Chuckanut Kolsch

In the city of Köln, Germany (pronounced Cologne) they drink and brew Kolsch Beer and the brewers’ guild has protected it since 1254. Kolsch is a top-fermented ale, a throwback to the days before lagers took over the Germanic world. Cologne, far closer to Brussels than to Munich, has always had close links to the Low Countries, and these links extended to the local beer culture. The Kolsch Beer maintains a bitterness that is quite restrained, although the palate is light-bodied and bone-dry, with a soft malt flavor in the center giving way to a drying, slightly acidic finish. Smoothness is conferred by one to two months of cold conditioning.