よみがえる鷲 (Return to Köln)

Admittedly, Kolsch is not the first style of beer that is associated with us here at Kyoto Brewing Co. The majority of our beers focus on using Belgian yeast with American and other new age hops to create modern hybrids of traditional styles. At the same time, our love of American IPAs and other beers that define the craft beer movement means that we make quite a few straight up American brews as well. But a traditional German ale? Where did that come from!? Well, it sprang from two sources of inspiration. The first is an extension on the hybrid brewing tendencies that already define our beers. The second is our recent push to have a more balanced beer lineup. We are quite happy with the beers of this category that we have released this year like New Frontier (Lager), New Day (American Blonde Ale), and Stay Gold (Belgian Blonde), and a Kolsch was sounding quite tasty with summer just around the corner. All of this got us thinking. What would an old-world German brewmaster do if he knew about more modern brewing techniques or had access to ingredients that had been bred specifically for the modern brewing industry? We are fairly certain that, as any good brewer, he would try new things to either improve his beer or see if he could make it more unique to his brewery. Thus, we decided to brew what is a modern take on the classic Kolsch. The malts are 100% German, as is the yeast, and the usage of both is completely in line with the style, ensuring this beer is firmly rooted in tradition. We reinterpreted the style though in both the selection of hops and their usage. The varieties used are also 100% German, although not ones that a brewmaster from 19th century Cologne would be familiar with. Polaris was selected for its high oil content (and therefore high aroma contribution potential), while Mandarina Bavaria and Hallertau Blanc were chosen for their more modern aromas of tangerine and grape-like citrus. These were all used late in the whirlpool as well as in dry hopping to encourage biotransformation of their flavors and aromas, a technique more at home with modern Hazy IPAs. We couldn’t be happier with the results. It is definitely hoppier than your average Kolsch, but it has a delicate citrus and stone fruit aroma with a hint of refreshing mint that perfectly compliments this easy drinking style. So cheers to a modern take on an old world classic!

Naming: Once in a while it is good to go back and revisit traditional styles with a new set of eyes. The Kölsch of Cologne (Köln in German), with its deep unbroken brewing heritage, is an authentic classic. While this beer uses a traditional German yeast, traditional German malt and 100% German hops, the hop character is far from orthodox. The result is a return to a historical style with a fresh interpretation.