Ale vs Lager

Craft beer bars in the Washington, D.C. area, meaning those that do NOT have anything from Bud/Miller/Coors on their beer lists, most often suggest a Kolsch to the customers who have no idea what kind of beer bar they just walked into who invariably ask for a Bud/Miller/Coors Light. This, at least, has been my observation.

 

It's a top fermented lager.It was created after the introduction of the Reinheitsgebot in 1906 , this only applied to bottom fermented beer so they simply switched the yeast to get round it. That was because it contained illegal ingredients under the RHG.As it was lagered it became defined as lagerbier.

 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this truly fascinating and infromative thread - once it's settled down, maybe it could be entered in a BA "Hall Of Fame" for future reference?

 

Are you saying that Köln brewers switched from bottom fermentation to top fermentation in 1909? Were brewers in Köln brewing bottom fermented lager beer prior to this (or rather, the original "Kölsch bier" brewers specifically)? Or did I misread you.

 

Yours is an observation similar to the one I've made over the past twenty-odd years, RobH.

First they recommend Kolsch style ale, then the robust-yet-mellow Amber ales, and finally, the challenge of the bitter and spicy American Pale Ale! It's a bit funny how it's such a pretty universal experience, but on the other hand it is good to see that the booze biz (and especially at the level of the service industry) has some commonality.

 

Yeah, that's how it is out here, too...and I don't disagree with the recommendation either. It's certainly the closest thing in most instances. While it seems like many breweries are phasing the style out, the good 'ol American Blonde Ale would be at least moderately close, too. For a long time that was what brewpubs would offer to customers who wanted something similar to BMC but wouldn't tie up their space, time, and efforts with lagering.

 

I agree that it's one of those beers that doesn't neatly fit either category, but given its shared roots with altbier, and the fact that this source and numerous others classify them as ales, I'll continue to do so. I will point out the fact that they're fermented at colder temps., though, if I'm discussing it.

http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/K%F6lsch.html
"In a country dominated by lagers of all strengths and colors, the modern Kölsch (the beer) is Germany's only true, all-barley, pale ale. The other German pale ale is, of course, the Bavarian Weissbier or Weizen, made mostly from wheat. Then there is the copper-colored Altbier from Düsseldorf, 25 miles down the river Rhine from Cologne, which is an ale like the Kölsch and usually made entirely from barley."

 

My thoroughly scientific perspective on Kölsch is that you only have to drink the stuff to see that it's lager.

 

Rob, you might be interested in reading about the Kolsch Konvention:

The brewing of Kolsch beers in Cologne (Koln) is defined by the Kolsch Konvention: “a light-colored, highly fermented, strongly hopped, bright, top fermented Vollbier."

There is only mention of the beer being top fermented and no mention of lagering in the definition of a Kolsch beer by the Kolsch Konvention.

Cheers!

P.S. A Vollbier is simply a German definition of beer strength from an alcohol perspective; “One of four German beer tax categories. Vollbier literally means "full" or "entire" beer. It contains 11 to 14% extract. This beer category holds about 99% market share in Germany. A completely fermented Vollbier usually has between 3 and 5.3% alcohol by volume. Pils, Helles and Weissbier (Hefeweizen) belong in this category”

 

So Koelsch is actually neither an ale nor a Lagerbier, but a Vollbier.

 

I think just carry on calling things the way we call them in our respective countries.

 

It's not just the USA and Britain. It's pretty much the the rest of the beer world and Britain.

Still, I'd totally agree with your statement if certain English BA's would drop their incessant campaign to convince us all that we're confused and in error and only the British definitions and terminology, etc. are correct. That's not likely to happen though, so we'll be responding to their anglo-centric assertions for the foreseeable future.

 

I'm a bit late to the party, but here are my 2 cents.

Ales are fermented by the species of yeast called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which, without getting into too much detail, is a warm fermenting and top fermenting yeast strain.

Lagers are fermented by the species of yeast called Saccharomyces Pastorianus, which is a cold fermenting and bottom fermenting yeast strain.

The basic categorization of ales and lagers nowadays is: If it's brewed with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae then it's an ale, if it's brewed with Saccharomyces Pastorianus then it's a lager.

Lager is a division of beer, along with ale; however, as many of you have pointed out, lagering also means to cold condition a beer for a length of time. You can lager any type of beer. Lagering a beer does not make it a lager. What makes it a lager is if it's fermented with the lager strain Saccharomyces Pastorianus.

Kölsch and California Common are two of a few styles that are considered hybrid.

Kölsch is fermented with an ale strain (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae - http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp029-german-ale-kölsch-yeast?s=homebrew), however, it is fermented colder than typical ale strain temperatures and it lagered (cold conditioned). Rest assured that a Kölsch is technically an ale, but it's considered more of a hybrid.

California Common is fermented with a lager strain (Saccharomyces Pastorianus - http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp810-san-francisco-lager-yeast?s=homebrew); however, it is fermented at ale strain temperatures (warm) and it is not traditionally lagered (cold conditioned). Just because it's not lagered does not make it an ale. Rest assured that it is technically a lager, but it's considered more of a hybrid.

 

You may have come in late, but you obviously took the time to read through this detailed and lengthy thread. Your sussinct post adds much to the discussion.

PS: Can we drop the side discussion on grammer? As a retired teacher I find it interesting, but it's taking up too much space on this thread, and making the main topic hard to follow.

 

This is the received wisdom as purveyed by many people but it's based on rather shaky ground.The yeast strains are the outcome of the temperature at which the different beers are brewed.
It's also a hostage to fortune.Development of commercial yeast strains may well make this argument irrelevant, ale brewers using conical fermenters are already using varieties which look a bit suspicious.

 

Fixed that for you.

A good Kölsch will carry some light fruit esters from it's original top-fermenting that will help discern it from a bottom-fermented beer.

 

Add the white wine esters that are a signature of many, from the specific Koelsch yeast variety used by some of the breweries. Never had that in a lagered lager.

 

Good point. Thanks Jack. I had heard of this before however it had slipped my mind.

 

My explanation is the way that ales and lagers are being divided nowadays by the vast majority of professional breweries. Whether or not most of the whole world is right or wrong by a technicality is a different argument all together. I'm no expert by any means, but I'm 100% comfortable with my post by today's standards.