Blonde ale = Kölsch ?

[Pennine]

I was always wondering why especially homebrewers from overseas are so fascinated by this particular blonde ale.

Most of the Germans compare it to a certain liquid excretion of the human body or best treat it like "meh.. it's a beer". The rest does not drink beer or is actually from cologne.

I for myself think it is a pretty boring brew and nothing special at all. It is a relatively clean blonde ale with a moderate to quite bitter and dry finish. Nothing special in my book.

It is like:

"Mooooooomyyyyy!!! Can I have a lager?! PLEASE!?"

"We have lager at home Charlie."

The lager at home:

Agreed, probably the least inspiring place to drink beer in Germany honestly.

I can actually explain the exact reasons for this.

Firstly our macro lagers over here equivalent to Fruh are all made with adjuncts and the vast majority are either using yeast strains particularly chosen because they leave a small amount of acetaldehyde in the beer, or in the case of most of the largest macro producers, they are actually deliberately adding acetaldehyde to the beer after fermentation and removal of yeast. Acetaldehyde is an off-flavor that comes across as slightly sweet and solvent-like. Some perceive it as a "green apple" aroma. Other than acetaldehyde, these beers are practically devoid of any hop character, in a way that even Fruh is not. Consumers of "lawnmower" macro beer over here have come to expect this flavor to be present just as how the ester is expected to be in Fruh et al.

We brew whatever you want to call it, that ale beer that starts with "K" and ends with "lsch", totally differently than you guys. Over here, local regional examples are hopped to the high heavens, much moreso than even Radeberger Pils. If you put Fruh in front of the average certified BJCP judge in the USA and had them score it, they would score it poorly, even though the BJCP says it, Gaffel, Reissdorf, and others, embody what the style is supposed to be. Over here Kölsch is literally a German Pils recipe with a hint of wheat added and fermented with Kölsch yeast.

So when you compare what's more or less German Pils with some pear esters to off-flavored carbonated water containing alcohol, that you can produce in half or less the time as proper lager using lager yeast, it's very easy to see why the style would be popular among both brewers and consumers.

Fruh has hops in it? I don't remember that at all.

I do get the sense that small breweries in the US use Kölsch as code for their lite beer for the customer looking for a Coors light. They all offer it now.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Where 'bouts for the best wurst? Wait, WHAT? Isn't that a contradiction?

We're heading up that way in a few weeks, northwest of Eau Claire, near Menomonie, for a family gathering and to grab some Cady cheese.

Beautiful area and with most spots in Wisconsin great beer, cheese and bratwurst!

Safe travels!!

Another brat like sausage to try if you can find it, Belgium Trippe. It's made with cooked cabbage and onions. Very delicious, had some tonight for dinner.

 

[worlddivides]

Can you guys explain me how you pronounce the beer "Yuengling"?

"Yuengling" is basically "Yüngling", which might be seen as an old way of writing "Jüngling" which means something along the lines of young man. J and Y can have the same pronunciation in German.

There you go, some brewers know their writing!

There's a bit of variation in how people pronounce it, but the most common way people pronounced it when I lived in Michigan and Ohio was "Yoong-ling." Can't personally say I ever heard anyone pronounce it like "Ying Ling," but it's possible that I just didn't notice when people did. It's apparently the surname of the founder, which was an anglicization of Jüngling since the founders were German immigrants.

 

[Miraculix]

There's a bit of variation in how people pronounce it, but the most common way people pronounced it when I lived in Michigan and Ohio was "Yoong-ling." Can't personally say I ever heard anyone pronounce it like "Ying Ling," but it's possible that I just didn't notice when people did. It's apparently the surname of the founder, which was an anglicization of Jüngling since the founders were German immigrants.

Ue... just saying...

 

[worlddivides]

Ue... just saying...

This was a German man anglicizing his own name.

 

[An Ankoù]

This was a German man anglicizing his own name.

Quite by coincidence, The Wise One was telling me the story of a Greek guy she used to know whose uncle had moved to England and had to shorten his surname to the last two syllables as nobody seemed to be able to cope with the unabridged edition. When you see some of the names, I can't say I'm surprised. Greek names are bad enough, but Thai names are impossible (even when transliterated) and most seem to include ...porn.

 

[Miraculix]

This was a German man anglicizing his own name.

And he knew what he was doing apparently!

 

[DasBrut]

I had a very similar question and was happy to find this little thread in my weekly digest. Palmer has a recipe for a Pampas Golden Ale, which is an Argentine homebrew favorite. It’s mostly pilsen malt with 5% caramel.

He said to make a blonde ale, just replace the pilsen with pale ale malt. For comparison, my current kolsch recipe is 100% pilsen malt. It’s basically a lager fermented with ale yeast.

So yeah, looks like all of these low-bitter straw-like ales are very, very similar. I guess the blonde ale and pampas have a bit more nutty/toasty from the caramel but that’s about it.

 

[corkybstewart]

I'm still drinking coffee here.

I just now finished my morning coffee. Now I need to start planning dinner so I know what to drink later. Actually my wife will plan dinner-she'll ask my opinion and totally ignore my response. But it makes her feel better about having me help plan.

 

[corkybstewart]

Here in Wisconsin there's a lot a great bratwurst made. I've never had it outside the US but considering the German (and other neighboring countries) immigrants that settled here it's probably not much different.

I love the German sausages, there's quite a variety. If you ever run across them, try the white bratwurst. In France they are called boudin blanc-pork cooked with milk that has been simmered with vegetables. Boudin is blood sausage, basically thickened blood cooked with spices and pork fat. What used to be called saucisson here is now called chipolata, nobody knows why or when the name changed. Merguez is a somewhat spicy sausage made of beef and lamb. Sauscisse de Strasbourg is just a fancy name for a bun length hot dog, and finally, saucisse de Toulouse is the equivalent of a bratwurst. We keep some of each of these in our freezer because they can be quickly thawed and grilled when someone unexpectedly shows up at dinner time, or because French recipes often call for one specific sausage and French folk are not about to use the wrong sausage in a particular dish.

 

[corkybstewart]

Agreed, probably the least inspiring place to drink beer in Germany honestly.


Fruh has hops in it? I don't remember that at all.

I do get the sense that small breweries in the US use Kölsch as code for their lite beer for the customer looking for a Coors light. They all offer it now.

Where I live in the States good beer is hard to find, but when we're in Phoenix I go to Total Wine and they have a good selection of American Kolsch style beers, none of which taste like a true Kolsch. You nailed it with the comparison to Coors Light

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Actually my wife will plan dinner-she'll ask my opinion and totally ignore my response. But it makes her feel better about having me help plan.

When my wife asks my opinion about something in”her territory”, I just interpret that as meaning she wants a scapegoat in case things go sideways.

 

[An Ankoù]

What used to be called saucisson here is now called chipolata, nobody knows why or when the name changed. Merguez is a somewhat spicy sausage made of beef and lamb.

Here in Brittany, a saucisse s still a saucisse and a chipolata is much thinner and quicker to cook, good for barbecuing. Saucisson or saucisson sec is a dried pork sausage, seasoned or spiced or with nuts or walnuts. It's often served thinly sliced with the apéro. Wasn't aware things were different n France. Merguez originates from the Maghreb so they would, ideally, be hallal. They're lovely barbecued or when they form part of a couscous.
Boudin noir with caramelised onions makes a lovely gallette. I've never had boudin blanc- it doesn't look quite catho to me.
You shoud try a saucisse morteau. I've no idea how you would explain that in terms of US or German sausages.
Then, if you're really brave you can go for andouilllette and andouille, either from Vire or de Guémené. I prefer the latter.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Here in Brittany, a saucisse s still a saucisse and a chipolata is much thinner and quicker to cook, good for barbecuing. Saucisson or saucisson sec is a dried pork sausage, seasoned or spiced or with nuts or walnuts. It's often served thinly sliced with the apéro. Wasn't aware things were different n France. Merguez originates from the Maghreb so they would, ideally, be hallal. They're lovely barbecued or when they form part of a couscous.
Boudin noir with caramelised onions makes a lovely gallette. I've never had boudin blanc- it doesn't look quite catho to me.
You shoud try a saucisse morteau. I've no idea how you would explain that in terms of US or German sausages.
Then, if you're really brave you can go for andouilllette and andouille, either from Vire or de Guémené. I prefer the latter.

Nice sausage education!

Not sure about nuts added to sausage though. I make my own Italian and breakfast sausages, just pork and different spices. I have a desire to try making bratwurst but haven't yet.

 

[Miraculix]

I sometimes find myself missing the good English sausages I got from the butchers there. German sausages can't keep up with these I'm afraid. They had REALLY good ones.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I sometimes find myself missing the good English sausages I got from the butchers there. German sausages can't keep up with these I'm afraid. They had REALLY good ones.

There's two local butchers U buy from. They're as authentic as one can get in Wisconsin. In reality I buy what I like eating and stick with places I know make them.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

How does a thread on Kolsch turn into a sausage thread?

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

How does a thread on Kolsch turn into a sausage thread?

Because sausages go well with authentic Kolsch beer! Come on don't you know anything?

 

[shoengine]

Then, if you're really brave you can go for andouilllette and andouille, either from Vire or de Guémené. I prefer the latter.

I made that mistake in Versailles a few weeks ago. Smelled like an outhouse.

 

[monkeymath]

You cannot brew Kölsch outside Cologne.

So if you're located elsewhere, you're brewing a blonde ale. Or a Wiess, maybe.

(Not to be confused with "Weiss", a term often used in Italy for Hefeweizen aka Weißbier.)

 

[Cheshire Cat]

You cannot brew Kölsch outside Cologne.

So if you're located elsewhere, you're brewing a blonde ale. Or a Wiess, maybe.

(Not to be confused with "Weiss", a term often used in Italy for Hefeweizen aka Weißbier.)

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

 

[Closet Fermenter]

You cannot brew Kölsch outside Cologne.

So if you're located elsewhere, you're brewing a blonde ale. Or a Wiess, maybe.

(Not to be confused with "Weiss", a term often used in Italy for Hefeweizen aka Weißbier.)

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!

 

[An Ankoù]

I made that mistake in Versailles a few weeks ago. Smelled like an outhouse.

Yep. That's the stuff. It's certainly an acquired taste. But why anything made out of otherwise chucked-out intestines and tasting like smoked excrement should cost an arm and a leg and be considered a delicacy is quite beyond me.
I'm fully in favour of wasting nothing and finding a way to eat anything that isn't harmful, but making a virtue out of offal is the con of the century.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Yep. That's the stuff. It's certainly an acquired taste. But why anything made out of otherwise chucked-out intestines and tasting like smoked excrement should cost an arm and a leg and be considered a delicacy is quite beyond me.
I'm fully in favour of wasting nothing and finding a way to eat anything that isn't harmful, but making a virtue out of offal is the con of the century.

My guess as to why it’s so expensive; imagine if you were the one who had to make them every day! You’ have to pay me pretty well for that job.

 

[An Ankoù]

You cannot brew Kölsch outside Cologne.

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.

 

[An Ankoù]

My guess as to why it’s so expensive; imagine if you were the one who had to make them every day! You’ have to pay me pretty well for that job.

Yep. I have to concede that point.

 

[corkybstewart]

I made that mistake in Versailles a few weeks ago. Smelled like an outhouse.

It's nasty. It's the only food in France I'll never eat again. I ate them for 15 years thinking one day I would find a good one.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

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.

Yup, that's where I'm at too! I brew a Kolsch and I'm far outside of Cologne, and also it's NOT a blonde ale!

 

[Rish]

andouilllette and andouille,

Chittlin' sausage, yum!

 

[50calshooter]

I’ve recently run into this a couple times where breweries label a beer as a Blonde ale but in the description it says Kölsch. Not sure if this is something new or just me paying closer attention.

A blond ale is brewed with any 2 row malt and fermented as an ale with ale yeast. A Kolsch is brewed with German Pilsner malt as an ale with ale yeast then treated as a lager and put through a lagering stage.