EVENT:  SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER – KӦLSCH SERVICE AT GOOD WORD BREWING

On Sunday 22nd September, back again for the 6th time at GWB, we’ll be hosting a Kölsch service. To whet your appetite, we’ve looked back into the history of the Kolsch and the traditions of a Kölsch service.

Kölsch is a beer steeped in tradition, both in the way that it is brewed and the way it is served. Originating from Koln, Germany (Cologne to us!) the beer was a product of brewers clinging to tradition. For centuries, the area of Koln only produced ales, beers with fruity ester-like characters from yeast, and beers that we’re not lagered. As lagered beers grew in popularity, and Koln’s traditions were threatened, local officials responded and made the brewers swear an oath to keep brewing the beer to their tradition. However, by the mid-18th century, crystal clear, golden lager beers had gained such popularity that Koln’s brewers adapted by taking the beers they’d traditionally brewed, and aged their beers in cold cellars, known as lagering. Thus the Kölsch was born, although it wasn’t called that until much later. A hybridized version of tradition and the popular lagers that we’re sweeping the world, a beer that was full of flavor, like an ale, and light, crisp, and clear, like a lager.

The term Kolsch wasn’t used until the early 20th century, however. By then, the beer had developed into what it is today, refined and popularized by the Sunner Brewery. In 1986, 24 breweries in Koln agreed upon the Kölsch Konvention which defined how the beer was brewed and who was able to use the term Kölsch, and in 1997 the beer became a PGI (protected geographical indication) which, in short, means that it’s only a Kölsch if it’s brewed in Koln, otherwise it’s a Kölsch style beer. This is the same protection that governs regional products such as Champagne.

Here at Good Word Brewing, we LOVE KӦLSCH and everything about it. That’s why we love a Kolsch service. But what is a Kölsch Service we hear you ask? Well, as well as the strict traditions and rules that define what a Kölsch beer is and how and where it can be brewed, there’s also a bit of tradition in how they serve it in Koln. Let’s start off with the glass. Kölsch beer is served in a glass called a Stange, a tall cylindrical glass of 0.2l, or 6.6oz. It’s a pretty small glass, a touch bigger than the glasses we use for our flight boards, but the beauty of this is by the time you’ve got to the bottom of it, it’s still fresh and cold. The next part of Kölsch’s service is the ‘Kranz’, or ‘crown’. It’s a wooden carrier that looks like a crown and has enough space for 20 full Stange’s of Kölsch. Servers wander the beer halls and, as soon as they see an empty glass, they swiftly replace it with a fresh, full one. It’s instant and automatic, and you’ve another fresh, cold beer before you know it! When you start with your first Kölsch, you’re also given a ‘Deckel’, usually a coaster. For every glass of Kölsch you’re given, the server will mark a tally on your Deckel, or ‘lid’, to keep track of how many you’ve been drinking. As soon as you’ve had enough, to stop your server from bringing you more, you’ll put your Deckel on top of the Stange to indicate that you’re done. The server will add up your tally and then you pay up, thirst quenched. The whole process is seamless, with a constant delivery of delicious beer to share amongst friends and family with good food, and it is a real sight to be seen. So much so that we wanted to, and still love, replicating the experience!

On Sunday 22nd of September we’ll be serving our interpretation on the style, “At The Altar”, a 4.7% Kölsch-Style Ale. A completely new recipe from our other Kölsch beers, Head Brewer and Owner Todd had been tweaking the original and decided to start from scratch. “For the grist I chose Weyermann Extra Pale Pilsner Malt, a touch of Carafoam, and about 6% wheat malt to soften it up and also assist with foam quality” Todd explains. “I employed a step mash and single decoction where we removed a 1/3rd of the mash and boiled it for 25min. German tradition hops balanced out the malt. We also tried a new to us Kölsch yeast strain!” This beer was fermented on the cooler side for this style of beer at 53F, and it was kept cold for just a few weeks so it could be consumed fresh, ready for the service!

As well as the Kölsch service, we’ll be featuring a German-inspired menu in place of our normal brunch menu. Think beer cheese and pretzels, bratwurst and sauerkraut, classic German fayre. All perfect accompaniments to Kölsch, and delicious in their own right. We looked forward to seeing y’all down here and celebrating with us. Prost.