This batch will be very similar to my recent Spring Kolsch 3. It was delicious, and brewing all extract was so refreshingly fast and easy.

I’ll be trying a few small changes that I thought might improve the beer

• 24 IBU for ~20% less bitterness
• Slightly warmer ferment temp
• Reverse osmosis water
• Slightly higher OG

Wit used to be my most brewed style, but I haven’t made any recently. Not many notes survive from my old wit brews, so I’m going to start from scratch with this recipe.

This brew will be a mix of recipes from Radical Brewing and Brewing Classic Styles

For one twist on tradition, I’ll be using Omega’s Jovaru Lithuanian farmhouse ale.

Another spring, another Kolsch. This is one of my favorite seasonal brewing traditions.

This time around I’m going to try a 100% extract version of this beer. For my last few brew days, I’ve done one all grain batch, and one extract. I can basically finish the extract beer while the mash is going for the all grain one.

It’s very time efficient. Brew two beers, but only really have to clean once.

This might be the simplest recipe I’ve ever made. Just light pils DME and some Hallertau hops.

It’s been a busy summer without much brewing, but I’m hoping to get back to my regularly scheduled beer making this fall.

To start, Adrienne has requested a Best Bitter, after humoring my lineup of sour and saison experiments the last 6 months. No complaints from me though, English Bitter is one of my favorite beer styles.

I brewed a Best Bitter last year that I liked a lot. This time, for some variety, I’m going to brew a batch based on the 2021 NHC winning recipe from the pale British ale category. Compared to my recipe from last year, this will be a bit darker and maltier, a lot hoppier, and should have more body from a much higher mash temperature.

Low-ish alcohol and big-ish flavor are the order of the day. I’m aiming for a sessionable ~5.3% hazy pale ale with lots of hop character.

The hop blend will be an old favorite of mine: amarillo, citra, and simcoe. But for something a little different, I’m going to use all cryo hops.

Some beers can transport you to another time and place. English Bitter does that for me. I really came to appreciate the style a few years ago on a trip around England. The trip was a ton of fun, and I got to enjoy a variety of English ales in their traditional cask presentations.

Of the styles I tried, Bitter was my favorite. Like many of the traditional English ales, it is flavorful, low in alcohol, and a refreshing change of pace for a palate that’s suffering a bit of IPA fatigue.

Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting old, but in the last few years I’ve gained much more appreciation for subtle beer – “beer flavored beer”. Bitter is high in the running to be my overall favorite beer flavored beer

In some unlucky timing, both DIPA variants and the last kolsch all kicked within a couple days of each other this week. An empty kegerator is a sad thing. This is going to be a quick “what do I have on hand?” recipe. Happily, what I have on hand is a buch of citra.

After having NEIPA and DIPA on my hoppy taps for the last few months, I’m in the mood for something easier drinking.

I’m aiming for a nice light pale ale in the low 4% abv, moderate bitterness, and solid hop flavor.

More Kolsch!

I wouldn’t normally brew two nearly identical beers so close together, but I was really enjoying the last batch of kolsch when it kicked. Seeing how it’s still officially spring for a few more weeks, bring on “Spring Kolsch” round two.

For this batch I’m going to try a some of the changes I wanted to experiment with last time: Lower alcohol, and a hop bill of 100% Hallertau Mittelfrüh

This recipe is pushing the limits of what the BJCP would consider a kolsch. Compared to the traditional styles guides, this beer is a bit too light on alcohol, and a bit too heavy with the hops.

I’m not planning to send this to any competitions though. I just want to brew the ideal interpretation of koslch for my tastes.

I’ve been homebrewing for nearly 10 years, but in that time I’ve only made one German beer, my recent Berliner Weisse. This neglect of the German styles needs to be rectified!

I love kolsch, and I’ve been happy to see it gaining a small but significant popularity in the US in the last decade. I think the only reason I haven’t made one is just that I’ve been distracted making lots of English bitters/milds and Belgain wits to satisfy my low bitterness session beer needs. The time for Kolsch has arrived.

When making a new style for the first time, I like to go with a trusted recipe. This beer is very close to The Mad Fermentationist’s Fall Kolsch. His example is on the bitter end for this style, but I think that will be to my liking.

Since it’s the end of March, not early September, I’ll call my version “Spring Kolsch”

I’ve always liked Berliner Weisse, but never brewed one. And I’ve been wanting to experiment with kettle souring.

The procedure I’m following comes from this great presentation by Derek Springer: Berliner and Beyond: Sour Mashing and Its Applications

In short:

• Make a starter for your lacto
• Get your wort under 4.5 pH as soon as possible to deter unwanted microbes
• Hold at a happy temperature for your lacto strain
• Minimize oxygen exposure by covering with plastic wrap
• Finally, boil, chill, and pitch yeast as normal to finish the beer