Inside the mind of Jim Koch

I, personally, do not feel anyone who drinks this beer is truly being exposed to the Koelsch style. I have drunk Koelsch from dozens of breweries in Germany, and none tasted similar to this beer in any appreciable sense. Escape Route is more akin to an American Pale Lager such as New Belgium's Shift than any German Koelsch.

 

“I guess I don't get why is he so invested into trying to pump out a different Kolsch style just a year later?” Well, I certainly can’t speak for Jim Koch. If you read the thread I started about Escape Route Kolsch maybe there may be some ‘inspiration’ there?

“Where's the market or strategy in that?” Again, I can’t speak for Jim Koch. What I appreciate about the effort for Boston Brewing to create a Kolsch-style beer is that they have a far reaching distribution (nationwide for this beer?) and this permits many beer drinkers who may not be familiar with a Kolsch style beer to drink and try this type of beer.

“They still haven't figured that style out too well at all.” I can certainly understand why you may be motivated to make that comment. Sam Adams Escape Route Kolsch is by no means the ‘epitome’ of a Kolsch beer as brewed in Cologne. Germany but it is still a pleasant beer to drink. Earlier this evening I drank an Escape Route and I had a smile on my face as I drank it. I fully recognize that this beer does not represent that best Kolsch beer in the world but my homebrewed Kolsch is only at day 4 of its fermentation so I will drink and enjoy Escape Route with pleasure until my homebrewed Kolsch is ready to drink.

Cheers!

 

I don't even know what to say about this post. I don't like to be antagonistic or get personal but this pretty much represents everything that I think is wrong with the American craft beer scene.

 

that's exactly what they WANT you to think, maaaan

 

there's a reason he's worth a billion dollars and most of us aren't. i'm sure he knows what he's doing.

 

Cut the dude some slack...why not just reply to both questions/comments from the guy and stop the theatrics...

 

I wish I was experiencing that problem. I went to a nearby grocery store today hoping to find Rebel IPA and they didn't have it. Had to "settle" for Green Flash IIPA. Woe is me. Maybe next time.

I would much rather drink a mediocre IPA than Boston Lager.

 

Because SA seasonals are big business and average beer drinkers do not know or understand the term Kolsch. Escape Route, which eludes to not much, at least IMO, will move units. He knows that beer advocates to get beyond the big print, the inquisitive resourceful fucks we are

 

A. Because he can, and with 20 years of business knowledge as well as success, BBC knows the market that will be looking for Kolsch beer can handle more than one interpretation on the style, and B. the ingredient bill on those has but a handful of things in common. Strisselspalt Hops, their house two row malt, and possibly the same (house) yeast. Beyond that, they are vastly different beers. C. Read A, and B again.

 

Yeah, Sam Adams doesn't know what they're doing.

 

Jim doesn't know what he's doing... right....
http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/sam/st...dy=volume&comparison=off&index=&drilldown=off

 

I also think the reason Sam Adams made Escape Route a hoppier (with two different kinds of hops, not just 2 "variants" on Spalt), darker, cloudy (or, to quote the specs, "veiled") "Koelsch" is that U.S. "craft" drinkers are hesitant to accept anything that physically resembles BMC and instead demand MOAR of everything, despite the style. Thing is, quantitative changes become qualitative changes...and what you end up with in this case isn't a Koelsch at all.

 

Have you come across any Koelsch made in the States that is a good representation of the traditional style? I am not very experienced in the style. I've only had Reissdorf and Gaffel.

 

COAST's 32/50 gets close, but it's unfiltered, making it (in the strictest sense) a Wiess. I suspect if it were filtered it'd be a pretty good representation. Well, it's a good representation anyway, but if we're talking truly traditional, it'd need to be filtered (per the Koelsch-Konvention).

EDIT: I have heard good things about Metropolitan's Koelsch, too, but have yet to have it.

 

A pretty good local brewery near me makes a "wet-hop" Koelsch that I thought was pretty tasty, and was my first inroduction to the style. However I suspect it is much more hopped up than a traditional Koelsch- 10lbs of hops per barrel of Mt. Hood and Hallertau.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24102/86730/

 

Because BBC isn't into making "solid beer", even though they do have some pretty solid year round beers. I think they're more into making new beers and experimenting with different styles. If they want to rebrand the same beer every year, let them. Maybe Jim wanted to rebrand it because- GASP!- he wanted to. What makes a kolsch so special and immune to rebranding/recipe changes? I should also point out that in the past few years, BBC has also came out with several different IPA's and pale lagers that only end up suddenly disappearing.

 

I think this is one of those situations where calling something a Koelsch sounds cooler than calling it a Blonde Ale.

 

Victory makes a very good Kolsch that is presently only available on draft (at select accounts).

I spoke to a Victory sales rep who mentioned that Victory is considering adding the Kolsch to the upcoming Victory summer variety case. Maybe @Starkbier can provide some input on this matter.

If you ever see Victory Kolsch beer on tap, drink it!

Cheers!

 

Try captain lawrence kolsch if you can get it. They are indeed few and far between. It does nto matter to most people if they are drinking a r"real" kolsch or a beer that is called kolsch. That's the bulk of what sam adams knows about it's audience.