If you want a beer that disappears fast, our Back Porch Kölsch Recipe is hard to beat. It’s light, clean, and refreshing, but still tastes like real beer. This style is perfect for warmer weather, BBQs, or anyone who says they “don’t usually like craft beer.”
Brewed as an ale and finished cold, Kölsch is forgiving, approachable, and a great confidence builder for all-grain brewers.
Back Porch Kölsch Recipe
Batch size: 5.5 gallons into fermenter
Final yield: ~5.0 gallons packaged
Estimated ABV: ~4.9%
IBU: ~22
Color: Pale gold
Grain Bill
9.5 lb German Pilsner malt
0.5 lb Vienna malt
Simple on purpose. Clean malt flavor with just enough body.
Mash Schedule
Mash at 150°F for 60 minutes
Optional mash out at 168°F
Lower mash temp keeps this beer crisp and dry.
Boil and Hops
Boil time: 60 minutes
1.0 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh @ 60 minutes
0.5 oz Hallertau Mittelfrüh @ 10 minutes
Soft bitterness and subtle noble hop character.
Optional:
Whirlfloc or Irish moss with 10–15 minutes left.
Yeast
Best choice:
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Wyeast 2565 Kölsch
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White Labs WLP029 Kölsch Ale
Clean alternative:
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SafAle K-97 (slightly fruitier but still works)
Fermentation
Pitch at 58–60°F if possible
Ferment at 60–64°F
After primary (10–14 days), cold crash to near freezing for 5–7 days
That cold finish is what gives Kölsch its clean snap.
Brewhouse Notes
The numbers below are based on our system, which is an all-in-one electric setup similar to a Brewzilla or Mash & Boil. Adjust as needed for your own system.
Set brewhouse efficiency to 70%
Plan for 7.0–7.25 gallons pre-boil
Typical boil-off is about 1–1.25 gallons per hour
Expect roughly 0.5 gallon loss to trub and fermentation
This recipe is designed to hit target gravity cleanly and is easy to adjust for other homebrew systems.
Final Thoughts
Back Porch Kölsch is a great reminder that simple beers can still be impressive. Keep fermentation cool, give it a short cold conditioning period, and you’ll end up with a beer that tastes clean, fresh, and incredibly drinkable.
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If you like this recipe, you’ll probably enjoy the beers that actually paid the bills.
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