×
AD BLOCKER DETECTED:

We provide beer recipes and other content to you for free. Instead of charging you, we charge our advertisers. Without ads, we will not survive. Beerrecipes.org has been supporting homebrewers since 2002 with quality beer recipes, style guides and other content. Please help us continue by switching off your ad blocker. Learn more...

For the best experience, Login or Register for more features.  Favorites, write reviews, get notifications of new recipes, and more.

AHA Guideline

Back to Styles List   Previous Style  Next Style 

German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch

German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölschs are straw to gold. Chill haze should be absent. Good, dense head retention is desirable. Fruity-ester aroma should be minimally perceived, if at all. Light pear-apple-Riesling wine-like fruitiness may be apparent, but is not necessary for this style. Hop aroma is low and if evident should express noble hop character. Malt character is a very low to low with soft sweetness. Caramel character should not be evident. Hop flavor is low and if evident should express noble hop character. Hop bitterness is medium. Fruity-ester flavors should be minimally perceived, if at all. Light pear-apple-Riesling wine-like fruitiness may be apparent, but is not necessary for this style. Wheat can be used in brewing this beer. Kölsch is fermented at warmer temperatures compared to typical lager temperatures but at lower temperatures than most English and Belgian ales, then aged at cold temperatures (German ale or alt-style beer). Ale yeast is used for fermentation, though lager yeast is sometimes used in the bottle or final cold conditioning process. Body is light to medium-light; it is slightly dry on the palate, yet crisp.

Vitals

  • Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.042 - 1.048 (10.5 - 11.9)
  • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.006 - 1.010 (1.5 - 2.6)
  • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.80% - 4.20% (4.80% - 5.30%)
  • Bitterness (IBU) (18 - 28)
  • Color SRM (EBC) 3 - 6 (6 - 12)
spacer