Kölsch

What is Kölsch?

Kölsch is a light and pale top-fermented beer originating in the city of Cologne, Germany. It's a hybrid because it's brewed with top-fermenting yeast like an ale but conditioned at cool temperatures like a lager.

Kölsch beers are characterized by a lightly fruity yeast note in aroma and taste as well as a pleasant hoppy bitterness. It is traditionally served in tall straight glasses, holding about 200 ml of beer.

Kölsch is a protected geographical indication beer style that can only be produced within a 50-km radius of the city of Cologne.

Origin Story

During the Middle Ages, Cologne was a significant trade hub and housed numerous small breweries. Historical records indicate that beer production in Cologne dates to as early as 874. The beer brewed in medieval Cologne was a brown-coloured top-fermented beer like other beers of the time.

The 15th century marked a notable shift in German brewing with the emergence of lager beers originating in Bavaria expanding rapidly throughout the country. Interestingly, Cologne opted not to embrace this movement, passing a law in 1603 mandating that only top-fermented beer could be brewed there. As a result, traditional ale-style beer persevered in Cologne, while ales were mostly replaced by lagers in other parts of Germany.

In the 19th century, when light and hoppy pilsner beer began to dominate the local market, Cologne brewers decided to fight back by introducing their own light beer. They made their ale golden and hoppy but continued to use top-fermenting yeast. Thus, Cologne brewers halted the spread of pilsner and modern kölsch was born. The term "kölsch" itself was known to have been used for such beer only in 1918.

In 1986, Cologne brewers agreed on the Kölsch Convention, which defines a true kölsch: a light, highly attenuated, hoppy, and filtered top-fermented beer served in a 0.2-litre tall and straight Stangen glass that can only be produced by brewers in the Cologne region. Since 1997, kölsch has been a protected geographical indication in the European Union.