{"id":70,"date":"2008-04-05T09:04:05","date_gmt":"2008-04-05T17:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beersmith.com\/blog\/?p=70"},"modified":"2022-08-15T14:53:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T18:53:53","slug":"brewing-a-kolsch-beer-recipe-beer-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beersmith.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/05\/brewing-a-kolsch-beer-recipe-beer-styles\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewing a Kolsch Beer Recipe: Beer Styles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Beer<\/p>\n

You want a good lager, but you can’t make one because you do not have refrigeration? Try a making a K\u00f6lschbier! Today, guest blogger DJ provides an excellent summary of how to brew K\u00f6lsch.<\/p>\n

History<\/strong><\/p>\n

K\u00f6lsch (pronounced “koelsch”) is a beer brewed exclusively by the breweries in K\u00f6ln (or Cologne to the English speaking countries). The beer style has been around for several centuries, but was never called K\u00f6lsch until the S\u00fcnner brewery labeled it as such in 1918. In the 1930s, at least 40 breweries made K\u00f6lsch. Unfortunately the World War decimated the German K\u00f6lsch industry and only 2 breweries remained.<\/p>\n

Since the European Union gave special protection to K\u00f6lsch in 1997 (gesch\u00fctzte Herkunftsbezeichnung), only 14 breweries legally produce K\u00f6lsch. This restriction is an extension of the K\u00f6lsch Convention of 1986. The K\u00f6lsch Convention states that K\u00f6lsch must be brewed in K\u00f6ln, pale in color, top-fermented (ale), hop accentuated, and filtered. In short, the beer is a pale ale from K\u00f6ln.<\/p>\n

The culture of this beer is also unique. People from all economic classes enjoy the beer. Karl Marx remarked that his revolution could never take hold in K\u00f6ln, because the workers drink with their bosses. The beer is so anti-class that the breweries all agreed that no K\u00f6lsch would be sold with “special”, “extra” or any other add-on.<\/p>\n

But it tastes like a lager!<\/strong><\/p>\n

K\u00f6lsch is ale that tastes like a lager. If you handed a K\u00f6lsch to an unaware beer drinker, it is very common to mistake the beer as a lager. The beer has a very soft mouthfeel. It can be slightly sweet, but has no malty aroma and finishes very dry. Some K\u00f6lschbiers have some fruity flavor, but it is very slight. Any fruitiness in the beer should be very subtle.<\/p>\n

There is no hop aroma and little hop flavor. It is very low in esters, and has no diacetyl. These beers typically are between 4% to 4.5% ABV. The Brewer Style guidelines list the beer’s alcohol content at 4.4 – 5.2% ABV, but I would error on the lower end of the spectrum. The color of the beer is straw-like (3.5-7 SRM). K\u00f6lsch is similar to an American Blonde Ale, but finishes much cleaner and crisper.<\/p>\n

Some commercial examples of the beer are Reissdorf, Gaffel, Alaska Summer Ale, Harpoon Summer Beer, or S\u00fcnner K\u00f6lsch. The American versions are “K\u00f6lsch-style” since they cannot be called “K\u00f6lsch”.<\/p>\n

The Recipe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like any German beer, the ingredients for this beer follow Reinheitsgebot. K\u00f6lsch typically uses German pilsner malt and\/or pale malt. Some recipes use wheat malt or Vienna malt, but it is less common. Wheat malt is not common in the commercial versions of the beer, but shows up in many homebrew recipes. Most K\u00f6lsch recipes use Spalt hops, but other German noble hops can be used. The beer uses very soft water and is often lagered for a month after fermentation. Here’s the recipe I use.<\/p>\n