Henry's Fork Rainbow Trout Kölsch

Henry's Fork of the Snake · Henry's Fork of the Snake fishing report

Rainbows holding in the morning riffle

A crisp, amber-tinted Kölsch named for Henry's Fork, 5.1% and 26 IBU, for a cold pour at the end of a day on the water.

Brewed to order

Henry's Fork Rainbow Trout Kölsch carries a label of rainbow trout swimming through clear water between reeds and river stones. The field is pale cream yellow, with sage green fish, salmon pink stripes and forest green lettering.

ABV: 5.1%
IBU: 26
Colour: 14SRM
OG to FG: 1.0501.011

Kölsch at 5.1% ABV, 26 IBU
Bready malt with a crisp, dry finish
Hallertau and Tettnang floral hops
Rainbow trout on a pale cream label
Named for Henry's Fork of the Snake

In the glass

A glass of Kölsch: brilliant pale straw, thin white head, tall stange glass.

14SRM

Bready malt, light caramel, soft floral hops, dry finish

Serve: 40°F in a tall narrow glass
Alongside: Grilled trout, pretzels with mustard, white cheddar

Six rainbow trout cross a pale cream field, each with a salmon pink stripe down its side and dark spots along the back. Reeds lean in at the edges, round stones sit on the bottom, and the river name runs through the middle in forest green.

It pours a deep amber with a white head. Bread crust and a little caramel come first, then soft floral hops and a dry, clean finish. Open one when the waders are hanging up and the light is going gold.

Cold lagering is where this one is won. Two weeks at 34°F after fermentation lets the yeast drop and the flavour tighten, so keep the fridge steady and leave it alone.

The numbers

5.1%Alcohol by volume

(1.050 − 1.011) × 131.25

26Bitterness, IBU

Bitterness only means anything against the style. This one is a Kölsch.

14Colour, SRM

The swatch above is this number on the standard reference ramp, not an impression of it.

Gravity1.050 down to 1.011 — 78% apparent attenuation.

Named for the Henry's Fork of the Snake

Eastern Idaho · ID

The water it is named for

Water type: Spring creek

Details

River: Henry's Fork of the Snake
Style: Kölsch
ABV: 5.1%
Tasting notes: bready malt, light caramel, floral hops, crisp dry finish
Colors: pale cream yellow, sage green, salmon pink, forest green, slate blue

Make it yourself

A home brew day set up in a garage: kettle steaming on a burner, mash tun and chiller beside it.

At a glance

Style: Kölsch
Gravity, OG → FG: 1.050 → 1.011
ABV: 5.1%Derived from OG and FG
Bitterness: 26 IBU
Colour: 14SRMdeep amber
Difficulty: Second batchthe cool ferment and weeks of cold lagering need steady temperature control.
First pint: 35 daysFrom brew day, including conditioning
Brew day: 2 h 40 minKettle on to kitchen clean. The rest is the yeast.
You supply: brew kettle, mash tun, fermenter with temperature control, hydrometer, thermometer, wort chiller, sanitiser, kegging or bottling gear
Written for: 5 gal (18.9 L)
Efficiency assumed: 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance

Grain bill

4 malts · 9.59 lb for 5 gal

Piles of pale, amber and dark malted barley on a wooden bench beside a scale.

Milled grain, weighed for each batch size. The percentage is each malt's share of the grist and stays the same at every size.

Malt	% of grist	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Pilsner malt	73%	1.75 lb (0.79 kg)	7 lb (3.18 kg)	21 lb (9.53 kg)
Munich 10L	15.6%	6 oz (170 g)	1.5 lb (0.68 kg)	4.5 lb (2.04 kg)
Crystal 60L	10.4%	4 oz (113 g)	1 lb (0.45 kg)	3 lb (1.36 kg)
Carafa Special II	1%	0.4 oz (11 g)	1.5 oz (43 g)	4.5 oz (128 g)
Total grain	100%	2.4 lb (1.09 kg)	9.59 lb (4.35 kg)	28.78 lb (13.05 kg)

Hop schedule

3 additions · 90 min boil

Whole green hop cones and hop pellets on slate, one cone split to show the yellow lupulin.

Pellet hops, weighed in grams. Boil times count down to the end of the boil, so 60 minutes means the first thing in the kettle.

Hop	Use	Time	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Hallertau Mittelfrüh	Boil	60 min	11 g (0.38 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)	128 g (4.5 oz)
Hallertau Mittelfrüh	Boil	15 min	5.3 g (0.19 oz)	21 g (0.75 oz)	64 g (2.25 oz)
Tettnang	Boil	Flameout	3.5 g (0.13 oz)	14 g (0.5 oz)	43 g (1.5 oz)

Yeast and pitch

White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch · 1 liquid pack for 5 gal

White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch. Pitch at 60°F.

Yeast	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch	1 liquid pack	1 liquid pack	3 liquid packs

One pack per 5 gal, and one more above 1.060 OG in a batch over 3 gal. Never fewer than one. House guidance

Water

8.64 gal into the mash for 5 gal

Full-volume brew-in-a-bag: all the water goes in at the start and there is no sparge. Volumes are the total to heat, so the kettle has to hold the mash and still leave room to boil: the 12-pack kit sells a 5 gal stockpot and the 12×12 kit a 30 gal kettle for that.

Water	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Into the mash	2.34 gal (8.9 L)	8.64 gal (32.7 L)	20.18 gal (76.4 L)
Boiled off	0.75 gal (2.8 L)	1.88 gal (7.1 L)	1.88 gal (7.1 L)
Held by the grain	0.19 gal (0.7 L)	0.77 gal (2.9 L)	2.3 gal (8.7 L)
Left as trub	0.15 gal (0.6 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)	1 gal (3.8 L)
Into the fermenter	1.25 gal (4.7 L)	5 gal (18.9 L)	15 gal (56.8 L)

Boil-off, grain absorption and trub are typical figures for a stovetop pot and a propane kettle, not measurements of your own gear. Brew once, note what you end up with, and adjust. House guidance

Water profile Soft water with low sulfate and a touch of chloride keeps the malt round and the finish gentle.

Mash

150°F · 60 min

The mash turns starch into sugar. Hold the temperature steady and the beer finishes the way the recipe intends.

Rest150°F for 60 minutes
Strike waterHeat to 160°F; the grain cools it to the rest temperature. House guidance
Mash-outRaise to 168°F and hold 10 minutes, then lift and drain the bag. House guidance

Mash ina cooler rest keeps the finish dry and crisp

Boil

90 min · 3 hop additions

Hops go in on a countdown from the end of the boil. Early additions give bitterness; late ones give aroma.

Length90 minutes
60 minHallertau Mittelfrüh
15 minHallertau Mittelfrüh
FlameoutTettnang
15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance

Boilthe long boil drives off the cooked-corn note Pilsner malt can carry
Chillto 60°F before pitching

Also on the recipe's brew-day card:

Sparge170°F to 6.5 gallons pre-boil

Brewing in a bag, lifting and draining the bag takes the place of a sparge. House guidance

Fermentation

3 steps · first pint in 35 days

A glass fermenter of amber beer with foam on top and an airlock.

The recipe's own schedule, in order. Temperature control matters more than almost anything else on this page.

14 days at 60°F
2 days at 65°F for a diacetyl rest
14 days at 34°F

First pint 35 days from brew day.

Packaging and carbonation

2.6 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg

Plain aluminium cans and a small keg on a workbench beside a priming-sugar measure.

Target 2.6 volumes of CO₂.

Bottling	12-pack batch · 1.25 gal	Classic · 5 gal	12×12 batch · 15 gal
Corn sugar to prime	1.14 oz (32 g)	4.54 oz (129 g)	13.62 oz (386 g)
12 oz bottles it fills	12	50	144

Dissolve the sugar in a little boiled water, stir it gently into the beer, then bottle. The amount is worked out for 65°F, the warmest the beer got while it fermented.

Kegging Set the regulator to 12.3 psi at 38°F.

Kegging instead Skip the bottles with 3 × 5 gal ball-lock kegs, 1 × 5 lb CO₂ tank, 1 × dual-gauge regulator, 1 × gas and beer lines with picnic taps: the kegging upgrade for the 15 gal home brewery, $594.

Brewer's notes

3 tips

Keep fermentation at 60°F; warmer and the yeast throws fruity esters.From the recipe
Go easy on the Carafa; it only darkens, it should never taste roasty.From the recipe
The cold lagering weeks are what make it clear and clean, so do not rush them.From the recipe

A fermenter, airlock, siphon, hydrometer, thermometer and bench capper. — The kit

Every kit size

Ingredients only

Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch

$25.70

$2.14 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 12 caps, for 1.25 gal.

Includes Pilsner malt · Munich 10L · Crystal 60L · Carafa Special II · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 12 items

Ingredients

Pilsner malt$4.011.75 lb (0.79 kg) · Milled to order
Munich 10L$0.976 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.070.4 oz (11 g) · Milled to order
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (60 min)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (15 min)$1.505.3 g (0.19 oz)
Tettnang (flameout)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch

$157.57

$1.09 a bottle

Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 144 caps, for 15 gal.

Includes Pilsner malt · Munich 10L · Crystal 60L · Carafa Special II · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 12 items

Ingredients

Pilsner malt$48.0921 lb (9.53 kg) · Milled to order
Munich 10L$11.664.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.814.5 oz (128 g) · Milled to order
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (60 min)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (15 min)$8.9864 g (2.25 oz)
Tettnang (flameout)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$5.4413.6 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery

Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch

$219.52

$18.29 a bottle

Bought separately $241.06 · you save $21.54

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 1.25 gal. Works on a kitchen stove.

Includes 5 gal stainless stockpot · Fine-mesh brew bag · 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung · 3-piece airlock · and 22 more

Every item in this kit · 26 items

Equipment

5 gal stainless stockpot$49.991
Fine-mesh brew bag$9.991
1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung$17.991
3-piece airlock$2.491
No-rinse sanitizer, 4 oz$12.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Digital probe thermometer$14.991
Mini auto-siphon with tubing$13.991
Spring-tip bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles$16.9912
Wing capper$19.991
Brewery wash, 1 lb$9.991
0.1 g kitchen scale$14.991
Long stainless spoon$8.991

Ingredients

Pilsner malt$4.011.75 lb (0.79 kg) · Milled to order
Munich 10L$0.976 oz (170 g) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$0.724 oz (113 g) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.070.4 oz (11 g) · Milled to order
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (60 min)$1.5011 g (0.38 oz)
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (15 min)$1.505.3 g (0.19 oz)
Tettnang (flameout)$1.503.5 g (0.13 oz)
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch$11.991 pack · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$31

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$0.441.1 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown capsIncluded12

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch

$1,253.57

$8.71 a bottle

Bought separately $1,375.35 · you save $121.78

All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 15 gal. You supply a propane tank and water.

Includes 30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer · 72 · 30 gal brew bag · 50 ft copper immersion chiller · and 25 more

Every item in this kit · 29 items

Equipment

30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer$3991
72,000 BTU propane burner and stand$991
30 gal brew bag$44.991
50 ft copper immersion chiller$1291
7.9 gal fermenting buckets with lids and airlocks$89.973
No-rinse sanitizer, 32 oz$32.991
Brewery wash, 4 lb$34.991
Hydrometer and test jar$15.991
Refractometer$29.991
Digital thermometer$24.991
½" auto-siphon with tubing$24.991
Bottling buckets with spigots$55.982
Bottle filler$5.991
12 oz amber bottles (6 cases)$119.94144
Bench capper$59.991
Mash paddle$24.991
Digital scale$24.991

Ingredients

Pilsner malt$48.0921 lb (9.53 kg) · Milled to order
Munich 10L$11.664.5 lb (2.04 kg) · Milled to order
Crystal 60L$8.673 lb (1.36 kg) · Milled to order
Carafa Special II$0.814.5 oz (128 g) · Milled to order
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (60 min)$17.96128 g (4.5 oz)
Hallertau Mittelfrüh (15 min)$8.9864 g (2.25 oz)
Tettnang (flameout)$5.9943 g (1.5 oz)
White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kölsch$35.973 packs · Liquid yeast, shipped cold
Milling and kitting$81

Packaging

Corn sugar for priming$5.4413.6 oz · Primes to 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Crown caps$6144

Guide

Printed brew guideIncluded1

The creator

Dekasso

@dekasso

Wherever the truck rolls to a stop.

See everything by @dekasso

Remixes

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Where this came from

river beer · made September 15, 2026

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