In the Fermentor: Bohemian Kölsch

Being a brewer on a budget, I don't have an extra fridge to lager in. That poses a bit of a problem, because I love a good Pilsener on a hot Summer day. To my palate, the closest style to Pilsener in the ale department is a German Kölsch. To that end, I've wedded a Bohemian Pilsener influenced recipe with a Kölsch yeast strain to create my Bohemian Kölsch pseudo-lager. I realize that the finished product won't be as clean, crisp and clear as a traditional Pils, but I'm hoping to come close.

I want a full five gallons of this beer. Since my kitchen setup isn't conducive to five gallon all-grain batches, I've taken the partial-mash approach. I've also thrown in a bit of Irish Moss toward the end of the boil to help with clarity. Here's the five-gallon recipe:

Grains:
3.5 lbs German Pilsener
8 oz Munich
8 oz Crystal 10L
4 oz CaraPils

Hops:
1 oz Saaz: First Wort Hopping
0.5 oz Merkur: 60 min
1 oz Saaz: 7 min

Extras:
3 lbs Pilsen Light LME (Liquid Malt Extract)
1 Tsp Irish Moss: 15 min

Yeast:
Wyeast 2575-PC - Kölsch II

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 149F for 60min
Mashout: 168F for 15 minutes

Original Gravity:
1.046
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.011

IBU: 39
SRM Color: 4

Fermentation Schedule:
2 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

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