I know so little about kölsch because it is so hard to find on the shelf. I know it is an ale from Köln and that municipal regulation over time has done its job in protecting the style. Clearly not much of an edjification. I found this one at Tully's in Maine in April for $2.49 each and actually had a few of its kind while on the road.
This ale pours golden straw under white foam and rim. The aroma is evocative of the candy called maltesers - milky notes in among the sweet grain - a description I have used in the past in describing La Choulette Blonde. My recollection, however, is this is a sublter note. In the mouth, there is far less milkiness. Just pale malt graininess with a light bitter edge. If I were trying to place it I would describe it as a light pale ale with a slight nod to a farmhouse ale.
Here is what the BAers say. I would be very interested in trying to gather some more of this style to do a side-by-side.
Comments
Chris - June 7, 2006 10:47 am
This was the Biere of the Week over at Biere de Table last week.
http://www.bieredetable.com
I also did a story on the style.
Great biere for summer time and food pairing.
Alan - June 7, 2006 11:34 am
Yet we Canadians are protected from it. Very tough to get an hand on any of the real one. I did try the Saranac version in one of their mixed packs come to think of it: http://beerblog.genx40.com/archives/2005/july/saranacvariety.
Todd - June 7, 2006 5:05 pm
Hopefully people had a chance to try the 'Skinny Light' from The Empire Brewing Co. (brewpub) in Syracuse before it closed a couple of years ago. They won the Kolsch category with that beer at the GABF three times.
Todd
Pootz - June 16, 2006 1:53 pm
I dunno about the "milky" tastes you gor from Kolsch Allan....maybe you were cleaning your palate with Bailey's at the time ;-)
Kolsch is a most delicate and understated ale that resembles a helles lager in appearance and in soft rounded character. It is Germany's hybrid Ale much as cream ale is for Canada.
The key to appreciating this style is to look for the delicate malting and subtle fruit tones ( app;e/cherry/pear) and crisp snap in the finish from attenuated nobels and light use of unmalted wheat.
Kolsch is one of the beer worlds high points in development of a drinkable yet well crafted ale. In Canada here we only have one commercial version and soon there will be one in your neck of the woods called Beau's tractor lug ale ( you can't call it Kolsch out of respect for the Kosch Konvention rights to that style name)
It's due to be in distribution in the Ottawa area mid August.
The Brewer asssures me it will be an authentic version of a Cologne Kolsch.
Alan - June 16, 2006 3:22 pm
Excellent! I didn't know tractor lug was a almost-non-kolsche. And hang me some slack on the yeast descriptions, eh. You can only do so much with what the language gives you.
Alan - July 21, 2006 6:49 pm
The Pootz-ter has had me all in a goggle for weeks since I mentioned the milk and malteser thing so I picked up another four coming back from the coast again at Tully's of Maine and I will be hornswaggled if there isn't a milkiness and a veritable dambusting of malteserosity. <p>Hmmm...there has to be another way to describe this. It is like cream and white pepper sauce with a slight skiff of asiago cheese and a hint of wild mushroom. I am <i>not</i> making that up. But sweetness surrounds it. And it is 2% of the overall taste the rest of which is...beer.