Blonde ale = Kölsch ?

[Closet Fermenter]

I need a tutorial on this and I’m not totally technologically illiterate. It’d be handy for my daughter’s name too. It’s spelled with 2 e’s instead of the common ie. callee

If you’re using an iPhone, search “text replacement” and you should get the details. On my phone, I go to “Settings”, “General”, “Keyboard”, “Text Replacement”. I don’t know about different modes, or makes. It’s great for phrases I text often like “omw” becomes “On my way!”

 

[monkeymath]

We can there’s no law here to stop us.

Well, I am kegging that beer I can’t brew here today. It’s so confounded humid that I can monitor the filling progress by the condensation line on the outside of my keg!

I can brew Kolsch wherever I please. I've got recipe and some kolsch yeast and a bottle of eau de Cologne in the bathroom. Yeah, I can do it, I can brew it.
The issue is: can I sell it as Kolsch? Bit of a moot point seeing as I don't sell my beer.

Of course you are free to call your beer whatever you like. For those familiar with the German name of the city Cologne - "Köln" - it should be rather apparent that the term "Kölsch" is a geographical appellation.

I consider it a matter of respect for the tradition and those keeping it alive to reserve names like "champagne", "kölsch" or "lambic" to the original producers.
So when a brewery, as described in the thread's initial post, refrains from labelling their beer as a "lambic" or "kölsch", I read that as a sign of respect and modesty.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if more people followed that example.

 

[mac_1103]

I consider it a matter of respect for the tradition and those keeping it alive to reserve names like "champagne", "kölsch" or "lambic" to the original producers.

That ship sailed long ago, and it wasn't home brewers who launched it.

Am I allowed to brew a California Common here on the east coast?

 

[Miraculix]

That ship sailed long ago, and it wasn't home brewers who launched it.

Am I allowed to brew a California Common here on the east coast?

It is one thing to call something a name that the product is actually up to and another to apply an existing name to an almost random product. If somebody is creating a Kölsch, an ale that tastes like a lager, just a tiny bit worse, than I'm ok with that. Naming something a Kölsch that has nothing whatsoever in common with the original is just bad on the other hand.

 

[mac_1103]

Naming something a Kölsch that has nothing whatsoever in common with the original is just bad on the other hand.

Did I say that was OK? I certainly didn't intend to.

 

[An Ankoù]

It is one thing to call something a name that the product is actually up to and another to apply an existing name to an almost random product. If somebody is creating a Kölsch, an ale that tastes like a lager, just a tiny bit worse, than I'm ok with that. Naming something a Kölsch that has nothing whatsoever in common with the original is just bad on the other hand.

Budweiser springs to mind.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I don’t brew my Irish Dry Stout in Ireland
I don’t brew my English Brown Ale in England
I don’t brew my Mexican Lager in Mexico
My IPA has never been shipped to India
I don’t brew my Kölsch in Germany
Heck fire; I barely even have hair and none has ever been blonde when I brew a Blonde Ale!

But I have never sold a pint.
Dang little of it leaves my house. (I did carry some ale & stout to a picnic last year)
Most all of it is consumed by me and the wife.

It is what it is. I refuse just to label everything “My Beer”

Cheers!

 

[Tony B]

This thread done gone wild!

 

[Tony B]

I just brewed a “Helles” and pitched some 34/70 on it @ 65F. Certainly not traditional, but I’m calling it a Helles.

 

[mac_1103]

I don’t brew my Irish Dry Stout in Ireland
I don’t brew my English Brown Ale in England
I don’t brew my Mexican Lager in Mexico
My IPA has never been shipped to India
I don’t brew my Kölsch in Germany

I've never even been to Plzeň.

 

[An Ankoù]

I just brewed a “Helles” and pitched some 34/70 on it @ 65F. Certainly not traditional, but I’m calling it a Helles.

My Helles isn't brewed in Hell, either!

 

[worlddivides]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I actually travel to Cologne every time I brew a Kolsch to make sure it's authentic. Before that, I just called it "the mystery beer style" (shortened from "the mysterious German beer style that's like a lager but actually an ale and not a cream ale, blonde ale, California common, or altbier, no it's from the region that shall not be named").

 

[Halfakneecap]

Kolsch, or however you spell it, wherever you are, has to be the most controversy generating beer style.



I'm pretty confident the brewers in Cologne don't pay any attention to what a bunch of homebrewers think of it, or how they feel about it, or how they brew it.

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm pretty confident the brewers in Cologne don't pay any attention to what a bunch of homebrewers think of it, or how they feel about it, or how they brew it.

Too busy prancing around in lederhosen and dabbing eau de cologne behind their ears.
I, too, have seen the Rammstein videos.

 

[Broothru]

Kolsch, or however you spell it, wherever you are, has to be the most controversy generating beer style.



I'm pretty confident the brewers in Cologne don't pay any attention to what a bunch of homebrewers think of it, or how they feel about it, or how they brew it.

Think of the Kolsch Konvention as Copyrighted naming and labeling, strictly enforced commercially. No different really than “Kobe” beef or “Vidallia” onions. That said, I still call the ‘sweet’ onions imported from Peru year ‘round as Vidallias. But I won’t call just any old meat from a steer Kobe.

 

[worlddivides]

Think of the Kolsch Konvention as Copyrighted naming and labeling, strictly enforced commercially. No different really than “Kobe” beef or “Vidallia” onions. That said, I still call the ‘sweet’ onions imported from Peru year ‘round as Vidallias. But I won’t call just any old meat from a steer Kobe.

Kobe beef in the US isn't really anything like Kobe beef in Japan. In Japan, it's extremely marbled and fatty, while in the US, it's way less fatty, not nearly as marbled, and tastes distinctly differently. It's also interesting that "Wagyu" in the US is Japanese beef, but it's usually Japanese cattle grown and raised in the US, fed and treated differently than they are in Japan, so the resulting beef is actually quite a bit different. I believe part of it is that the Japanese see such marbling and fattiness and a more light-colored beef to be more desirable than the typical American palate.

I see Champagne and Kolsch on polar opposite sides of the spectrum. Champagne is basically just sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. "American Champagne" really is just sparkling wine. But what is Kolsch made outside of Cologne? It's a very specific style of beer that happens to be named after the region where it's made. It's not just "a blonde ale made in Cologne." There are a lot of very specific traits to it. With the Kobe beef definition, what's called Kobe beef in the US is not actual Kobe beef unless it was imported from Japan (since some of the criteria are where it's born, where it's fed, and where it's slaughtered, among many other factors). I think Kolsch is more like parmesan. Parmesan cheese is also protected, but it's a very specific style that if you made outside of Italy, you might call it "hard white aged cow's cheese," but saying "Parmesan" is going to be make it easy to imagine what it is.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

We do this for all kinds of things, so why not our beer? Kleenex is a brand name of Kimberly-Clark Co., but many of us ask for a kleenex rather than a facial tissue. We put our hot coffee in a thermos; not a vacuum-insulated flask.
I tend to use a generic name for a style like “Irish Dry Stout” when it’s a general recipe or one that I have slightly modified. On the other hand, I have used clone kits or recipes that refer to a specific brand; say like a “Guinness Clone”.
It’s a convenience that allows one to convey a description and/or taste expectations to someone else. Nothing more. Since I am not selling/profiting off of these registered names, it should be regarded as a compliment rather than an infringement. What is the saying; “Imitation is the best form of flattery”?

RDWHAHB!

 

[InspectorJon]

I've never even been to Plzeň.

I’ve never been to Spain, but I kind of like the music…

 

[Broothru]

I’ve never been to Spain, but I kind of like the music…

“Heard the women are insane there,
But I don’t know how to prove it.”

 

[Closet Fermenter]

“Heard the women are insane there,
But I don’t know how to prove it.”

Kansas City is closer:

”They’ve got some crazy little women there, and I’m gonna get me one!”

 

[Broothru]

Kansas City is closer:

”They’ve got some crazy little women there, and I’m gonna get me one!”

Actually, I did get me one, 55 years ago this August 20. SWMBO’d and I grew up there, and were classmates from elementary school through college, but never really started ‘dating’ until about a year before we got married. Ran around in the same social circles for years, but never got ‘serious’ until her senior year in undergrad. But I’m not sure if she’s the crazy one, or if it’s me. Probably both.

 

[InspectorJon]

Actually, I did get me one, 55 years ago this August 20

Dude, anyone tell you that you’re old yet? My wife and I are 10 years behind you and expect to catch up.

 

[corkybstewart]

And maybe bacon bits? A smidgen of finely grated cheddar as a garnish, perhaps?

Ankoù is a British guy, no doubt he has his own recipe for cock ale.
https://vinepair.com/articles/history-of-cock-ale-beer/

 

[corkybstewart]

I don’t brew my Irish Dry Stout in Ireland
I don’t brew my English Brown Ale in England
I don’t brew my Mexican Lager in Mexico
My IPA has never been shipped to India
I don’t brew my Kölsch in Germany
Heck fire; I barely even have hair and none has ever been blonde when I brew a Blonde Ale!

But I have never sold a pint.
Dang little of it leaves my house. (I did carry some ale & stout to a picnic last year)
Most all of it is consumed by me and the wife.

It is what it is. I refuse just to label everything “My Beer”

Cheers!

I'm with you, up to a point. I always use the term "style", as in Belgian style dark ale, or British style stout. I'm not sure when or why I started doing that, and it's not an obsession, I just feel it's a better description of what I brew. I think it started when I started brewing IPAs, to distinguish between subtle and pleasant English IPAs and over the top, brutal American IPAs(which I love).

 

[Tony B]

I use the style guidelines as guidelines. I brew what I want to brew and mostly use these guidelines as just that. Some lines that may guide me. I like to flow a bit outside sometimes and I’m ok with that. Life goes by too fast. I am so happy when I brew something I truly enjoy and that’s what it’s all about for me.

 

[An Ankoù]

Ankoù is a British guy, no doubt he has his own recipe for cock ale.
https://vinepair.com/articles/history-of-cock-ale-beer/

Interesting article.
I've heard of cock ale, but never tried it. I don't think I'd want to try it, to be honest, but it occurs to me that in days before refrigeration it might be a way of preserving the nutritious properties of am old rooster that would otherwise go to Fido. Curiously, although cock ale is (allegedly) a British concoction, the cock is emblematic of France,

 

[Broothru]

Dude, anyone tell you that you’re old yet? My wife and I are 10 years behind you and expect to catch up.

Keep pedaling, hombre. The ‘hill’ gets steep, but the view from up here is worth the effort!

 

[kjdevault1]

If you’re using an iPhone, search “text replacement” and you should get the details. On my phone, I go to “Settings”, “General”, “Keyboard”, “Text Replacement”. I don’t know about different modes, or makes. It’s great for phrases I text often like “omw” becomes “On my way!”

Thanks! I saw your response to someone else asking the question much further down in the feed. Thank you for answering again and I apologize for repeating!

 

[kjdevault1]

If you’re using an iPhone, search “text replacement” and you should get the details. On my phone, I go to “Settings”, “General”, “Keyboard”, “Text Replacement”. I don’t know about different modes, or makes. It’s great for phrases I text often like “omw” becomes “On my way!”

Thanks! I saw your response to someone else asking the question much further down in the feed. Thank you for answering again and I apologize for repeating

 

[corkybstewart]

Interesting article.
I've heard of cock ale, but never tried it. I don't think I'd want to try it, to be honest, but it occurs to me that in days before refrigeration it might be a way of preserving the nutritious properties of am old rooster that would otherwise go to Fido. Curiously, although cock ale is (allegedly) a British concoction, the cock is emblematic of France,

I actually ran across a very old recipe for cock ale when I was a geology student doing research in the university library. It was so long ago I have no idea how I got to a 300 year old recipe for chicken beer while researching the origins and history of the Laramide orogeny.