Those that drink with me know that I have a very hard time ignoring a Kolsch when I see one. Even when stacked up against tough tap competition at bars like Lorely, Bierkraft and Croxley Ales, I have never turned down the opportunity to drink one. For me, the draw is, admittedly, mostly nostalgia. I have been to Koln on two separate trips to visit my good buddy Thorbs - and that's pretty much all they drink there.
The Kolsch-drinking experience in Koln is quite unique. In the traditional bier-haus, bartenders roam the hall with carousels of freshly-poured .2L glasses (see above). Customer grab the beers and can toss coins into the leather pouches that sit on the barkeep's hip (or more commonly, leave the cash on the table or pay on the way out). Those little glasses make sure that the beer never gets cold and never goes flat. It also helps the drinker lose count of how many he/she has put down...
But my penchant for Kolsch isn't driven by fond memories alone. I love the taste. It's so... German! The golden color, crisp bubbles and slight bite of bitterness make it delicious with salty snacks or just by itself. And apparently, it's catching on. In the past week I've seen Kolsch featured in New York Magazine, The New York Times, a rooftop birthday party where someone brought a mini-keg, and Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint where they seem to be obsessed with Gaffel Kolsch. Thorbs was in town last week and got an American-Made Captain Lawrence Kolsch at Alchemy in Park Slope.
So it seems Kolsch is catching on! I say it's a darn good thing, because I'd like to see more of it. More demand means more importing and hopefully more domestic craft production. And to that I say, "Prost!"
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