Creature of the Wheel Kölsch

5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains; OG = 1.046; FG = 1.012; IBU = 23; SRM = 5; ABV = 4.5%

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 2 oz. (0.51 kg) Coopers Light dried malt extract
• 4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) Weyermann Bavarian Pilsner liquid malt extract (late addition)
• 1 lb. 2 oz. (0.51 kg) Pilsner malt
• 8.0 oz. (0.23 kg) wheat malt
• 6.0 oz. (170 g) Weyermann acidulated malt
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 3.3 AAU Tettnang hops (60 mins) (0.94 oz./27 g of 3.5% alpha acids)
• 3.0 AAU Hallertau hops (60 mins) (0.75 oz./21 g of 4% alpha acids)
• Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) or White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) yeast
• (1.5 qt./~1.5 L yeast starter)
• 7/8 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step:

Place crushed grains in a nylon steeping bag. In a large kitchen pot, heat 3.0 qts. (2.8 L) of water to 165 °F (74 °C). Submerge grain bag in water and let steep at 154 °F (68 °C) for 45 minutes. (If the temperature drops below 150 °F (66 °C), heat to 154 °F (68 °C) again.) While grains are steeping, heat 1.5 qts. (~1.5 L) of water to 170 °F (77 °C) in a sauce pan. Also, begin heating 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to a boil in your brewpot. When steeping is done, place a colander over your brewpot and lift the grain bag into it. Pour the "grain tea" through the bag (which will strain out most of the grain bits), then rinse the bag with the 1.5 qts. (~1.5 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water.

Heat the (roughly) 3 gallons (11 L) of wort in your brewpot to a boil, then stir in dried malt extract. (It will foam a bit, so don’t pour all the extract in at once.) Bring the wort back to a boil, add the two hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil. Add liquid malt extract at the end of the boil, put a lid on the brewpot and let wort steep for 15 minutes before cooling.

After the steep, cool the wort (either in a cold-water bath in your sink or with a wort chiller). Cool until the side of the brewpot feels cool to the touch. Transfer wort to your fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L) with cool water. Aerate the wort and pitch your yeast. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °F). When fermentation slows to halt, rack to secondary. Bottle with corn sugar (or keg) one week later. If possible, store beer cold (around 40 °F/4.4 °C) after bottle conditioning for 2 weeks.