As it so happened, a friend gave me a bottle of Coast Brewing 32/50 Kolsch Style Ale not so long ago. This was a treat because this small South Carolina brewer does not yet distribute its beers in Georgia. Not so long later, I bought a bottle of Zunft Kolsch from Germany shortly thereafter. I therefore thought it would be interesting to compare notes on the two and see how they stack up.
Kolsch, of course, is a unique style of beer from Koln, Germany (aka Cologne). It’s a soft fruity ale traditionally served in small, 33 cl cylindrical glasses. If you order it up in a bar in Koln, the waiters will keep refilling your glass until you tell them to stop. Now that’s service. The name “Kolsch” is an appellation controlee, meaning you can’t really call your beer a Kolsch unless it is brewed in Koln. This is why my bottle of Zunft says Kolsch, while my bottle of 32/50 says “Kolsch Style Ale”.
Zunft Kolsch pours to a pale golden color with a light head of foam and a slightly fruity, herbal Noble hoppy nose. Tasking a sip, the beer seems immediately a natural for warmer weather. The crisp, biscuit malt comes straight to the fore followed by hints of apple and pear fruit that the nose promised. Then there are some grassy, herbal and slightly bitter German hops to round things off nicely.
I definitely like this beer, a wonderful quaffing brew with a lot of flavor, soft malt, and gentle fruitiness. Easy drinking and delightful, I could certainly live with my glass being continuously filled. The label has the brewery slogan “der zunftige Schluck!” proudly displayed, which literally means the guild swallow, likely a reference to being one of the original authentic Kolsch brewers.
How does it stack up to the Coast Brewing 32/50 Kolsch Style Ale? In fact, the two are quite similar, from the crisp, biscuit maltiness to the grassy hop finish. They even have the same alcohol content by volume at 4.8%. The Zunft is definitely fruitier, while the Coast brewing beer has a drier hop bitterness.
You couldn’t go wrong with either one all the same, though I would give the nod in my estimation to the Zunft.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft