No love for Kolsch?

OK. I promise not to bring an American Peach Kölsch into the beer hall the next time I'm in Cologne.

 

I think I can only quote myself there from an earlier post.......
"The thing which constitutes the terroir for Kölsch is the culture in which it is consumed, the people, the pubs- that, I salute.
The Konvention is just a bad case of "Kölsche Klüngel",which I despise."
I was born and raised in the cologne area, so for me it is not only the tradition of "others", i still feel -some- ties to it, as well as the beer, and also the Kölsch beers in the region that can't be called Kölsch though still have regional ties..I find it more disrespectfull that some breweries in the 1980ies said what is Kölsch and what not, and that sitze of operation and wealth of the enterprise was a qualification for Bestandsschutz.....

And I'm not talking about american brewers making stuff called Kölsch, but brewers from Lohmar, Bonn, Gemünd etc. not being able to......

 

Listening London Calling. What a brilliant album. It reminds me of London Pride. Which is what I drank I drank when I lived in London in the 1970's. That and Draught Bass an White Shield mixed. Happy days.

Apologies for the irrelevancy.

 

Just announced in the last week or so is that Troegs released a Kolsch called When in Doubt. 4.6% ABV in bottles and draft. Will head out there this weekend to give it a try.

 

I agree with most of what you are saying - the mango or oats or Mosaic hopped versions are crap and shouldn't be called anything near a Kolsch. But other non Koln produced versions that are true or at least not disrespectful of the style I think could be labelled "Kolsch Style". That's not too terrible is it?

 

I was lucky enough to find a couple sixers of Fancy Lawnmower when I visited Texas from Michigan. That stuff is really nice, especially in 90° weather.

 

Nobody on this site is interested in anything unless it's triple Pappy/Cognac/Chardonnay barrel aged on cocoa nibs and Madagascan vanilla using the latest strain of super hop that tastes like Tang and clocks in at nothing less than 2000 IBU's and 15% ABV, and you have to go to a special limited release at the brewery and pay $5000 and the deed to your house to get it.

 

I've had one, Ballast Point Pale Ale, loved it, going to seek out others to get a better concept of the style.

 

I hear you, but we are on page 8 of a Kolsch thread. There's some interest.

 

Touche' sir

 

I was excited at pg. 6 - lets keep it going.

I have been really enjoying SN's Kolsch this summer. This is the first time I've had it, I bought a bunch of the Summer pack for it. I really wish it was year round or replace Summerfest as the summer seasonal which would then replace Nooner year round (Nooner is not my favorite SN lager obviously). Maybe I need to formally petition @sierranevadabill

 

FFF's makes a nice Kolsch. I tried Calumet Queen recently and thought it was a well made beer.

 

I like Lawnmower and love Weed Wacker... though Weed Wacker is the same beer but with a hefe style yeast.

They call Santo a black Kolsch and that is a great beer too!

 

Karbach Love Street is another good Kolsch out of Houston.

 

I've only had a couple. But Sunner Kolsch is one of my favorite German beers ever, and that's saying something since there are so many awesome ones. I think the Sunner kind of tastes in between a lager and an ale, as it's got some citrus fruitiness as well as a really clean pilsner-like breadiness.

Regarding the issue of American brewers "disrespecting" the tradition of kolsch and its town of origin by brewing their own versions of kolsch that are somewhat different... uh... hasn't America been doing that with virtually every beer style from Europe? IPAs, barleywines, Belgian ales... our country's been tweaking and "perverting" these originally European styles for a while now, often with fantastic, excitingly new and unique results. Wanting to name these beers after the European styles that inspired them and laid the foundation is nothing but respectful. It's an acknowledgement of their roots.

 

Drinking Victory's Kuhl Kolsch now. It's good, but I prefer the one from Sierra Nevada I had a few weeks back.

 

This is the truth!

 

A little suprised no one has mentioned this one. A fine example of the style and clearly labeled Kolsch STYLE.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16352/43025/

 

Kung Fu Hobo

 

In general, German ones.

American breweries who want to make Kolsches, hefeweizens, or Dortmunders -- or worse, Kolsch-style anything -- should go lay down and think about it for a bit. Those styles, IMHO, tend to be havens for mediocrity only surpassed by blonde ales.

That said, being the Texas homer I am , I really like Saint Arnold Weedwhacker and Seguin Brewing 9-Pin Kolsch.