Brasserie de la Mule is a new Belgian brewery that commenced operations in April 2021. Located in the Schaerbeek region of Brussels, they brew predominantly German style beers. The first of those beers is the Mule Kölsch.
Kölsch as a style originated in the German city of Cologne, and the term was first used officially in 1918 though the history is much longer than that. In the 17th Century, bottom-fermented beers were being made in Cologne, and began threatening the popularity of the top-fermented beers made by the established brewers. To appease them, the town council basically outlawed the making of bottom-fermented beers.
Roll forward a few decades, and brewers had developed a process whereby they fermented the beer with a bottom-fermenting yeast but finished by aging in the cold cellars just as the bottom-fermented beers were. This hybridized style gave rise to the beer style we now know as Kölsch (a word that is protected since 1997 for breweries within 50kms of Cologne).
What’s the Mule Kölsch-style (note the protection) like then? Pretty true to form it appears a pale straw colour and very clear. The aroma is grassy and floral. The taste is crisp and dry, with an herbal minerality. Just the slightest sweetness from the malt and a reasonably dry, bitter finish. Enjoyable in its simplicity.
