The kölsch is neither an ale nor a lager. It’s fermented with ale yeast and finished in cold temperatures like a lager. The result: it’s clean, light and crisp.
Hinterland’s newest beer, Kozmic Kölsch, is a fine example of the style and a worthy lighter summer beer.
What is it? Kozmic Kӧlsch by Hinterland Brewery of Green Bay.
Style: The kölsch is light- to medium-bodied, often with dryness and overall light hop character. Kölsch is associated with a beer from Köln; in Germany it’s brewed to strict standards, with 10 to 20 percent wheat. The cold fermentation and aging can add faint hints of pear, apple or white wine. The kölsch usually ends up at 4.8 to 5.3 percent ABV.
Background: Every year Green Bay’s Hinterland Brewery releases a special beer to mark its anniversary. Those milestone beers have often been big, bold — witness last year’s bourbon barrel framboise.
This year, to commemorate its 24th year in business, brewery owner Bill Tressler and head brewer Joe Karls decided to craft a German kölsch. “We wanted a light summer beer with flavor, depth and body,” says Karls. Kozmic Kölsch features Munich and Vienna malts, along with two-row base malt. It’s lightly hopped with German Hallertau hops that give it a mild spicy crispness at 25 IBUs. It’s fermented with a traditional German strain of yeast, and finishes at 5 percent ABV.
Kozmic Kölsch is sold in six-packs of 12-ounce cans for around $9. It’s a limited release that just started appearing in Madison stores. Karls says it could come back as a seasonal or even as a regular beer.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Lightly fruity and malty.
- Appearance: Clear, golden-copper body. A thick, long-lasting, frothy, tan head.
- Texture: Light- to medium-bodied. Bubbly and crisp.
- Taste: A fruity, crisp beginning with light notes of apple and pear. Light, yet clean, bready flavors come in the background.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Clean, crisp, light hoppy spiciness.
Glassware: The kölsch is customarily served in the German stick or stange (a tall, clear cylinder of about 6-7 ounces, with no taper).
Pairs well with: cool summer fare of salads and sandwiches. Beware, the kölsch has clean flavor and balance that can easily be overwhelmed.
The Verdict: Kozmic Kölsch is a nice example of the German kölsch style. There’s a light fruity crispness in the beginning that hangs nicely from a clean, bready background sweetness of the Munich and Vienna malts. With its golden copper color, it’s a little darker and with a touch more body than I was expecting, enough that some kölsch purists might object. However, the flavors of the malts are held in balance with the hops, keeping things light and crisp as a kölsch should be. It’s easy drinking and refreshing, and a great summer beer.
