This is a very rare occurrence ladies and gentlemen. For only the second time in the last year, Dan and Neil are writing about beer from the same country. We’ve each spent months overseas sampling the foreign brews, but now we’re both home in Canada. No more ‘Neil’s in Japan with yellow fever’, no more ‘Dan’s in Amsterdam with…green fever’. It’s time to bring back the Canadian content of this column so that we may once again commend (or condemn, slander, insult, etc.) the beers of our people. Today we’ll be discussing a brew from the outskirts of Ottawa that, thanks to some more economical packaging, recently became much more affordable at the LCBO. Despite a brief mention in Dan’s Ottawa edition from the Fall 2009 term, Beau’s Brewery and its flagship beer Lug-Tread now get a full analysis and critique from your favourite pretentious a**holes. Plus we get to talk about one of the few styles not yet included in our 1.3 year history, the Kölsch.
Neil: An enigma not seen often in North America, the history of Kölsch is not well documented. The first mention in brewing literature is in the Obergarige Biere undihre Herstellung, 1938. This text makes mention of a certain Obergarige Lagerbier, translating directly to top-fermented lager beer. These undergo a primary fermentation with a top-fermenting ale yeast, and then are crashed to low temperatures for a period of aging, or in other words, lagered. The resulting brews may have some of the lighter notes (esters/phenols) of an ale, with the crisp clean finish of a lager. In my mind, this could pretty much be the perfect style of beer for Beirut or flip cup.
The first brewing was probably around 1900 in the city of Cologne (Köln) Germany. However, it’s interesting to note that most German beers at the time were in fact, lagers. So why did they switch it up? Looking further back in history, the people of Cologne had a strong resistance to change. During the 14th century, hops were essentially the dominant bittering agent in beer. But, the brewers in Cologne continued using gruit (mixture of spices and herbs) for a significant period. A little later, lagers were eventually introduced in the underground beer scene, and subsequently resisted throughout the 1600’s by beer purists. Eventually lagers won the people over, but upon comparison with other regions, the people of Cologne were stubborn SOB’s! These factors probably indicate why the Kölsch style emerged when and where it did, as the people clung to ale brewing despite the domination of lager beers in the market.
New! Quick brewing tips: Use mainly two-row, pilsner and wheat malts. Target a slight noble hop aroma with low overall bitterness. Pale to burnt straw in colour. Moderate alcohol level with dry finish (high attenuation; little remaining sugars).
Dan: This 5.2% Kölsch comes to us from Beau’s Brewery in Vankleek Hill, a tiny town just inside Ontario, half way between Ottawa and Montreal. Since its inception on Canada Day in 2006, the family-run brewery has been committed to making high quality, unique organic beers. While the Lug Tread may not seem all that unique at first, it should be noted that the Kölsch is a fairly obscure style outside of Germany. Regardless, the brewery has won many awards, for both its beers and its business practices. While I very much enjoy each of their brews, it frustrates me that the Lug-Tread is the only beer produced year-round. Each of their seasonal offerings (an IPA, altbier, oktoberfest, and ancient herbed ale) are great and would be much appreciated in a regular line-up. One thing I held against the brewery until recently was their lack of stronger beers, but they responded with their ‘Wild Oat Series’, whose first two one-off brews were an 8% stout that used Belgian yeast and an 8% double IPA. Another compliment I must pay the brewery is for the haste with which they deliver their beer to the LCBO (I’ve seen Lug Tread in uptown Waterloo LCBO that was only four days old). The stuff’s almost as fresh as Neil on his last ‘solo at Caesar’s’ night.
Neil: First off, props to Beau’s for developing a sound flagship beer. For years, Canadian beer aficionados have been split choosing between the complexities of ale versus the crisp drinkability of a lager. No more! If I were to drink any (pale) lagered beer style, Lug Tread would be one of my first choices. Pouring into my pretentious beer glass, the slight burnt straw hue indicates the use of some toasty malts A bubbly white head springs up, but doesn’t hang out for too long… Oh well, no one likes it anyways (kidding)! Moving on, the nose is a little zesty, owing to either a last minute peel addition, or an effective yeast for this style (I’m banking on the latter). The first sip is strongly dominated by lager characteristics; crisp, clean, with a perfect level of carbonation. However, it doesn’t take much to catch tangible hints of fruity ester remaining from the ale yeast. Overall, well-balanced and well suited to summer; I dedicate this brew for all the exam goers in the ‘loo this term (even though you won’t be able to drink it, sucka!). [3.5/5]
Dan: On my recent European voyage, I happened to be stuck in Cologne, Germany for a few hours due to a missed train connection. Normally I’d spend the time sending hate mail to Neil, but fortunately, Cologne (Köln, in German), happens to be the birthplace and current residence of the Kölsch style. So naturally I went to the first bar I could find outside the train station and started pounding back Gaffel Kölsch out of its tiny 200mL glasses. The servers keep bringing more to your table until you indicate ‘no more’ by placing your coaster on top of your glass. It’s a fairly ingenious system. Sadly this practice is not common in North America, but I happened to receive some Kölsch glasses for Christmas last year, meaning I can enjoy my Lug Tread in its proper state. This clear, golden ale could easily be mistaken for a typical bland lager but the aroma definitely tells otherwise, showing off fresh grainy biscuit mixed with lemon zest and spice. The biscuit flavour dominates the taste at first but quickly leads into a delicious fruity apple-like sweetness with just enough herbal/spicy hops to balance things out. It isn’t intensely flavourful or overly complex, but it’s everything I would want from this rare style. Delicious, crisp, and refreshing; this beer pretty much demands a BBQ and pool party be started in the immediate future. [4/5]
Recommended for consumption if you like: Pilsner Urquell, Warsteiner, Bitburger, Grolsch
Props to hops // Dan and Neil
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