Style: Kölsch
ABV: 4.5%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Mt. Begbie Brewing Co.
Country: Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Kölsch:  a unique and fairly obscure beer style that you may have never heard before.  If not then don’t feel bad, it’s a traditional German ale–from a country that’s known more for their lagers– and one of the palest German beers produced, considered the Deutsch version of the British Pale Ale or Bitter.  Not only that, but originally it was only brewed in the city of Köln, Germany, known as Cologne in the West.  It may come as no surprise how seriously the Germans take their beer, because I’ll have you know that in 1948 the brewers of this style got together for what was known as The Kölsch Convention to formally define this style to modern brewing specifications.  In fact the Kölsch style is an appellation.  That means under German law there is a restriction allowing only about 20 breweries in and surrounding Köln to legally practice the brewing of authentic Kölsch.

Fortunate for us here in North America some brewers turn a blind eye to such matters and provide us with an accessible home grown version of the style.  Not too many, mind you, however here in Western Canada we have the Mt. Begbie Brewery in Revelstoke to thank for providing the only bottled version of Kölsch that can be found year round here in Alberta.  In fact it was my original introduction to the style.

One last thing to keep in mind is that although it is an ale, Kölsch is lager aged near freezing to help produce the clarity of the body and the cleanness found within the flavour.  It’s one of the few hybrid beers out there that are brewed like an ale but then aged and chilled as a lager, the “Steam” Ale or California Common being a North American invention similar to this style.

Now you wouldn’t be wrong to assume that a beer with such a history and so much legalities surrounding it would have its own designated glass as well.  It is fairly tall, straight-walled and somewhat small in diameter, referred to as a stange, officially with a capacity of 0.2 litres.  I’ve noticed that Lee Valley actually carries sets of these from time to time.  However there’s no need to invest in such strictly technical glassware to enjoy this Kölsch from Mt. Begbie, a tall Collins glass or your usual lager or pilsner glass will suffice just fine, or a pint glass if you want to empty the whole 650 ml bottle all at once.  It’s best served at cellar temperature as well, around 10 degrees Celsius, so by the time you pull it from the fridge and get it poured you’ll be doing all right, no need to pull out a thermometer.

In your glass of choice this Kölsch will appear a clear, pale straw yellow hue, producing at the least a short bubbly bone white head, that probably won’t last very long.  There’ll be some mild grains in the aroma, you may even pick up some dry bready notes, along with a light honey sweetness, dry citrus rind and most likely a bit of grassy hops.  This beer has a light aroma that may be difficult to fully detect, especially if you choose to serve it iced cold, so don’t get disgruntled if you don’t pick up on much of it.  A few sips in and you’ll discover that the carbonation is light in the mouthfeel, almost creamy smooth at times, but for the most part dry and especially crisp on the finish.  Fortunately the flavour is also a bit heartier than the aroma.  Starting with some sweetness from the malt, bready with near hints of caramel, it becomes drier almost grainier in the middle while picking up some honey-like sweetness, then grassy, light earthy hops on a dry finish, with faint traces of lemon pith.  Very quenching, this is the sophisticated person’s lawnmower beer, and definitely a great pick to while away a sunny afternoon on a patio.

While pairing food with this Kölsch I’d suggest keeping things light so as not to overwhelm the subtle tones of this style.  Ideal for salads, and it will hold up nicely even with acidic vinaigrettes if you choose to pass on the creamier dressings.  Lightly herbed chicken, salmon, and lighter fish can also be partnered up nicely.  It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to serve it with some bratwurst and sauerkraut if you’re in the mood to enjoy it with some traditional fare.

The next steps in the cooler:

Also From This Brewery:
Tall Timber Ale
Cream Ale

Lateral Steps:
Anchor Steam Ale
Kells Irish Lager - Rogue
Fullers Organic Honeydew Ale
Steigl

For The Adventurous:
Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel
Black Cat Lager - Paddock Wood
Quidi Vidi Honey Brown Ale