So a different kind of show this week. Instead of talking about a specific beer, we are going to talk a bit about why you should try to find a Kölsch at your local brewery or brew pub.
News
Well for the first time in a while we have a bit of an uplifting news story from the beer world. It comes out of the United Kingdom and the Brysons of Lancaster. Brysons have launched a new beer called ‘Lifesaver’ and for every pint sold, they will make a donation to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The beer at this time is only on sale locally. So, if you are listening to this in the UK, you can go out and have a good beer and feel good about yourself at the same time!
Local Beer
- Generally speaking, you can find a decent Kölsch at most brewpubs this time of year for several reasons. First off, it is a good refreshing style to make for the summer. It is crisp, but not as harsh as a pilsner can be, and goes well with a lot of summery food.
- Second, it is an ale, which means that its fermentation time is a lot less than a pilsner. And of course, lower fermentation time means it is out the door quicker and a little cheaper to produce.
- Now a lot of times this beer may be called something other than a Kölsch, such as a “summertime” beer or even lumped in just a light beer on the menu.
- I am lucky enough to be able to go to Goose Island and have that as one of my local brewpubs, which is the beer that talked about first in the Kölsch series, summertime ale I think. But there are also a lot of other ones out there, such as Rock Bottom, Ram Brewing Company, Gordon Biersch, and any of a number of local ones.
- In addition to the local brewpubs, there are also a ton of local breweries that you may be able to get but other people may not be able to. A great website you can use is Beer Mapping. Just enter your region and you are good to go.
- So all that being said, look for the following things when you are at a local brewery or brewpub in regards to a Kölsch.
- Look for an Ale, it should be moderate in alcohol, around 4-5% abv, and it should be rather light in color. In addition, it shouldn’t be too hoppy or bitter, instead almost like a light beer but with some flavor. So good hunting, and enjoy it when you find it, and post some comments on your local brew pubs.
Next Week
Next week we move onto another American Wheat beers. Right now we have Widmer Hefeweizen slated, which is widely distributed so you should be able to find it.
Your Next Beer 