It is made very much like a pilsner, except that it is fermented at warm temperatures with ale yeast. It is then lagered like a pilsner. It tastes very much like a pils, except for the subdued fruitiness of the ale yeast, the tang of the wheat (in some), and the lack of lager-like sulfur aromas.
So where can you taste a Kolsch? There are no Kolsches being imported into the United States. So you could fly to Cologne. A better idea is to come to Ballast Point Brewing Company and try our Yellowtail Pale Ale Kolsch. We make it with 5% Wheat, finish hop it with Liberty and Tettnanger hops, and ferment it with a yeast we borrowed from a brewery in Cologne. So come on in and enjoy a taste of the Rhineland!!
