Cölner Hofbräu Früh - Früh Kölsch

Kölsch is a classic German beer style that originated in Cologne (Köln), in western Germany, and it’s the defining beer style of the city. It’s a bit of a hybrid as it’s made with top-fermenting ale yeast, but then cold conditioned like lager. Früh’s Kölsch is among the most popular in the city, and is still produced according to Peter Josef Früh’s original recipe. On the pour, we’re presented with a bright pale golden hue with perfect clarity and a robust head of white foam. As we lean in, delicate noble hops deliver earthy, spicy, floral, and grassy-herbal notes just as we expect for the style. There’s a super crisp impression on the palate where those German noble hops play the lead role, as in the aroma. Look for a spicy character which combines with mild to moderate hop bitterness to deliver a refreshing dryness that’s augmented by the lifting, effervescent carbonation. The malts offer a dash of supportive crackery character without getting in the way. This is an excellent brew for warm weather, and is quite food-friendly. For pairing options, we’re thinking sautéed shrimp, fresh fish seasoned with lemon, smoked salmon, grilled chicken, or grilled bratwurst. Prost!

The Früh brewery began when Peter Josef Früh – who had previously retired from brewing after selling his first brewery a few years earlier – founded a new brewery in Köln (Cologne) in 1904. The brewery’s specialty was, as it is today, kölsch – the emblematic style of top-fermenting beer for which the city of Cologne is world-renowned. When Früh died in 1915, his widow Gertrud took over the business, with daughters Netty and Christel joing a few years later. This period was very difficult, with WWI giving way to the notorious inflation of the Weimar period, followed by the Great Depression, followed by WWII – which saw Cologne almost completely razed. Many of the brewery’s facilities were heavily damaged, but somehow the key brewing facility and its equipment survived. As the post-war rebuilding phase began, the Früh brewery found itself brewing not only its own Kölsch, but also those of local breweries which had been destroyed.

Hermann Müller, Sr. and Eduard Rolff became managing partners in 1961, representing the 3rd and 4th generations of the family to take the helm, and Hermann R. Müller took over from his father ten years later. The current brewery was built in 1987 and has seen continuous expansion and state-of-the-art modernization since that time. The brewery currently employs over 500 people, and is still a family affair, run by Alexander Rolff and Philipp Müller, who joined the team in 1999 and 2007, respectively. Früh operates multiple traditional taverns and pubs in Cologne, and Kölsch remains their flagship product, joined by an alcohol-free version, a lemon radler, and an interesting blend of alcohol free kölsch and lemonade. For more info on the brewery and their various Cologne locations, visit them at www.frueh-gastronomie.com.