Barley_Bob
Well-Known Member
I keep getting bottles of Berghoff that are leftover from an Oktoberfest party I didn't go to. Berghoff is fine, and I'm certainly not complaining. They have a couple of options above average, and a couple below. Anyway, the case that came my way over the weekend had a couple of bottles of their "Kotbusser style Pale Ale." I was blown away. It was very good, and Kottbusser is a totally new concept to me. It doesn't leap out of the glass and slap you in the face like a usual APA does, but it has a much cleaner profile than an English Pale Ale. It certainly is a unique style, with its own merits, and it absolutely deserves space on the shelf.
So why am I telling you this? Because there's almost no information out there! Apparently, there was an article about it in Zymurgy, and it pops up in Radical Brewing, but I have access to neither. There certainly are very few recipes out there, and there isn't much discussion of the style taking place (at least I couldn't find much). So, it's time to discuss. At the very least, something needs to come up when Kottbusser is Googled. I firmly believe this is a style worth exploring and expanding.
Berghoff lists their version of this style as an APA, and they claim to spruce it up by adding some North American hops. Otherwise, the basic recipe is as follows:
59% pilsner
30% wheat
8% flaked oats
Added during fermentation
2% wildflower honey
1% molasses
A recipe on BrewToad offers 24 IBUs from Spalt, with 60 and 10 minute additions.
And that's it. I'm going to add some version of this to my list of planned brews, and I hope to get to it in January. In the mean time, do me a favor, and give kottbusser a chance.
So why am I telling you this? Because there's almost no information out there! Apparently, there was an article about it in Zymurgy, and it pops up in Radical Brewing, but I have access to neither. There certainly are very few recipes out there, and there isn't much discussion of the style taking place (at least I couldn't find much). So, it's time to discuss. At the very least, something needs to come up when Kottbusser is Googled. I firmly believe this is a style worth exploring and expanding.
Berghoff lists their version of this style as an APA, and they claim to spruce it up by adding some North American hops. Otherwise, the basic recipe is as follows:
59% pilsner
30% wheat
8% flaked oats
Added during fermentation
2% wildflower honey
1% molasses
A recipe on BrewToad offers 24 IBUs from Spalt, with 60 and 10 minute additions.
And that's it. I'm going to add some version of this to my list of planned brews, and I hope to get to it in January. In the mean time, do me a favor, and give kottbusser a chance.