What's in the Fridge This Week?

Well, not my fridge, mind you, but at least a fridge. There is a lovely little bar in Okemos, Michigan called Dusty's Tap Room. They actually don't have many taps, but they do have loads of different bottled beers for their patrons' delight; 70 at last count.

One of the beers they have is a relatively obscure style of beer (though it is gaining popularity among American microbrewers and homebrew competitions) called Kölsch. The particular brand they have is Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf Kölsch.

The beer itself poured a beautiful pale golden straw color. It was wonderfully clear and bubbly like champaigne. Incredible head retention, initially yielding a full bright white froth, calming after some time to a thin, delicate lace. After each quaff, it left a thicker ring of lacing down the glass like rings on a tree.

This Kölsch has a very clean aroma. There is some pale malt breadiness with what can be described as again an extremely clean apple note. A heavy but soft graininess is the real backbone of the nose, but there is a faint hop presence...almost pine

The taste is, again, clean. That's what I really like about this beer: it is clean and clear. It has a moderate body with a really crisp mouth feel from the relatively high carbonation; the body and mouthfeel make it very refreshing. There is also a pale malt sweetness with a little fresh cut hay and again a bit of pine, probably from the hops. What's really cool is that these are kind of complex flavors for what looks like it should be so simple given its clarity. The Kölsch here is dry with a big grainy overall palate. The crispness and carbonation keeps the mouth clean, and the hop bitterness, while light, is enhances the dryness. It finishes dry and malty with the scant piney note in the background. Crisp and clean.

I could drink this beer all night. OK, so I did drink this beer all night. Drink this beer before an appetizer. Drink it with an appetizer. Drink it with dinner if you want. Make it a session beer. This beer begs to be quaffed.

A couple of notes on Kölsh:

Technically, a beer cannot be called a Kölsch unless it is brewed on Köln (Cologne), and within sight of the cathedral in Köln. Thus, American micros and homebrews are not "Kolsch" per se, but it is certainly judged as a bona-fide BJCP style of beer. The German cops aren't going to come get you. This is an ale rather than a lager (where many people really are familiar with German lagers moreso than anything else).

Click here for a really interesting discussion of Kölsch consumption and culture in Germany found in Wikipedia. I found it enlightening, especially the piece about why Karl Marx quipped that Communism would never work in Köln, based on the popularity of this beer. Did beer stop the spread of communism?

Anyway, besides for this lovely little pub in Okemos, you can find this brand of Kölsch, brewed by one of the few "legal" breweries to brew it, in many specialty beer stores. In a word: clean.

**Update** All of the "o" in Köln and Kölsch have been changed to "ö" per instruction from george in the comments section. Thanks for the html lesson!