Dark Rock Kolsch Beer – All Grain

Description

What Is It?

Kolsch is a style of beer originating in Cologne, Germany. The appearance is bright and clear with a straw-coloured hue. It is fermented with a top-fermenting yeast and then chilled in a similar way to pilsner lagers. The taste is crisp and refreshing with a slightly malty sweetness. German hops accentuate the flavour, which can be described as soft and delicate with very little bitterness. This is an easy-drinking beer that can be enjoyed any time of year.

This top of the range kit will produce a beer that you can be proud of. No compromise has been made on quality and only the freshest hops and malts have been selected. The kit also includes a sachet of Pure Brew water conditioner and yeast enhancer to ensure a pure commercial taste is achieved. Starbrite finings are also included. The kit is suitable for vegans as it contains no animal-based products.

What Is The Dark Rock World Heritage Range?

World Heritage Kits allow you to master your craft and brew beers which are close to classic styles from around the world. Iconic favourites and traditional styles sit alongside new emerging flavours from developing regions. No compromise has been made in developing the World Heritage Range. These beers are constantly being expanded as we explore the continents to find new and exciting flavours.

Each Dark Rock kit is carefully researched and developed by commercial brewers with extensive knowledge and a passion for craft beers and real ales. Dark Rock Kits enable you to produce commercial quality beers, all within the comfort of your own home. Malts and hops are added at controlled stages of the brewing process to provide rich aromas and depths of flavour which are simply stunning.

What Makes The Dark Rock All-Grain Range So Special?

Dark Rock Brewing’s All-Grain Beer Kits provide everything you need to make a superb ale.  All-grain brewing is a rewarding process, which puts you in full control of your brewing. It takes a little longer than making a standard beer kit or partial mash but the results are absolutely stunning. All-grain mash brewing is great fun and really allows you to develop the necessary skills to master your craft. Commercial quality malt and hops are used in each kit and the emphasis is on freshness. Dark Rock’s all-Grain Mash Kits represent fantastic value too. Every recipe has been thoroughly researched and perfected to deliver the best taste possible. You only buy the exact amount of ingredients you need so there is no waste. Unlike making up your own recipe you will not have leftover quantities. With all grain brewing, it is important not to keep stocks of grains and particularly hops at home for long periods. The quality deteriorates quickly. Therefore, it does not make sense to buy larger quantities of grains and hops than you actually need. Dark Rock All-Grain Kits are weighed to the precise quantities you need for each brew, so you can be assured of the freshest ingredients and superb value. Hops are stored in temperature controlled rooms and vacuum packed immediately upon opening. This ensures the optimum quality of your brew.

What’s Included?

• 5.2Kg Malt Grains
• Hop Pellets
• Pure Brew (water treatment and nutrient)
• Britewort clarifier
• Starbrite Beer Finings (Vegan-Friendly)
• Fermenter / keg ID sticker
• Full instructions

Allergy Advice: May include barley and other cereals, containing gluten

Specifications

• Makes: 40 pints / 5 gallons
• ABV Approx: 5.1%
• Target Original Gravity: 1051 (approx)
• Target Finishing Gravity: 1.011 (approx)
• Fermentation time: 10-14 days approx
• Conditioning time: 4 weeks minimum (it will mature further if left longer)

Ingredients

• Malts: Lager, Caramunich, Vienna
• Hops: Mittlefruh
• Yeast: Choice of Yeast
• Extras: Britewort, Beer Finings, Pure Brew

What Equipment Do You Need?

Basic beer making equipment (5g fermenter, airlock, syphon tube with sediment trap, hydrometer, Suresan sanitiser, bottles or barrel). These are available under the starter kit section on this website. You will also need specialist equipment to make all grain beers. The process involves three stages. The first stage is mashing. Your mash equipment will need to maintain the grains and water at a constant temperature for an hour (usually 66C). This is important as only slight variations in temperature can affect the taste of the final beer. The second part of the process is sparging. This involves rinsing the grains with water slightly hotter than the mash (77C). Finally, the wort will need to be boiled for around 70 minutes and then cooled to fermentation temperature as fast as possible. From this point, the fermentation process is similar to standard kits.  There are numerous techniques equipment styles that can be used to make full mash beers. In the past, the most basic method used was a floating mash tun and insulated ice box. Alternatively, a Pico style Electrim Bin was used. Whilst these are still available, there are now easy to use all-grain brewing systems available. The initial cost is higher but these systems are superb and allow you to achieve bang on results every time. They also cut down the time that you have to be present during the process. All grain systems are so effective that most commercial breweries use them for testing experimental recipes prior to full-blown scale-ups. The Grainfather brewing system is highly recommended. The system can be expanded as your skills develop, to include conical temperature controlled fermenters, sparge water heaters, and even an integrated Glycol Chiller to ensure precise temperatures down to 4 degrees centigrade (useful for lager production and summer brewing). A wide range of all-grain brewing equipment is available on our website and we are always available to offer advice.

Tips

A sachet of Pure Brew is included with this kit in order to achieve a commercial quality. Pure Brew is a professional beer enhancer. It feeds the yeast with essential nutrients, which supercharge the fermentation and support yeast development (even in limited oxygen conditions). Pure Brew also treats brewing water to eliminate problems caused by Chlorine and Chloramine (which can create a medicinal or as it is sometimes referred to, a “homebrew” taste) The condition of brewing water is critical to achieving optimum results but this important area is often overlooked. By using Pure Brew, you can effectively and easily condition brewing water, and maximise effective fermentation. We strongly recommend using Pure Brew with all of your beers to improve their quality.

The addition of beer finings will improve the final quality of your beers. Starbrite finings are included with this kit. They will help your beer to clear quickly and the sediment will be more likely to stay at the bottom of bottles or barrels. If you are using Corny Kegs then it is important to clear the beer as much as possible before kegging. Beer Finings will promote a faster and more efficient fall out of sediment and haze particles prior to kegging (crash chilling your beer with a Glycol Chiller will also help to eliminate sediment). Harris Starbrite is a highly effective vegan-friendly beer fining, which is rapidly becoming a firm favourite with home brewers. It is suitable for all beers.

You could consider investing in a metal hop spider to effectively manage hop additions into the boiling process. The hop spider would sit inside your boiler and allow you to drop hops into the boil in a controlled way. Hop Spiders allow hops to boil with more free flow space around them. They are easily cleaned and can be re-used over and over again. They also prevent hop sediment (known as trub) from clogging up pumping systems when using all in one brewing equipment.