Cologne's own pale, top-fermented beer, protected as a geographical indication and poured in the slim 0.2 L Stange, which the Köbes refills unasked until a coaster covers the glass.

Kölsch is protected by the EU as a geographical indication. In March 1986, 24 Cologne-area breweries signed the Kölsch Konvention, and the beer may be brewed only in Cologne, apart from Zunft Kölsch in Wiehl and Bischoff in Brühl, which brewed it before the Konvention. The name Kölsch dates from 1918, for the beer Sünner had brewed since 1906. Cologne's brewers' association counted 1.7 million hectolitres of Kölsch sold in 2024.

Where to eat Kölsch in Cologne

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Make it at home

Serves 20P6WAdvanced

Ingredients

  • 4.5kg German Pilsner malt
  • 300g Munich malt
  • 200g Vienna malt
  • 20g Hallertau Hersbrucker hops at 60 min boil
  • 20g Tettnanger hops at 15 min boil
  • Wyeast 2565 Kölsch yeast or White Labs WLP029
  • 20L brewing water adjusted to soft profile (low calcium, low sulphate)
  • Priming sugar for bottle conditioning (around 4g/L)

Method

  1. Mash the malts at 65C for 60 minutes in 14L of brewing water. Sparge with 76C water to collect roughly 24L of wort.
  2. Boil the wort 60 minutes. Add the Hersbrucker hops at the start of the boil and the Tettnanger at 15 minutes from the end.
  3. Cool the wort rapidly to 16C, transfer to a sanitised fermenter, and pitch the Kölsch yeast.
  4. Ferment at 14 to 16C for 10 to 14 days. This is the Kölsch signature: ale yeast at lager temperatures.
  5. Once primary fermentation is complete (gravity stable for 3 days), cold-condition (lagern) at 1 to 3C for 4 weeks. This is non-negotiable for Kölsch clarity.
  6. Bottle with priming sugar at 4g/L for 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature, then refrigerate.
  7. Serve at 7C in tall 0.2L Stange glasses; pour from a height to build a tight head.

Editor tip. Kölsch brewed outside Cologne is Kölsch-style ale, apart from the two pre-1986 exceptions. The cold lagering step is what gives the clarity.

Common allergens: Gluten.