Light Hybrid Beers

 

Most beers fit easily into either the ale (top fermenting at relatively warm temperatures) or lager (bottom fermenting at relatively cool temperatures) but there are a handful of beers that combine some features of both ales and lagers. We call those beers hybrids. Hybrid beers are typically divided into two categories, the Light Hybrids and the Amber Hybrids.

 

Light Hybrid beers include four different sub-styles including Cream Ales, Blonde Ales, Kolsch beers and American Wheat & Rye beers.

 

Cream Ales are one of the classic American “lawnmower” beers. They’re relatively clean and refreshing without being too high in alcohol. But like some of their Light Lager cousins, they are usually brewed with adjuncts like corn as fermentables.

 

Cream Ales are brewed with ale yeast, but they were originally brewed by American brewers to compete with mass produced American lagers. They are also often brewed with six row barley which is not typically as high in quality as two row barley. 

 

Blonde Ales are generally brewed as all malt beers and as such, they are often viewed as one of the most basic entry level beers into the craft beer category. Blonde Ales are sometimes brewed with the addition of honey or other spices and flavorings. Blonde Ales can also be brewed as lagers, but that is not typical.

 

Kölsch beers are the historic beers of Cologne (Köln), Germany. The term Kölsch is an appellation protected by the Kölsch Konvention and is restricted to the 20 or so breweries in and around Cologne although some American brewers brew Kölsch-style beers in the US. The word Kölsch is actually a reference to the dialect of the German language that is spoken in and around Cologne.

 

In the US the only readily available true Kölsch beers are Gaffel Kölsch and Reisdorff Kölsch.

 

Kölsch beers are sometimes mistaken for light lagers because of their light, clean tastes and aromas. Kölsch beers are distinguished by their very subtle fruity flavors and slightly tangy finish. Kölsch beers are properly served in a small, straight-sided 200ml glass called a stange. German Noble Hops are typically used.

 

American Wheat Beers are cousins to the German Wheat styles and often have similar recipes, but they can also contain much more hop bitterness while containing much less yeast induced fruitiness and spicy-ness. Many variations of the American Wheat style exist and like the German Roggenbier, American Wheat Beers can also be brewed with rye.

 

Many American brewers who refer to their American Wheat Beers as Hefeweizens mislead consumers into thinking of them like the German style beers. Most American beers labeled as such do not fit into the German Wheat category.

 

Some American Wheat beers are sweet and very easy drinking, but many display a strong wheat character in their flavor. Additionally, some American Wheat beers can be very aggressively hopped.