Home Brew - Campground Kolsch

Campground Kolsch
Original Gravity: 1.056
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol by Volume: 5.78%
Apparent Attenuation: 78%

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Carapils
• 3 lb Pilsen Light dry malt extract
• 3.3 lb Pilsen liquid malt extract
• 1 oz - Hallertau hop pellets
• 1 oz Spaltz hop pellets
• 1 pkg Wyeast 2565 Kolsch Liquid Yeast
• 5 oz - corn sugar (for priming)

Steps:

1. Push the nutrients container in the yeast bag down the corner and smack it to release the nutrients into the yeast.
2. Bring 2 gallons of water to 165.  Turn off heat.
3. Steep Carapils malts in grain bag for 1/2 hour.
4. Lift grain bag out and allow it to drain (don't squeeze the bag).  
5. Sparge the grain - pour 2 gallons of water through the grain.
6. Bring wort to a boil.
7. Turn off heat and add Pilsen light dry malt extract.
8. Bring wort to a boil and let foam subside.
9. Add Hallertau hops - stirring occasionally  (Leave cover off while boiling)
10. 30 minutes after adding hops, add Pilsen liquid malt extract (tip - soak can in hot water 10 minutes before adding to wort).
11. Bring wort back to a boil.
12. 15 minutes after adding liquid malt extract, add Spaltz
13. 15 minute after adding Spaltz hops, submerge brewpot in a bath of ice water and cool wort to 75F.
14. Pour out the sanitizer in fermenter (save for bottling day)
15. Transfer wort to sanitized fermenter
1. straining through a sanitized strainer to strain out hops
2. strain back into cooking pot (wipe out inside with sanitized rag first)
3. strain a third time into fermenting bucket
4. Add water to equal 5 gallons while straining back and forth
16. Take Original Gravity reading (ours was 1.056)
17. Pitch the yeast (add it to the wort)
18. Cover fermenter with a sanitized lid and plug with sanitized airlock (with sanitizer in it) 
19. Allow beer to sit and ferment in 60 area away from light for 2 weeks

We made this beer in May. Most days the temperature was between 65 and 70, so Tim decided to keep the beer cool by placing it in the bathtub filled about 2-3 inches with cold water (sometimes he added ice), draping a wet t-shirt over it, and putting a fan to blow on it. I'm not sure how much cooler this kept the beer, but after tasting it, it must have done the trick. The beer is a bit cloudy, but Tim thinks it is because of low flocculation. After "lagaring" it in the fridge for a few weeks it is beginning to be much more clear.

Enjoy :)

Our Tasting Notes:
  * light taste - slightly malty
  * creamy finish
  * good carbonation
  * very balanced