Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch
Brewed: 7/12/2020 Kegged: 5/12/2020
Wisconsin's New Glarus doesn't export beer out of state, so I don't get it very often, but 
I do have relatives and friends in and around Wisconsin. And, quite often when I visit, I get beer from the brewery.
Probably their most popular beer is Spotted Cow.
I think Spotted Cow is stylistically unique.
I've seen it called a Cream Ale; a Farmhouse Ale; an Amber Ale; and a Kolsch.
It isn't really any of those.
But, regardless of what you call it, it is popular. And truth be told ... it is a great beer. Beer geeks can appreciate it, but it is also easy drinking enough for the BMC drinker to enjoy as well.
Last time I was in Wisconsin, I promised my Brother-in-Law that I'd brew a Spotted Cow Clone for my son's graduation party.
The whole COVID mess delayed my son's graduation, but close to the end of April, I still thought I'd brew something (sort of) like the beer.
I did some research. I checked out some homebrew clone books from the library. I googled. I found the Northern Brewer Speckled Heifer recipe and checked it out. Of course, I read what is on the New Glarus Spotted Cow web page.
I saw lots of recipes. And ... honestly, I don't think any of them are actually clones of the beer.
And ... honestly ... since I don't really follow clone recipes ... I don't really care.
I came up with my own recipe taking pieces from each that I thought made the most sense.
I don't really know how close I came. Actually, we may never know ... because I can't do a side-by-side comparison. New Glarus doesn't export out of state.
It was an awesomely easy drinking delicious beer. And that is all I need.
For more information about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Wild Cow.
| Wild Cow (sort of) Kölsch --- Batch 2 (394) |
| Style | Kölsch | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.45 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 35 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.046 SG | Estimated FG | 1.011 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 23.4 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 4.6 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.508 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 6.4 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.046 | Measured FG: | |||||
| ADF: | Measured ABV: |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.24 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 2.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 1.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 8 lbs | Base Malt 2 Row (Proximity) (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 74.4 % | 0.63 gal |
| 1 lbs 8.0 oz | Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 14.0 % | 0.12 gal |
| 1 lbs | Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 9.3 % | 0.08 gal |
| 4.0 oz | Crystal 120L (Proximity) (120.0 SRM) | Grain | 8 | 2.3 % | 0.02 gal |
| 1.000 oz | Magnum [11.50 %] - Boil 35.0 min | Hop | 9 | 20.1 IBUs | - |
| 1.000 oz | Cascade [7.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min | Hop | 10 | 3.3 IBUs | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Colorado Kolsch (Propagate Lab #MIP-511) | Yeast | 11 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 28.97 qt of water at 156.7 F | 150.0 F | 45 min |
| Heat | Heat to 156.0 F over 10 min | 156.0 F | 20 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Recipe Notes
Make a starter a day or two before brew day.
Salts in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=60,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=70,Cl=59,HCO3=104
Acid to lower pH below 5.4
Mash and boil as instructed.
Cool to below 65 degrees F. Maintain this temperature for a day or two, then let the yeast rise as it wants.
Ferment for 2 weeks. Keg and carb to about 2.5 volumes.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.043 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.45 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
Brewing Notes
7/1/2026 Returned from Wisconsin with some Spotted Cow. What better opportunity to brew this beer?
7/2/2026 Picked up ingredients from Tom's today. Not sure when I'll brew.
7/12/2026 Brew day today. Got later start, mashed through church. Went for a bike ride while the kettle was heating to just below boiling, but the Foundry tripped a GFI, so I had to wait a little longer after I got back. Pre-boil gravity was a little high. Diluted. Everything else went fine. Pitched at around 1pm to 63 degree wort. 1.046 OG.
7/13/2026 No bubbling this morning. Probably should have done a starter. Oh well. Tilt has been consistent 1.041 in the low 60's. I'm sure it will start up sometime today.
7/14/2026 Started bubbling last night sometime. Still pretty slow right now. Controller at 64. Tilt now says 1.038 at 64. Will probably raise another degree before the end of the day.
7/15/2026 Still bubbling. Still not overly fast. Might actually be slowing down now. Controller at 65. Tilt says 1.014 at 64 degrees. Will probably just unplug pump later today.
7/16/2026 Turned off the pump last night. Still some bubbling, but seems to be almost done. Tilt says 1.008 at 67 degrees.
7/20/2026 Didn't end up kegging this weekend. Didn't even end up cleaning a keg. I don't have a spot to put it anyway. I'm sure I'll keg sometime this week. Today, I turned off the Tilt logging. Tilt says 1.007 at 67 degrees.
7/1/2026 Returned from Wisconsin with some Spotted Cow. What better opportunity to brew this beer?
7/2/2026 Picked up ingredients from Tom's today. Not sure when I'll brew.
7/12/2026 Brew day today. Got later start, mashed through church. Went for a bike ride while the kettle was heating to just below boiling, but the Foundry tripped a GFI, so I had to wait a little longer after I got back. Pre-boil gravity was a little high. Diluted. Everything else went fine. Pitched at around 1pm to 63 degree wort. 1.046 OG.
7/13/2026 No bubbling this morning. Probably should have done a starter. Oh well. Tilt has been consistent 1.041 in the low 60's. I'm sure it will start up sometime today.
7/14/2026 Started bubbling last night sometime. Still pretty slow right now. Controller at 64. Tilt now says 1.038 at 64. Will probably raise another degree before the end of the day.
7/15/2026 Still bubbling. Still not overly fast. Might actually be slowing down now. Controller at 65. Tilt says 1.014 at 64 degrees. Will probably just unplug pump later today.
7/16/2026 Turned off the pump last night. Still some bubbling, but seems to be almost done. Tilt says 1.008 at 67 degrees.
7/20/2026 Didn't end up kegging this weekend. Didn't even end up cleaning a keg. I don't have a spot to put it anyway. I'm sure I'll keg sometime this week. Today, I turned off the Tilt logging. Tilt says 1.007 at 67 degrees.