Unicorn Brewing Co.’s Cliffhanger Kölsch-Style Beer clone

Unicorn Brewing Co.’s Cliffhanger Kölsch-Style Beer clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.011
IBU = 25  SRM = 4  ABV = 5.5%  

This is a scaled down version of one of Unicorn Brewing’s top-selling pub beers named after its Founder, Cliff, and was his favorite. It works beautifully with Portland, Oregon’s soft brewing water. It’s clean and crisp enough for lager lovers and just fruity and spicy enough for folks looking for more. The rye addition is certainly not traditional but adds a nice complement to the fruitiness of Kölsch yeast. Since Kölsch beers are technically lagered ales, this is a great option for homebrewers who don’t have the ability to brew true lagers. You can ferment at room temperature and then cold-condition for an extended time. Kölsch yeast is notoriously slow to drop out of suspension, so give it at least a month cold. Your patience will be rewarded!

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) German Pilsner malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) North American 2-row malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) wheat malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) rye malt
7 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 14% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch), Imperial G03 (Dieter), or SafAle K-97
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Starting with a soft water profile or reverse osmosis water, add 1⁄2 tsp. calcium chloride. Mash in using 1.5 qts./lb. (3.1 L/kg) strike water, targeting a mash temperature of 149 °F (65 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature for mash out at 168 °F (76 °C) and hold for five minutes before beginning to vorlauf. Once wort runs clear, begin run-off to the kettle and sparge with enough water to collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) wort in the kettle. 

Bring wort to a boil and boil for 60 minutes adding hops per the ingredients list. Once the boil is complete, add the final hop addition, give the wort a long stir to create a whirlpool, then let settle for 10 minutes. 

Chill the wort to 63 °F (17 °C), oxygenate if using liquid yeast, then pitch the yeast. Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C) for 10 days. Raise temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) for three days. Trans-fer to secondary vessel or dump the yeast before dropping down to a lagering temperature, roughly 40 °F (4 °C) and hold at this temperature for 2–3 weeks. 

Transfer beer to serving keg or bottle and force carbonate using the priming sugar. Carbonate to 2.3 v/v.

Unicorn Brewing Co.’s Cliffhanger Kölsch-Style Beer clone

(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.011
IBU = 25  SRM = 4  ABV = 5.5%  

Ingredients
4.7 lbs. (2.1 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat dried malt extract
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) rye liquid malt extract
1 oz. (28 g) Tettnang hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch), Imperial G03 (Dieter), or SafAle K-97
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Starting with 5 gallons (19 L) of water in your kettle, heat up to about 200 °F (190 °C), then turn off the heat. Stir in both malt extracts, turn on the heat, and bring to a boil. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.