferred Dusseldorfer Altbier. My opinion may not be entirely independent, because I can't rule out any influence from my German friends at the time who took great pleasure in joking about the beer (not that their jokes were necessarily funny, they're German, after all). They referred to it as horse piss (but they were from Scheiswig Holstein, so had no prior love of Dusseldorfer Alt).

 

[drsmurto]

Hey dr, with the 52c rest, do you have any problems with head retention etc? There is information that it might be detrimental to fully modified malts, but i have also read lots of people who do it regardless with no ill effects, and actually report positives when doing it.

No problems with head retention here. Where does your information come from?


100% wey pils with a 52C protein rest.

 

[lespaul]

im impressed your using a coaster on your grain mill

 

[mje1980]

No problems with head retention here. Where does your information come from?


100% wey pils with a 52C protein rest.

Awesome looking beer!!. In "how to brew", he says it will result in a thin watery beer with fully modified malt. I'm definately gunna stick with it though, you don't seem to have any probs there head wise!
Haha, that cartoon is obviously from dusseldorf, or some other altbier producing province/region!!. They take their beer seriously!

 

[manticle]

From my reading, it depends how long you do it. A short rest around 50-55 should be fine (and probably aid head retention). Wack one in at 72 as well and you'll get a head that won't quit (my experience of stepping based on advice given by Screwtop).

 

[Nick JD]

It's difficult to get a straight answer regarding the protein rest and the amount of malt modification. This below is what I've kinda landed at after sifting through a lot of stuff. This is the resounding theme (but you know how (Palmer!) when one source of info gets so damn copy and pasted it becomes gospel?).

It's decotion info - but same theme.

The rest temperature and time before pulling the next decoction should be based on the malt that is used. Less modified malts benefit from a rest closer to 122 *F (50 *C) which produces more amino acids, which is an essential yeast nutrient. In undermodified malts the protein conversion has not been driven far enough to allow for sufficient wort FAN (free amino nitrogen) without the use of a more intensive protein rest. If the malt is a well modified modern continental malt, the protein rest temperature should be kept closer to 133 *F (55 *C) and the next decoction should be pulled 5 - 10 minutes after the rest temperature has been reached. This serves to protect more of the medium chained proteins that are important for body and head retention. Decoction that allows for a shorter protein rest in general will be described later.


However, no one focuses on the effect of the low 70s rest on head retention. Which is kinda dumb - but the majority of us are step and decoction mashing by rote, not with organic chemistry in mind. Go with what works for you, not what the bible says.

 

[mje1980]

Cheers all. Im gunna give it another go. I dont have problems with head ( haha, soo funny!! ), as i usually mashout around low 70's anyway. I like the idea of that dense rocky head you see on some euro lagers and hefs. Not really why im step mashing though!.

Will try again soon