MiddleCoast’s Ginger Kölsch

Bottoms Up

By Patrick Sullivan | July 18, 2020

A new beer from Traverse City’s Middlecoast Brewing Co. is made for summer and tastes a little like Detroit’s own Vernors.

That unmistakable flavor isn’t a mistake, but what’s blended into Middlecoast’s Ginger Kölsch isn’t actually Michigan’s signature beverage but something very, very close to it, says lead brewer Joel Mulder: “It’s a local product that’s a barrel-aged ginger ale.”

Their Ginger Kölsch starts out as a traditional Kölsch, he said, but then it’s brewed down so that it becomes dry enough to be mixed with the potent barrel-aged ginger ale; this genius melding gives the brew its kick.

A seasonal offering intended for hot summer days, Ginger Kölsch is at what Mulder calls “session level” — a gentle 4 percent ABV — so that it doesn’t pack too much of a kick if you drink more than one.