Simons’s NEM Kolsch / American Pale / Cream Ale

Recipe by Simon Skidmore

Batch Size

22

Litres

ABV

1.7

%

FG

1.006

SG

Steeped corasely ground grains (2.41mm) in a sanitised, plastic fermenter BIAB style overnight. Then run off into a keg with a floating diptube. Allowed in to settle for about an hour, then into the grainfather for mash and boil.
Fingers crossed. Cold mash was rank with DMS. Hopefully I manage to boil most of that away.
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Appearance: pale yellow, tending to straw. Brilliant clarity, with decent head retention.
Aroma: Medium bread dough malt aroma. Low herbal hop aroma supported by subtle apple esters.
Taste: Medium doughy malt presence, Medium herbal hop aroma, with floral notes. Low apple esters, give a hint of fruitiness. Medium bitterness, pretty well balanced with malt. Dry finish, with malt and hops lingering in the after-taste.
Mouthfeel: medium body, medium carbonation.
Comments: Not a bad result. Much closer to a cream ale in style than a kolsch. Obviously missing the malt and alcohol sweetness achieved by conventional mashing, but I guess that’s the whole point. I also wonder if the doughy malt profile is a by-product of the cold steep method.