Reissdorf

For the production of REISSDORF KÖLSCH according to the Reinheitsgebotonly water, malt, hops and yeast are being used in certain successive steps.

After producing malt from grain (usually barley), it becomes milled. Then the mashing process begins. Treated water is heated to around 60° Celsius before the milled malt is added. This becomes the mash and is heated to 75° stirring constantly. This makes enzymes turn the starch in the malt biochemically into malt sugar, maltose. Also other substances, especially the proteins, are separated from the malt.

After the mashing the brew is lautered, i.e. the spent grains and the so called wort – the liquid and fermentable part of the mash – become separated. By rinsing off with hot water the rest of the maltose is taken from the malt and put to the wort. Subsequently the wart is boiled up together with the hops.

Thereafter, the brewer takes away the hops proteins and other sediments from the wort and cools it down. For the production of Kölsch this is the right time to add top-fermenting yeast. It turns the maltose in the wort to ethanol and carbon dioxide. The yeast also influences the final taste of the beer.

After the fermentation which takes about one week, the so called young beer has to be stored for about 4 to 5 weeks before it is bottled or filled into barrels.