Cologne Breweries Adopt the Kölsch Convention

On June 25, 1985, the competition rules known as the Kölsch Convention were published in Germany’s Federal Gazette after recognition by the Federal Cartel Office. Developed by the Cologne Brewers Association and accepted by its member breweries, the convention defined Kölsch as a pale, highly attenuated, hop-accented, clear, top-fermented Vollbier produced according to the German purity requirements. It also established shared rules governing the presentation and marketing of beers sold under the name Kölsch. The convention treated Kölsch as both a beer type and a qualified geographical indication of origin. Production was generally restricted to Cologne, while breweries outside the city that had already acquired an established right to the designation were allowed to retain it. The representatives of 24 Kölsch breweries ceremonially signed the convention at Cologne’s Excelsior Hotel Ernst on March 6, 1986. The agreement consolidated the technical and geographical identity of Kölsch and provided the framework later reinforced by European protection in 1997.