Beer Forum

So, I brewed a Kolsch on Saturday evening. I've been really busy lately, so I just purchased a extract Kolsch kit from Northern Brewer. For some reason, I was uner the impression it was very similar to Jamil's recipe, with both Pilsen and Munich Extract.
Saturday morning, I had to get up early and drive to Syracuse for work (some stupid conference), and then I got back home late. A buddy was coming over because he wanted to see what home brewing was all about, so I didn't even get to check my ingredients until the absolute last minute. It turns out that the kit had ONLY Pilsen extract. Now, I don't know a LOT about Kolsch, but I do know that a good malty backbone is important, and that the Munich malt helps to create that. So, as a last minute decision, I threw in a half pound of aromatic malt (steeped). I know that aromatic malt can also help with the maltiness, but I didn't have a clue how much to add. So my recipe ended up being:

1/2 lbs Aromatic Malt - steep for 1/2 hour
6 lbs Pilsen LME
1 lb Pilsen DME
1 1/4 oz Argentina Cascade - 60 min (3.2 AA)
3/4 oz Argentina Cascade - 30 min (3.2 AA)

And the Wyeast Kolsch yeast.

This is also trying a new hop (due to a shortage of Hallertauer), and I must say I like the aroma of the Argentina Cascade. Nothing like American Cascade. I just hope it turns out good!

So, did I do anything horribly wrong with my last minute attempt at creativity?

The rest of the brew day went relatively well, once I finally got everything organized. I hate waiting until the last minute to get prepared, especially when someone is coming over to watch/help. I was running around the house frantically looking for one thing or another. Two or three times he actually quoted me "Relax, Don't worry, have a home brew".
But, in the end my friend and I had fun, we drank a lot of beer, and the Kolsch is fermenting in the basement at 60 degrees.

It sounds like a reasonable idea to me, if that's any consolation. At the very least, you added some complexity to the flavors. It reminds me of Emeril saying "Where I come from my x doesn't come seasoned. . ." Did you use the Argentinan Cascade as an aroma hop? I've used it for bittering and liked it fine.

However, if you must, Thirsty Mallard always stands ready to dispose of any flawed beer.

How long did you boil for? Doc always says to boil for 90 minutes to get rid of the DMS taste that Pilsen malt gives. Sound like you've got a pretty good recipe. Koelsch, maybe, but I thought it sounds like a Blonde Ale.
Hope for the best. Any rate, if you don't like the Cascades, try using something like Mt. Hood and another sub for the Hallertau. The latest BYO had a HUGE hop substitution chart on it. Look in there for help too.

Cheers!
Jeremy

Thanks- I just did a 60+ minute boil. I haven't used Pilsen extract before. I'm hoping to learn a lot from this batch. It sure smelled and looked delicious. I can't wait to try it.

Please let us know what you think about it. It sounds good.