Hollywood has the Oscars. Music has the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The computer industry has the Consumer Electronics Show. Even those saucy late-night pay-per-view channels have the Stiffy Awards. It seems that every industry or trade group out there has a way of recognizing their own best and brightest.
As you might imagine, the Canadian beer industry is no exception, and the 13th annual Canadian Brewery Awards has just taken place in Ontario, much to the giddy delight of beer nerds across our fair country, who had been waiting with bated breath to find out just what was pouring from the best golden taps in the beer parlours from east to west.
This year, the winner of the CBA Beer of the Year was none other than the Scona Gold Kölsch from Edmonton’s Alley Kat Brewing, which brought tears of pride and joy to the eyes of Albertan beer geeks from all corners of our fair province.
For those not familiar with Alley Kat Brewing, it threw open its doors back in 1994, and are now celebrating their 21st anniversary, which makes them the 4th oldest craft brewer in Alberta.
Those who have been boozing in Alberta for a long time may recognize Alley Kat as the wellspring of the popular Aprikat, a German-styled wheat beer flavoured with apricots, which sells steadily year-round, but absolutely flies off the shelves in the dog days of summer.
Similar to other craft brewers in our fair province, Alley Kat exclusively produces unpasteurized beers, for that authentic and full-bodied flavour, but this does mean the beer doesn’t travel well over long distances. Fortunately, all their beer is produced just a few hours north on the QE2, so Alley Kat is still nice and fresh when it arrives here in southern Alberta.
This year’s winner of the Canadian Brewery Awards is a relatively new brew for Alley Kat, with the Scona Gold Kölsch replacing a similar brew called Charlie Flint Lager a few years back.
The Kölsch beer style comes from the German city of Cologne (Köln if you sprechen sie deutsch), and is notable for being fermented at warm temperatures using a top-fermenting Ale yeast, but then conditioned at cold temperatures like a Lager.
The Kölsch beer style is a relative youngster in the world of beers, being just over a century old. Invented in Cologne in 1906, it is traditionally served in narrow 200mL glasses, because it tends to go flat more quickly than other styles.
The small glasses keep the waiters run off their feet in the crowded beer halls of Germany, constantly delivering fresh new suds to the thirsty patrons, taking nearly three refills before equaling a traditional pint glass.
Your intrepid liquor reporter recalls one glorious summer when I boozed my way across several cities in Germany, and the waiters in the Kölsch bars would keep dropping off full glasses as soon as the old ones were emptied, only hesitating when I placed my coaster on top of the last empty glass to signal for a pause.
Since Kölsch is a hybrid beer, made with Ale yeast but conditioned like a Lager, it lets the characteristics of both shine through.
Similar to a Lager, Kölsch is crisp, clean, and easy-drinking. Its Ale characteristics shine through in the more structured malt backbone, and a more pronounced hop bite than found in typical Lagers. A slightly fruity character often comes off the yeast, making it an easy-drinking summer beer.
Since the beer nerds of the world usually lean toward the darker and more flavourful styles, it is a testament to the quality of the Scona Gold Kölsch, as it is very rare that lighter beers win the Canadian Beer of the Year award.
If you are a macrobrew drinker who fears the wild and crazy beers often touted on this very page, fear not, as the Kölsch beer style is very accessible to conventional boozers.
With its relatively mild taste, Kölsch pairs well with German snacks, so don’t be afraid to enjoy it with some sausage, dumplings, or cheeses.
The Sobey’s Liquor in Chestermere has plenty of the Alley Kat Scona Gold Kölsch on the shelves, but it is flying out the door as news of Canada’s best beer hits the streets, so pick up a six-pack while you still can!
