Devil’s Purse Brewing Co.’s Handline Kölsch clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.009
IBU = 20 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.1%

Ingredients
7.25 lbs. (3.29 kg) Pilsner malt
2.75 lbs. (1.25 kg) Vienna malt
5 AAU Vanguard hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Vanguard hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) or White Labs WLP003 (German Ale II) or SafAle K-97 yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Start with either soft water, reverse osmosis (RO) water, or distilled water. Mill the grains, then mix with strike water at a 1.25 qts./lb. (2.6 L/kg) water-to-grain ratio, or 3.1 gallons (11.8 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to achieve a single infusion rest temperature of 148 °F (64 °C). Adjust water with calcium salts and 88% lactic acid to stabilize mash pH at 5.3. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Mashout to 170 °F (77 °C) if desired.

Vorlauf until your runnings are clear before directing them to your boil kettle. Batch or fly sparge the mash and run-off to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list. At 15 minutes left in boil, you may want to add either Irish moss or Whirlfloc as fining agents.

After the boil, rapidly chill the wort to 65 °F (18 °C) then pitch a healthy amount of yeast, higher than your standard ale pitch rate. Maintain this temperature during active fermentation in order to prevent too much yeast character.

Once primary fermentation is complete, and the beer has settled, you can bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.6 volumes. Alternatively, if you can, cold lager the beer for about one month.

Devil’s Purse Brewing Co.’s Handline Kölsch clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.047 FG = 1.009
IBU = 20 SRM = 5 ABV = 5%

Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.81 kg) dried malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) liquid Vienna malt extract
5 AAU Vanguard hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5% alpha acids)
2.5 AAU Vanguard hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) or White Labs WLP003 (German Ale II) or SafAle K-97 yeast
¾ cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Bring 6.5 gallons (25 L) of water to roughly 150 °F (66 °C). Add the malt extracts, with stirring, before heating to a boil. The warmer water will help to dissolve the extracts. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at the indicated times left in the boil. At 15 minutes left in boil, you may want to add either Irish moss or Whirlfloc as fining agents.

After the boil, rapidly chill the wort to 65 °F (18 °C). Pitch yeast. Maintain fermentation temperature in order to prevent too colorful of a fermentation character.

Once primary fermentation is complete, and the beer has settled, you can bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.6 volumes. Alternatively, if you can, cold lager the beer for about one month.

Tips for Success:
Although this beer can be brewed using extracts, the best representations will more likely be from all-grain. But, one of the challenges for the all-grain brewer will be in water chemistry management. In the beginning, Devil’s Purse used acidulated malt to help control the mash pH (pH = 5.3) but currently is using 88% food-grade lactic acid. This is important as the South Dennis water is soft so without adjustment, the mash pH will be far too high. If you also read into that last bit, you’ll notice that the carbonates, residual alkalinity, and calcium concentrations are more than likely on the lower side of the spectrum. You may want to consider starting with RO and building up your brewing water profile or diluting your current profile with distilled water. Finally, in the end, this beer just takes patience, unless you have a centrifuge. Cold lagering for a month should provide you with the clarity and crispness you’re looking for.