Thunder Island Brewing Company: Vitamin K Kölsch

Thunder Island Brewing Company: Vitamin K Kölsch

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.045   FG = 1.010
IBU = 22   SRM = 4   ABV = 4.6%

This light yellow German-style ale is no longer brewed by Thunder Island, but you can brew it at home for a fresh, crisp brew for the summer.

Ingredients

8.5 lbs. (3.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
8 oz. (0.23 kg) white wheat malt
8 oz. (0.23 kg) Munich malt
6.2 AAU Magnum hop pellets (50 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12.3% alpha acids)
½ tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)
½ tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) or Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) yeast
¾ cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step

Mash the crushed grains with 3.5 gallons (13 L) of 170 °F (77 °C) water to stabilize at 150 °F (66 ºC) for 60 minutes. Slowly sparge with 175 °F (79 °C) water. Collect approximately 6 gallons (23 L) of wort runoff to boil for 60 minutes. Add the hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. Cool the wort to 75 °F (24 °C). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 °F (20 °C). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. Transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Allow the beer to condition 1 week and then bottle or keg.

Extract with grains option

Reduce the 2-row pale malt to 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) and add 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg ) Muntons extra light liquid malt extract and 0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) Muntons light dried malt extract. Steep the crushed grain in 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 150 °F (66 °C) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (1.9 L) of hot water. Add the malt extracts and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. When done, add the wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) of cold water in a sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (19 L). Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.