In the 17th Century, the town of Cologne in Germany had a problem. Its young brewers were being caught up in the latest brewing hype train— bottom-fermented lagers. In a tale as old as craft beer, the old-school brewers tried their best to thwart the rise of these Renaissance Crispy Boys, getting the local town council involved to ban bottom-fermented beers outright. 🚫🍺
Cologne issued three separate decrees over the century— in 1603, 1676, and 1698– but nothing could stop the trend and brewers began to work around the laws by brewing their beers with top-fermenting yeasts, but lagering them at cooler temperatures. This ultimately gave rise to the style we now know as Kölsch.📚
It wasn’t until the 20th Century, however, that Kölsch really took off and 24 breweries from Cologne teamed up to create the Kölsch Konvention which set out the processes to be used and ultimately led to the protection of the Kölsch name within the EU. Only 2 of these breweries still currently brew according to the convention, while other brands are contract-brewed in the city to retain their designation. 🇪🇺 🍻
Zero Gravity Kölsch: Beer Review
Outside of Europe, however, breweries are free to take inspiration from Cologne’s brewers and brew their versions of the Kölsch. One such example is this brew from Zero Gravity Beer in Burlington, Vermont. It is a great rendition of the style with plenty of lemon rind, crisp grains, and fresh bread on the nose, accompanied by pleasant floral accents and some mineral undertones. It’s exceptionally clean on the sip, drinking a little bready and nutty with a welcome dash of citrus. Delightfully delicate and crisp, you can see why those 17th-century crispy boys were so keen to brew something like this! 👌🏻
Originally from England, Mike Davis came to Quebec ten years ago to study history. During this time he fell in love with the microbreweries of Quebec, which reminded him of English pubs. Now, he holds a Ph.D in History from McGill University but works in the beer world as the Brand Ambassador for Microbrasserie 4 Origines.
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