Kolsch?

General Homebrew Discussion
1

I know…we should already know the answer to this! But we don’t. Have not drank much Kolsch, and have only recently brewed a couple batches.

The Kolsch we just kegged is well balanced, with a nice subdued malt flavor, decent hop flavor, and a slight bitterness in the after taste. This was our first use of pellets, being Hallertau at 3.8% AA.

This is what I would call a perfect German light Ale, well suited for the upcoming dog days of summer.

Is a Kolsch a lighter style beer in body? I don’t have the OG or FG numbers.

2

Kölsch is often described as ‘delicate’. It sounds like you nailed it.

3

Delicate. That is exactly what this beer is!
Thanks for the accurate description.

4

The Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines can be found at: https://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php
These guidelines describe the characteristics of the major beer styles. For Kolsch they have, for overall impression:
A clean, crisp, delicately-balanced beer usually with a very subtle fruit and hop character. Subdued maltiness throughout leads into a pleasantly well-attenuated and refreshing finish. Freshness makes a huge difference with this beer, as the delicate character can fade quickly with age. Brilliant clarity is characteristic.

5

Have you ever had a real German kolsch, like Reissdorf?  That goes a long way toward letting you know if you hit the mark.

6

In addition to Reissdorf, Fruh is another German kolsch that I enjoy. Whole Foods carries it off and on locally. Although the freshness may have faded I still find it enjoyable and tasting it really helped me grasp what kolsch should be, versus tasting “kolsch-style” ales at brew pubs.

7

Fly into Frankfurt. High speed ICE to Köln. There are many breweries within walking distance of the train station. Stay the night, go to Düsseldorf the next day, explore Altbier.

8

reissdorf is da bomb

9

I could not get it in Frankfurt, or Mainz. All the bartenders told me to visit Cologne.

Fruh is one that I have had here. The beer we just kegged is slightly more delicate in body than Fruh. Need to do a real A-B taste test.

10

This is the correct answer

11

Jeff’s recommendation is sound. You can definitely spend a day in Koln visiting all the taprooms.

12

That would warrant a special trip! One brewing partner (UPS pilot) spent a lot of time in Cologne. That is where he developed a fondness for this beer.

13

He can list his favorites for you. You could even meet up, and he could be your guide.

14

I was already missing Germany this Spring.  Now I want to go back even more.  :cry:

Paul

15

Same here, we were talking about a 6 or 8 week trip in the early fall. That will not happen this year.

16

Watched this documentary called Beerland last night on Amazon Prime. All about the German beer culture from the point of view of an American who has lived there for 10 years but never really understood why they are so passionate about beer. It was quite interesting.

17

You’re telling me [emoji28] I miss living over there.

18

I have had fresh Kölsch a few times - mostly when a friend brought them back from Köln and once when at a competition in a German restaurant in Milwaukee (the bar where it was held received a quarter barrel delivered that morning).  Myself and a roomful of judges killed the keg in about an hour and a half.  It was Früh.

19

Ok…per a recommendation here, a 4 pack of Reissdorf was purchased for a side-by-side comparison.

First off, the Reissdorf seems to have a more “malt forward” aroma and taste. Not much more, just a bit as compared to Bel Air’s example.

Also there was little or no hop presence. Bel Air’s has a very subdued/subtle hop character.

The Reissdorf was in a 16 oz can, and is over 9 months old. That might explain the forward malt flavor, which did have a slight hint of an “old” taste. But I could be confusing the forward malt with the old/stale notes perceived.

Ours is fresher, better balanced top-to-bottom. But the Reissdorf had more carbonation as is expected in a canned sample.

To sum it up, the Bel Air Kolsch is cleaner, a bit more “crisp”, and with just the right hint of Hallertau hops in the taste.

If I can say this without sounding like we at Bel Air are blowing our own horn…I think we nailed this one!

20

Oh…almost forgot, and this would merit a dedicated thread.

We are using Ireks malt. This was used for the Kolsch, and it was 100% of the grain bill. And it turned out great.

We seem to get good efficiency with it, and it mills nicely.

And, it is much less expensive than the other German malts. We use their Pilsner malt, next will be their Vienna malt.