Kolsch?

I have been sampling varieties of beer for years, but I am not familiar with Kolsch. What is a Kolsch? I have seen a few pics of what people say is Kolsch and the name sounds German or from one of the countries near there...

Can anyone describe it? is there a commercial version?

Personally I am a European Lager/Pilsner lover as well as reds, some stouts and Cerveza (Corona/Sol)

Thanks

It is basically a northern German pilsener made with ale yeast. It is, literally, the beer from Koln.

There are a couple German examples available in the US and maybe more domestic versions depending on where you live.

remilard said:

It is basically a northern German pilsener made with ale yeast. It is, literally, the beer from Koln.

There are a couple German examples available in the US and maybe more domestic versions depending on where you live.

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It tastes exactly like remilard describes. It's light, crisp, and a great session beer. I've never been able to find it in the US, but I drank a few in Cologne (the English translation of the city of Koln).

It's one of my favorite German beers. I like some "bigger" lagers like dopplebock or even maibock, but the light crisp refreshing kolsch is a very nice beer.

I have all the ingredients for a German Pilsner in my fridge (including Pilsner yeast) but no room in my keggerator to make a Lager, maybe I should toss in some ale yeast and make a Kolsch.

Koelsch is an appellation for top-fermented and lagered beers brewed according to the Koelsch Konvention. Koelsch is one of the relatively few German Barley ales and a regional specialty of the Rhineland around Cologne (much like Altbier is a regional specialty of the Rhineland around Duesseldorf).

Look for Reissdorf, Gaffel and Suenner in the U.S. for authentic examples. They'll be a bit more stale than what you would get in Cologne, but they are still fantastic - especially the Gaffel and Suenner.

billc68 said:

I have all the ingredients for a German Pilsner in my fridge (including Pilsner yeast) but no room in my keggerator to make a Lager, maybe I should toss in some ale yeast and make a Kolsch.

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I like Kolsch yeast, fermented at about 62, and then lagered for about 4 weeks. I don't think I'd use just any ale yeast and then ferment higher than about 62. It's an ale, but it's not the least bit truly fruity in my mind.

Probably rely on the BJCP guidelines for the authoritative description:

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1c