Session #19: Deutsches Bier

It is the first Friday of the month, time for The Session.  This month, our host is Lootcorp 3.0 and he has chosen the topic of Deutsches Bier, in honor of Oktoberfest.  The idea is to focus on something specifically German for this post, and one style that has been coming up a lot in conversation amongst my friends has been the Kölsch style.  So I sat down with Peter, from the Better Beer Blog, and his wife Samboun and decided it was time to get to know a few Kölsch. 

We had a selection of three Kölsch beers to sample.  The order would be Reissdorf, Alaskan Summer Ale then Drake’s Blonde.  I had wanted more beers to try, but Pyramid’s Curve Ball isn’t anything I’m too fond of and I couldn’t get my hands on a growler of Iron Springs Kölsch.  The idea behind the order was to establish an example of the German style with the Reissdorf, compare it to something familiar, the Alaskan, then finish with something new.

The Reissdorf poured a very light straw yellow.  The aroma was very subtle and slightly hoppy.  Everything about this beer was subtle.  The flavor isn’t intense, but complex.  The malt, yeast and hops are nicely balanced to create a refreshing, warm weather brew that can serve as a session beer without being boring.  We had some cheese and fruit scattered across the table to go with the beers and the mellow flavors of the jack and apricots matched perfectly with this beer.  The peaches and mangoes, as well as a sharp cheddar, were a bit overpowering, as this beer is like a whisper, whereas those flavors are closer to shouts.

Next we moved on to the Alaskan Summer Ale.  Where the Reisdorff was so subtle, the Alaskan falls short.  Very similar to the Reissdorf, with a little spice, the Alaskan is just more of a beer; more malt, more hops, more alcohol, more everything.  While this doesn’t make the Alaskan a bad beer, I actually like it quite a bit, it’s not the beer that the Reissdorf is.

This isn’t surprising, really, that the American example is more bold in all ways as opposed to the subtle classic style.  Consider our IPA, imperial stouts, pale ales, just about every style we adopt on this side of the Atlantic has that American attitude of bigger is better.

We finished the Kolsch tasting with Drake’s Blonde.  I had high hopes for this one, as Drake’s is usually knows for well crafted beer.  Unfortunately, this one was far too carbonated.  The subtle flavors of the Kölsch were overpowered by the flavor of carbon dioxide.  I couldn’t escape the sense that I was drinking club soda.

In the end, it was an interesting sampling of beers.  The Kolsch style is one that you don’t see often and is generally found only in the city of Cologne, making it truly a German beer drinking experience, if not exactly a Bohemian Oktoberfest one.  As hops prices rise, brewers will look to less hoppy styles to expand their lineups, and I hope quality Kölsch steps into that void.  The true question is if these brewers can accomplish the task of pulling off the subtle nuance of the Kölsch or develop yet another American style adapted from the classic.

Thanks to Samboun for taking the pictures.  You can click on each image to get a full size picture and more fully appreciate them.