As noted in the sign up post, I decided to highlight beers I have liked. I know this sounds very surface but a lot of my personal life/hobbies revolve around it. We are homebrewers and I have – as of today – 4,570 unique check-ins on the app, Untappd. I keep track of all beers and rate them there. So, without further ado – G!

I’ve had a taste for kolsch for a couple years now and while it used to be a style I didn’t avoid but definitely did not have often, I was doing myself a disservice! I first had Gaffel in 2023 in a can and had no idea its origins – in Cologne, Germany. Technically, it cannot be called a kolsch UNLESS it is brewed in Koln. It needs to be called a Kolsch style instesad. On our Germany vacation, we made it a point to visit Koln because we both love this style.

Where we stayed was right in the heart of most of the Kolsch breweries and they all have open air seating and you go and eat and drink glass after glass until done. The cool part about this style is that they are serve in 2 ounce glasses and when the waiter brings one, he makes a little mark on your coaster. When you’re done, you put the coaster on top of your glass and they’ll tab you out.

I can assure you this beer tastes way better from the source than in the can you get here in America! In fact, Gaffel was the first one I had upon arrival. Going to Koln was so cool; we tried about 5 different brands and definitely got our fill. There are American breweries and taprooms that have a kolsch service but it isn’t common. Our local brewery, Deep, is gearing up to have one and I cannot wait!