Springdale Director Joe Connolly at left; Jack Hendler at right.
Fun fact: Springdale is the only brewery in Massachusetts to win a GABF Medal for a Kölsch -style beer! So, what exactly is a Kölsch, and why did we brew one?
The Kölsch beer style is named after the city of Cologne, Germany, where this style of beer originates. Brewed with a top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures typically associated with ales, this beer is then crash-cooled and conditioned like a lager. So, it’s a lager. Or, an ale. Well, it’s sort of both. Kölsch is a great example of a fermentation-focused style that draws from the German tradition that inspires our Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, while distinctly not conforming to the definition of a lager. Kölsch Money is a lower ABV, crisp, balanced, softly hoppy, highly drinkable beer that we absolutely love.
Earlier this year we thought about what style of beer we could add to our seasonal lineup. We knew we wanted something unique, and not another IPA. Our enthusiastic staff pitched ideas, but we had a hard time deciding. In June we rolled out the Battle of the Brewers mixed 4-pack and asked our fans to weigh in. The mix-pack included Biere Amer, Novella, Das Weizen, and Kölsch Money. Ultimately we ended up adding Kölsch Money AND Das Weizen to the lineup, but the Kölsch ended up raking in the awards.
Kölsch Money took the bronze medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival for German-style Kölsch (our first-ever GABF medal!), and Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine’s Best in Beer 2020 award recognized Kölsch Money as an “editor’s pick for best 20 beers in 2020.” To say we’re thrilled is an understatement.
Kölsch Money and Das Weizen will both return to the seasonal rotation in 2021, with Kölsch Money emerging in February as our spring seasonal brew.
