Gaffel 1396

Formerly brewed at Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co.
Style: Kölsch
Cologne, Germany

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

(Bottle 33 cl) Very beautiful clear amber colour with a fine, creamy head leaving a nice lacework in my glass. Lightly fruity nose. Incredibly soft body with notes of caramel. The main feature in this beer though are the fantastic fruity esters from the ale yeast. Light bitter finish. Incredibly delicate brew and much more interesting than a normal Kölsch. 040905

Bottle . Koln . Clear gold with average head . Medium carbonation . Clean malty aroma, well rounded nose . Good , well brewed beer , a bit sweeter, maltier but just right balanced . Good suprise from local getranke markt .

Good steady carbonation and saturation to good, very dense just off-white head; typical light pale gold beer, totally clear. Little spicey (pepper, or better: Szechuan pepper) nose and good pale malts. Again the little spicey and sun-ripened grain taste. Ah - this is Kölsch at its best (when bottled of course). Light boded, some slickness from the malt dosage. Kölsch will always be better on draught. But if you (have to) go bottled, you could do much worse than thise. Strange, but these flavours make it even more (good) Pilsener-like. Philippe, if this isn’t Kölsch, I’m a Hottentot.

clear blond color, few foam, earthy, light notes of alcohol and apricot, full-bodied, some sweetness and a touch of bitterness, dry malty finish - not a Kölsch but what is this exactly ?

dark brown-orange colour medium head nice balance full flavor, grain and some hops, less carbonation.

(bottle) Clear copper colour with a medium frothy, slightly off-white head. Hoppy aroma with a blend of malts and caramel. Dry and malty start with a nice fruitiness and a short but tasty soft bitter finish. Looks and tastes like an Altbier-Kölsch hybrid, but it is anyway very interesting. This brew was established at first in 1996 when Cologne celebrated the 600-years-proclamation of the pre-democratic medieval city constitution ("Verbundbrief" of September 14th 1396). This constitution was a manifesto of political balance between the craftsmen guilds, on the one hand, and the tradesmen on the other, organised in “Gaffeln”, and it remained in force until the political reorganisation during the French occupation in 1798. Thanks pivnizub for the sample.

Bottle. I just bought a couple of new glasses, and this one looks amazing in it! It’s dark golden with a medium head, which quickly settles to almost nothing. Aroma is qite powerfull with both malts and hops. Flavor is quite dry, with a fruity palate. A bit thin mouthfeel, but all in all pleasant.

Bottle, from a supermarket in Köln. Deep gold, moderate white head and gentle condition. Low hops and caramel malt aromas, nice balance of caramel and flowery hops in the mouth and a developing but restrained hop bitterness in the finish. Pleasant enough marriage of Alt and Kölsch, but I’m sure the brewer wouldn’t call it that.