Mash Paddle 2007, Is It A Lager, An Ale? - It's A Kolsch!

[Stuster]

According to this site and verified by this official German site (at least by my very rusty German - could one of the German speakers confirm this.)

The style is called Klsch after the local dialect word for 'of Cologne'. In 1985 (25.06.1985 to be precise) the German government and 24 breweries from the Cologne region published the 'Klsch Convention'. It was inspired by the attempts - fiercely resisted in Cologne - of outside brewers to cash in on the popularity of Klsch. According to the convention, a beer may only be called Klsch if it meets the following criteria:

* it is brewed in the Cologne metropolitan area
* pale in colour
* top-fermented
* hop-accented
* filtered
* 'vollbier' - 11 - 14% plato

Obviously the first one is out for us. I doubt that most brewers are going to be filtering their beers either. Interesting that the convention states that Kolsch should be a hop-accented beer, while the BJCP guidelines say

A clean, crisp, delicately balanced beer usually with very subtle fruit flavors and aromas.

Perhaps this is just relative to IIPA hoppiness.

The gravity also goes higher than the BJCP accept, with 'real' Kolsch being 11-14% plato which is 1044 to 1057, compared to the BJCP guidelines of 1044 to 1050. However, I'm not sure how strong Kolsch versions actually are as this is just the definition of a vollbier rather than the range of Kolsch. From the info in the first article I linked to, most Kolsch is 4.8%.

 

[homebrewworld.com]

A lovely choice of style !
I love Koelsch, and without a word of a lie i am drinking my best Koelsch to date!
I brew it a fair bit and have had mixed results/failures.
I wish the comp was next week ! anyway.

My brother brought me back a commercial example from Germany called 'Fruh' ( i think :blink: )
It was crap....filtered and more like a vb than any beer i have tasted before, but my brother loved the Koelsch i made, and said i was very close to the mark.

Good luck boys,and girls..........
Cheers

 

[Trough Lolly]

[snip]
My brother brought me back a commercial example from Germany called 'Fruh' ( i think :blink: )
It was crap....filtered and more like a vb than any beer i have tasted before, but my brother loved the Koelsch i made, and said i was very close to the mark.

Good luck boys,and girls..........
Cheers

If you had a bad PJ Fruh's then something happened in transit or storage - it's a benchmark example.
Good choice for the Mash Paddle...and for those who want a good primer on the style you might want to read this article in Brewing Techniques...click here...

Sleeves up folks - this style will challenge your brewing skills and I've been chasing this style since I first visited Cologne in '87...

Cheers,
TL

 

[homebrewworld.com]

Trough Lolly,
I guess your right re: 'Fru' and i may have got a bad example.
It was in hand luggage, and treated with kit gloves by my bro,but it didnt help.

Guess i will have to get over there and test it for myself.
And yeah,gloves are off............

Cheers

 

[johnno]

Yeah this style will challenge everyone it seems.

A very little known style, Hardly tasted by anyone , let alone brewed.


So what will anawbs judges, judge it against? Seems like not many people have had much experience with the style.

All good and well to say against the BJCP guidelines, but if you have hardly ever drunk this beer before what will make you a better judge than anyone else.

what will make an anawbs judge's decision any better or more informative than anyone else's?

Pretty bad choice of beer for a local comp I would say.

cheers
johnno

 

[Stuster]

I don't think it's that obscure a style to homebrewers, johnno. The NSW Xmas case last year included two fine Kolsches, Doc's and Duff's, and they were both very good beers and quite different as well. I've brewed one which was dumped due to faults on the brewer's part :blink: and I know of other brewers locally who have brewed Kolsch with success. That said, you are right to some extent that probably most of us (including me) haven't tasted an authentic Kolsch. Plenty of time to visit a good bottle shop though. :super:

 

[mje1980]

You reading this ray??

 

[Doc]

The Bodenstaz website has a lot of info on Kolsch as well. I think the guy was writing a book, but don't think it is finished or published yet.
A lot of the detail starts on this page though.
Half way down on the left had menu pane are the rest of the sections for Kolsch.

Beers,
Doc

Edit: Just seen the link is in Wee Stu's initial post. Double edit; and AndrewQld

 

[wee stu]

Commercial examples of Kolsch are elusive in Oz, but they are available.

I have no affiliations, whatsover, to any of the businesses I am going to cite. Just passing on the results of my own googling for any would be kolsch afficionado planning on taking up the mash paddle kolsch challenge in 2007.

Dom Kolsch is available from Perth's International Beer Shop here

Reissdorf Kolsch can be found at The Beer Store here

I am not recommending either of these retailers specificially, nor their beers. I just reckon that this suggests, probably at least two wholesalers are importing kolsch into the country. If you are on good terms with a decent independent bottleshop, they may be able to help you out, wherever you are

There are also at least a couple of Australian micros willing to have a crack at Kolsch style beers:

Jarrah Jack's in Pemberton WA have produced Settler's Ale, in the Kolsch style, as a seasonal. Not currently listed on their web site, but IBS have it on their stock list still,

As other people have suggested in this thread already, Potters Brewery, in the Hunter Valley of NSW have also brewed in the kolsch style, under the Hunter Beer Co. label. Apparently available on tap as far afield as Melbourne.

So, if you are an intrepid beerhunter, the Kolsch is out there. Happy hunting.

 

[Aaron]

Well I can see a bulk buy coming along. I'm too lazy to organise it, stu?

 

[wee stu]

Well I can see a bulk buy coming along. I'm too lazy to organise it, stu?

Thanks for the assist, Aaron h34r:

Adelaide, or at least SA, kolsch fanciers only, can email or PM me with their expressions of interest in an SA AHB chapter commercial kolsch purchase. If there is sufficient interest I will make some phonecalls.

Whether we can make a viable purchase ourselves, or just convince a regular commercial outlet, be it bottlo or bar, to get it in, I reckon kolsch in Adelaide by Xmas is a definite possibility

 

[Stuster]

For Sydneysiders, there is Reissdorf Kolsch available at Worldbeers. Just close by Duff's, for any Xmas casers who are dropping their case off there (and bringing some back to the Inner West?) h34r:

 

[DJR]

For Sydneysiders, there is Reissdorf Kolsch available at Worldbeers. Just close by Duff's, for any Xmas casers who are dropping their case off there (and bringing some back to the Inner West?) h34r:

Also available at Stanmore Cellars, bless 'em, my local bottlo! Also has Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Schenkerla Rauchbier, a whole bunch of Schneiders, including the infamous Scheneider Aventinus Dunkelweizen Eisbock i should tell the guy to try and get the Hunter Kolsch, i did mention it to him but i should see if he can order it in. The Vic on the Park pub at Marrickville - on the corner of Addison and Enmore Rd across from the park has the Hunter Kolsch on tap.

I might get a 6-er of Reissdorf for the ISB BBQ - but feel free to pop in and grab something else too! Camperdown Cellars probably stocks it too.

 

[wee stu]

Also available at Stanmore Cellars, a whole bunch of Schneiders, including the infamous Scheneider Aventinus Dunkelweizen Eisbock i should tell the guy to try and get the Hunter Kolsch, i did mention it to him but i should see if he can order

I am pretty sure it is the importer who brings in Schneider tht has Reissdorf on their list. If your bottlo can get, eg, Aventinus, they can get authentic kolsch

 

[Asher]

Managed to slip in a couple of Kolsch's in a two hour stop in Cologne on our way from Brussels to Munich... I feel the hardest part of this style will be to judge it. It's a style where subtlety, or balance make a winner.... so objectivity can be easily lost...

Here's a pic of a Sion kolsch - little hop character. surprisingly malt driven with a sightly creamy mouthfeel and a hint of a peppery hop finish.
Sion was less delicate all round compared to Fruh, the other kolsch I managed to find... Side by side they were just different, but equally enjoyable.


Check out the beer advertising..


Asher for now

 

[Trough Lolly]

Canberra brewers may want to drink some Kolsch on tap! B)
The Zierholz brewery has German Ale (Kolsch) on tap at the following establishments:

Grazing Restaurant
Debacle
University House
Harmonie
Vikings Town Centre
ACT Rugby Union Club
Mawson Club
Telstra
Durham

No affiliation yada, yada...get in quick before I runs out! :chug:

Cheers,
TL

 

[BrissyBrew]

BABBS members where lucky enough to sample some fresh kolsch that Ken brought back from holidays.