| JUNE/JULY
2005 | REVIEWS | BLIND BEER TASTINGS
CBN Kölsch-Style Ale Blind Tasting
CBN Blind Tasting Panel
• Jay R. Brooks, Tasting Panel Director, Cranky Oldster,
CBN
• Tom Dalldorf, Editor/Publisher, CBN
• Vic Kralj, Owner, The Bistro, Hayward, Calif.
• Special thanks to Mike Long, BTP Tasting coordinator/head
steward
KÖLSCH
This issue’s tasting was one of the smallest we’ve
ever done. That’s because of one common thread running
through each of the three styles we chose to highlight this
issue. Kölsch, Vienna lager and California common are
all very uncommon styles in this country, especially in commercially
available forms. They also deserve to be better known. While
big, hoppy beers hold court with beer aficionados, and pale
and amber ales with the majority of craft-beer drinkers, more
delicate styles like kölsch and Vienna lager are often
underappreciated and hard to find at your local store or watering
hole. In our opinion, that should change, and we encourage
you to seek out these styles and give them a taste. California
common, perhaps encumbered by its trademark-circumventing
moniker, is also underappreciated and seldom made.
Kölsch is named for the city of Cologne (Köln),
Germany, where the style originated. The name is scrupulously
protected and by law may be used only by a brewery either
from Cologne or one nearby that was already producing a kölsch
in 1985, when the definition, glass type and other technical
specifications were agreed upon between the German government
and the Cologne Association of Brewers. Occasionally it is
spelled in English as koelsch. The ale’s main features
are its delicacy of flavors and light color, and it is speculated
that it was originally created to combat the growing popularity
of pilsners in the mid-19th century. Today, as then, kölsch-style
beers are made in few places outside of Germany, although,
happily, that has begun to change. Most producers outside
of Germany refer to their beer as kölsch-style ale. Because
this is a relatively unknown style, many do not even use the
name kölsch on the label at all.
A kölsch should be pale straw–colored with a light,
fruity aroma, mild alcohol content (usually around 5% abv)
and low bittering (18–25 IBUs). A small percentage of
wheat (usually no more than 15%) is sometimes used, primarily
to realize a lighter color. Kölsch is a top-fermented
beer that is aged cold, like a lager. It should be served
in a tall, straight-sided, narrow glass.
Other available examples of this style, though not available
for this panel tasting, include Alaskan Summer Ale, BJ’s
Brewhouse Gold, Capitol Kölsch, Deschutes Bendsch Kölsch,
Gordon Biersch Kölsch, Hale’s Genuine Kölsch,
Hollywood Blonde, Magnolia Kalifornia Kölsch, Mammoth
Gold, Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Beer, Three Floyds Calumet
Queen and Victory Kölsch Ale.
 Big
Sky Crystal Ale
Big Sky Brewing Co., Montana
Light malt nose with clean hop presence. Golden color. Soft,
rich, clean flavors with nice complexity. Very refreshing.
Curve
Ball Kölsch Style Ale
Pyramid Brewing Co., California & Washington
Bright lager nose with subdued herbal aromas and pale straw
color. Great balance, with restrained hops, slight sweetness
and a clean finish.
 Island
Blonde Kölsch-Style Ale
Island Brewing Co., California
Belgian nose of grapefruit and bacterial activity, which is
likely not by design. Bright golden color and a huge, thick,
white head. Creamy, but otherwise off-flavors, which although
likely defective, reminded us that this may be what a Belgian
kölsch might taste like.
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