Gaffel Kolsch

Review Date 9/30/2008 Last Updated 11/02/2021  By John Staradumsky

           

If you ever visit Köln (Cologne), Germany, make sure you have a beer. And don’t just have any beer, have a Kölsch Bier, the local specialty. Look, if you go to Paris, you’d be a fool to eat at McDonalds, right? The same holds true for beer, and local beer can be as amazing and idiosyncratic as local cuisine; indeed, local beer is local cuisine.

Kölsch, real Kölsch, is by German law only brewed in Cologne, so if you miss it while you’re there, you could be in trouble. It’s served in a very interesting way, as well; in tall, cylindrical glasses that hold .2l to .3l. But the really neat thing is that you don’t have to ask for another, because the waiters will keep bringing them to you until you tell them to stop. What’s better than that?

If you can’t get to Germany, bottled Kölsch can occasionally be seen in the USA. Gaffel Kölsch  is one of the brands you may find, and if you do, buy it if it appears it hasn’t been hanging around too long. Kölsch is a delicate beer style, and won’t stand up well to sitting un-refrigerated fro long periods on store shelves.

Kölsch is a hybrid style, fermented with ale yeast but cold conditioned like a lager. The use of ale yeast adds fruit esters to the beer, something the normally fastidious Germans generally eschew. Lest you get too excited however, remember that the cold lagering (aging) subdues the fruity notes to a mere hint.

Gaffel Kölsch pours to a light golden color with a vigorous spritzy head formation and a soft, slightly fruity nose. A sip reveals a very crisp and delicate body full of biscuity malt flavor and a hint of fruit (apple perhaps). In the very dry finish, a respectable grassy hop bitterness balances nicely and lingers softly on the tongue for a bit after sipping.

Kölsch is not an exceedingly complex style, and Gaffel’s version is no exception. A lot of American beer geeks aren’t all that impressed with the style, which is really a lot like a softly fruity pilsner. But I love the delicate balance of Gaffel Kölsch, and think it a true badge of honor of the brewer’s art. Well worth the $9.99 a six-pack I paid.

Update March 20th 2016: Today my kids brought me to Atlanta's Der Biergarten German restaurant where I enjoyed a crisp, bready malty Gaffel Kolsch vom fass (on tap). With just a hint of fruit and a tangy hop finish this is everything a Kolsch should be, well worth the $7 asking price for a half liter mug. Perfect accompaniment to my schweinhaxe with sauerkraut and spatzels, too!

Update November 2nd 2021: End October 2021 found me in Helen, Georgia for their annual Oktoberfest celebration. We had missed the prior year due to Covid, so were very excited about being back. Rest assured our day here was full of delicious German food and beer, folk music, and shopping. Day two is always a bit sad, knowing we have to go home, but a stop by the Alpine Brew Package Sstore and Bottle Haus always yields some tasty German beer to take home. This year, I spied cases of gleaming bottles of Gaffel Kolsch and snapped up a six-pack at $12.99. I'll say that this is the freshest Gaffel I think I've ever tried, and it was wonderful. So much so, in fact, I have bumped this up from 4 1/2 to a full 5 stars. It is that good. My bottle labels are marked best before 05.12.2022, which is either May 12th or December 5th of next year, depending on the formatting (the Europeans usually put the month first and then the day).

My current purchase of Gaffel Kolsch poured pale golden color in color with a very thick fluffy white head and a nose of white grape. Taking a sip, the beer is crisp and soft malty, vinous fruity with more of the white grape/pear notes, and balanced with a gentle bitterness. This is truly excellent, a world-class example of the style and a note to American brewers on what a Kolsch should really be.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??

 

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, Canned

(D)=Draft





 

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