Homebrew Summer: Kölsch of the Titans

The science of fermentation is rich, nuanced and traces back to an item of paramount significance: yeast. For nearly 30 years years, local brewers have benefited from having one of the world’s foremost dealers of that near-magical ingredient, White Labs, in their backyard, sharing not only high-quality products, but their staff’s vast accumulated knowledge. Thanks to our annual Homebrew Summer program, they’ve also shared their on-site brewhouse with local amateurs, bringing their homespun creations to life. This year, they teamed with homebrewer Josh Akin (pictured above, second from the left), a microbiologist who has gone down his own rabbit hole where yeast research is concerned. Together, they brewed not one, but two commercial-scaled versions of Akin’s Kölsch of the Titans recipe, both of which will hit the taps at White Labs’ tasting room in Miramar later this week. But you won’t have to wait until then to check out the recipe, which can be downloaded below!

New pro-am beers will continue to debut weekly, so check back with San Diego Beer News on a regular basis (or subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter and we’ll send all the recipes and release information straight to your inbox). Cheers and happy homebrewing!

Josh Akin
Homebrewer

How does it feel to have this beer brewed on a pro scale?
As a longtime patron of White Labs and a microbiologist by trade, it was an extraordinary opportunity for me to brew one of my favorite recipes; a German-style Kölsch. Having tweaked this recipe to be crisp and crushable, I was excited to see how it would scale on a professional system. In true White Labs fashion, we pushed the boundaries by experimenting with a very unique yeast strain that is sure to knock the Bavarian boots off this style. The team at White Labs is solid (pictured above, from left-to-right): Jake Terry, Cameron McMahon and Josh Avina are a formidable team that brought a solid base of experience, expertise and fun to our brew day. Even [White Labs founder] Chris White stopped by to say “hi” and inquire about our concoction! It was a fantastic experience and I can’t thank White Labs enough for having me.

Jake Terry
Head Brewer, White Labs Brewing

What led you to select this beer recipe?
Scaling up a homebrewer’s recipe is not always an easy task to do on a brewery’s production floor. That’s where Josh Akin, our 2024 Homebrew Summer program winner, came into play. His meticulous attention to detail in this recipe’s formulation and his knowledge of the brewing processes and fermentation allowed us to size his recipe up, while still showcasing the creativity and skill of homebrewers. What I think is really cool about Josh, is his choice in yeast. Not a lot of brewers ever think to pitch a Belgian-style yeast blend (WLP575) into a Kölsch. I can’t wait to try the side-by-side comparison of how this Kölsch will come out with the control (WLP029) in one hand and the funky Belgian Kölsch in the other.

White Labs Brewing is located at 780 Candida Street in Miramar