Beer Appellations?

Why can't people simply respect the wishes of the fathers of Kolsch and their wish to maintain the beer they created in the way they di?
Nobody is restricting the brewing of any beer under the sun.Anybody can brew a beer based on Kolsch with any manner of modifications.Why you feel that it has to be called Kolsch ? It's not too difficult to think up another name.

 

I'm pretty much coming from the same angle as @Lurchus. Where things are beinge made (nice wine analogy btw) has no bearing and these narrow definitions seem to promote more of a status quo - which I doubt is necessarily serving the brewers and the consumers.

I also highly doubt water quality anywhere in the world are different to such a degree that they would influence taste of the end product to a greater degree equal or greater to the ingredients in the recipe.

As for the "simply respect", if what Lurchus points out is indeed correct - then they are not actually the fathers of Kölsch but a bunch of breweries that just made an agreement on standardization - that again - was probably never intended to have any effect on anyone outside of Europe (if even outside of Germany). Also, I don't see it as "disrespectful" to brew a beer under that moniker - it's not an insult, it does no harm to anyone's honor. If your notion of respect differs you are free to disagree but please do not pretend that what you are stipulating is objectively valid. Plus, I have not yet seen any Kölsch berweries getting aggravated at those "Murricunts" brewing their beloved style in an altered manner.

 

imagine it for other styles. imagine if in the 1980ies someone in the USA made a law that a beer has to be a certain way and made somewhere in particular to be called IPA. beer styles are dynamic and should not work this way., at least in my opinion.
that is also why I despise style guidelines for competitions...
and as I see it, the Kölsch convention was NOT a piece of honor, it was also a business move to sue the hell out of competitors, because Kölsch was a name people recognized. Alternative names like "obergärigers","troilsch" or "rheinisches bitterbier" just do not have the marketing power. It is almost as bad as the history of Salvator in my opinion.

 

I want to applaud the cogent and logical contributions of @Akerstache and @Lurchus to this thread's discussion.

Cheers to you two fine fellows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And yet you strongly criticize brewers who violate/do not respect U.S. copyright/trademark naming conventions...

 

US craft breweries are not breaking any applicable laws by naming their beers as being Kolsch. I heartedly endorse Victory Brewing calling their beer as Victory Kölsch.

I suppose the folks who represent the Kölsch Konvention can file a lawsuit if they think they have a case here.

Cheers!

 

I hear the busy little fingers of lawyers clicking away right now with cease and desist letters thinking to themselves "WOW, how did we miss this one!".

 

And yet you seem to have a problem as well with "craft" brewers not being allowed to call their concoctions "Bier" in Germany under the applicable laws....

 

Maybe in a few years @Akerstache will be one of those trademark chasing lawyers!?!

I kid, I kid!!

Cheers!

 

If there's one thing I already know I 100% will not do is trademark/IP and tax law. To hell with that. Nothing more dreadfully boring.

 

Vidalia Onions must be grown in Vidalia County, Georgia or they must be called some other sort of sweet onion.

Yeah, that's all I got.

 

My prediction is that you will be a litigator.

Cheers!