Name: 70 Acre Brew Co.s Firehouse Kolsch Recipe
Cook time: 36 h
Total time: 36 h
Yield: 40 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 5 kg Pilsner malt (preferably Alberta barley or other two-row pale malt); 0.3 kg Vienna malt; 0.2 kg Carapils / Dextrine malt; 35 g Hallertauer or Tettnang (noble aroma hop), whole or pellet; 15 g Hallertauer or Tettnang, for late addition (aroma); 1 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss (optional, for clarity); 1 packet Kölsch ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2565 or White Labs WLP029) or a clean ale yeast; 23 l Water (soft to moderately hard, low sulfate); 1 tsp Salt for water adjustment (calcium chloride), optional; 80 g Corn sugar (dextrose) for bottling/priming; 1 each Campden tablet (optional, to sanitize topping water)

Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Pale, crisp and refreshing traditional German ale. Brewed with meticulous attention and nearly 100% Alberta Barley. Clear and golden in appearance and light in body. Expect a floral bouquet on the nose and a crisp, refreshing, doughy finish.

Mill the grains (if not pre-milled). Heat 15–18 liters of strike water to achieve a mash-in temperature so that the grain temperature stabilizes at 65°C (149°F) when mixed. For 5.5 kg grain total and target mash temp 65°C, use strike water around 72–74°C (162–165°F) depending on your mill and system.

Mill and heat

Mash: Add the crushed grains to the strike water and stir to eliminate dry pockets. Hold the mash at 65°C (149°F) for 60 minutes to produce a clean, moderately fermentable wort that preserves a light body and crisp finish.

Mash-out: Raise mash temperature to 75°C (167°F) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Sparge: Drain the mash into the kettle, then sparge with enough water at 75°C (167°F) to collect approximately 24–25 liters of pre-boil wort (adjust to your system’s boil-off so that post-boil volume is ~20 liters). Aim for roughly 23–25 liters pre-boil.

Collect the wort, combining runs and check gravity. Expect a pre-boil gravity near 1.046–1.050 (adjust for system efficiency).

Bring the wort to a vigorous rolling boil and start a 60-minute timer.

Bittering addition (60 minutes remaining): Add 35 g Hallertauer/Tettnang at the start of the boil for a target IBUs around 20–24 (creates a mild, clean bitterness appropriate for Kölsch).

15 minutes remaining: Add 1 tsp Whirlfloc (or Irish moss) to aid clarity and any kettle finings if using.

5 minutes remaining: Add 15 g Hallertauer/Tettnang for aroma. Do not add late citrusy or assertive hops; keep the noble character light and floral.

End of boil: Shut off heat and chill wort quickly to yeast pitching temperature (around 18–20°C for Kölsch yeast).

Sanitize your fermenter and transfer cooled wort (at 18–20°C) to the fermenter, leaving behind most trub. Top up with pre-boiled, cooled water if necessary to reach 20 liters final volume.

Aerate the wort thoroughly using a sanitized whisk, aeration stone, or shaking to reach dissolved oxygen appropriate for an ale (around 8–10 ppm if measuring).

Pitch yeast: Rehydrate or create a starter for the Kölsch strain as needed. Pitch one packet or equivalent starter to achieve a healthy pitch rate for 20 liters of 1.046 wort.

Primary fermentation: Ferment at 16–18°C (60–64°F) for about 7–10 days. Kölsch character benefits from a slightly lower ale temperature and a clean fermentation profile. Monitor gravity; expect most fermentation to finish in this window.

Diacetyl rest (if needed): If yeast shows diacetyl or sluggish fermentation, raise temperature to 18–20°C for 24–48 hours near the end of fermentation to encourage clean-up.

Cold conditioning (lager-like step): After primary fermentation is complete and gravity is stable (typically near 1.008–1.012 depending on starting gravity and attenuation), drop temperature gradually to 1–4°C over 24–48 hours and hold for 2–3 weeks to clear and mellow the beer. This step is traditional for Kölsch to achieve clarity and a crisp finish.

Prepare priming sugar: Boil 80 g corn sugar (dextrose) in 300–350 ml water for 5 minutes, cool and sanitize if bottling. Optionally add a Campden tablet to topping water if using bottled water to top up kegs.

Bottling: Rack beer gently to bottling bucket, mix with priming solution, and bottle. Condition at 18–20°C for 10–14 days, then cold-condition for another week if possible. Target carbonation: 2.4–2.6 volumes CO2 (typical Kölsch).

Kegging: Transfer to keg, force carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2, then lager at 1–4°C for 1–2 weeks before serving to further clarify and mellow.

Serving: Serve bright, golden, and cold (6–8°C). Expect a pale golden color, delicate noble hop aroma, light body, and a crisp doughy finish.

Pilsner malt (preferably Alberta barley or other two-row pale malt)

Vienna malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Hallertauer or Tettnang (noble aroma hop), whole or pellet

Hallertauer or Tettnang, for late addition (aroma)

Whirlfloc or Irish moss (optional, for clarity)

Kölsch ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 2565 or White Labs WLP029) or a clean ale yeast

Water (soft to moderately hard, low sulfate)

Salt for water adjustment (calcium chloride), optional

Corn sugar (dextrose) for bottling/priming

Campden tablet (optional, to sanitize topping water)

Firehouse Kolsch

Make Firehouse Kolsch Recipe in just 36h . Pale, crisp and refreshing traditional German ale. Brewed with meticulous attention and nearly 100% Alberta Barley. Clear and golden in appearance and light in body. Expect a floral bouquet on the nose and a crisp, refreshing, doughy finish.

Firehouse Kolsch

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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