Kölsch – Beer from Köln

Kölsch is the beer from Köln (Cologne) in Germany and there are around 26 Kölsch variations. If you are ever going to Köln you won't be able to avoid Kölsch as it's everywhere and a very big part of the local culture. It's also hard and in some places frowned upon, to order a different beer in a pub. The VegHog used to live in Köln, so it has had the opportunity to taste this beer plenty, and now it has returned for a visit to its one time home. 

 

Kölsch is a hoppy pale beer mostly served in 0,2 liter glasses. Even though it's a small glass, the beer lasts surprisingly long. Sometimes in various party scenarios you might be challenged to empty your glass at one go, but normally you would enjoy it slowly. All German beers are brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, also known as the German Beer Purity Law, which means that any German beer can only contain three ingredients, nothing more: water, barley and hops.

I probably like Früh and Gaffel the most, but any Kölsch is pretty good.

 

The local Kölsch waiters are called the Köbes and if you're not used to their communication style, they might strike you as rude. They might offer you some banter and jokes and speak in a strong local dialect.

Vegetarians have to be careful here as vegetarian food is not very popular in the traditional Brauhäuser and you might want to make other eating plans. The Germans like to add Speck into many dishes.

I can only recommend a visit to Köln, it's a lovely little ”village” as the locals call their city.