12 oz single from The Beer Dispensary, Apex, NC, USA. Kolsch? Nope. Pour gives a cloudy, mid orange body with a large, frothy, fluffy off-white head that leaves some sticky lace. The nose instantly gives a fairly significant blast of hops, and the tastes replicate some of the hop bitterness too. Also present is a large malt backbone which holds the whole thing together. Aftertaste is quite dry. In a blind taste taste I would put this down as being an old, American IPA. It fails the 'look' test...
Notes on beers in the style
Kölsch
Karnival Kolsch
12 oz single, Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Lovely, beautifully carbonated, golden yellow pour with a pillow-like, fluffy head that gives some nice lace. The beer is very lively and adds a certain anticipation of the taste. Looks great. Light citrus nose but this all but disappears when the true nature of the style cuts in quickly with some severe bitterness. Clean though, so the marriage is a good one. Finishes crisp and somewhat dry but has a lingering malt "effect" at the far back end....
Eisenbahn Dourada (Kölsch)
12 os single from Green's on Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. Part of a big clearance that they have been having of these beers. The final one of the four 12 oz presentations (they have had Lust, too) that Green's have been carrying. Well, I dunno; Kolsch? I suppose that we can argue over the extendability of the style guidelines but to me this takes things a bit too far. The pour gives a color which I feel is too dark. It's really quite oraange. Secondly the malt dominance is just too great for me....
Gateway Kolsch
$3.99 from Riverside Beverage in Chattanooga, TN, USA for the 22 oz bomber and subsequently $4.29 for the bomber at Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA; exactly as depicted in the BA db picture. Informative label with ABV, IBU, style, OG and other information included. Poured into the Tücher Weizen glass this has absolute clarity, a decent enough head and some vibrant carbonation. The body is a light yellow. Pretty solid and as predicted. Small head with some lace but not much retention. Bitter notes...
Light Rock
Big thanks go out to casemw for the chance to try this one. 12 oz single as seen in the BA database. Pour produces a small head with some lace, but a strange, slightly cloudy light orange body. Nose lacks any kind of presence. Corny sugar? A lot of grainy sweetness in the taste and not much else. 119 calories is heavily advertised on the label so I guess that they are looking to compete with the Lites/Lights of this world. By definition that puts this beer at the edge of my tolerance, and...
32/50
Growler from Charleston Beer Exchange, Charleston, SC, USA, shared with a few at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA as part of the regular Friday afternoon informal tastings. Pour is a completely clear, paler than macro yellow body with a wispy, airy head. Great lace. Simple beer that falls beautifully into the style. Crisp, refreshing and lacks any kind of skunk. Refreshing with a mild dry bite in the finish. A number of the geeks at the pub didn't care for this; I say that their palates are...
Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower
My first opportunity to try something from Saint Arnold. Certainly not their most vaunted beer, but one that I am happy to try thanks to stopbarking. Pour is an impressive slightly clouded orange with a big, ice-cream like head. A small amount of lace. Nose reveals little other than some simple, grassy hops. Not much there. Tastes continues the organic notes followed by some residual sweetness and a simple, refreshing ending. A little mild lemon and spice and good balance. Straightforward and...
Gaffel Kölsch
500 mL bottle from Arbor Place Beverage. Very light colored (even watery) pour with a light, fluffy head that disappears quickly. Not much lace. It drinks like a very lightweight Pils. A simple bitterness that fails to really bite. Mouthfeel is simple but does not really evoke any memorable experiences. Lacklustre. A little too simple, EVEN for the style I feel. When you are brewing/drinking these delicate styles you tend to walk a very fine line between a forgetable beer and a nice example of...
Summertime (German Style Kölsch Bier)
Thanks to Vancer as part of CEO/Old Farts BIF. 12oz single bottle. Poured into the Tucher Weizen, 0.5L glass. Pale golden body, distinct lack of head, carbonation and lace despite an aggressive pour. Cloudiness present. Extremely mild beer - very little hop profile; rather bland. Some sweetness, but also muted. The style is obviously a subtle one, but this seems to be especially bland. Very light soap; very light citrus. Best when very cold, a summer quencher and no more.
Kentucky Light
Thanks to BEERchitect for the opportunity to try this one. 12 oz bottle. No lace or head after the initial aggresive pour. My understanding is that this beer is called "Light" to help it sell amongst the BMC crowd, and it is not supposed to be a "Light Lager" - HOWEVER, quite frankly it looks (mega pale), smells (nothing much going on) and tastes (blah) very much like a mass produced, light, BMC lager. There is certainly a little more taste, body and mouthfeel than your average macro swill...
Kolsch
Thanks to Travis as part of Blue Max BIF 48. 12 oz can. I have to admit that I was a bit suspicious. Very new brewery and a style that I am not really fond of, but I should have known better. If Travis says it's OK then it's fine with me. Good "pop" on opening the can and a really nice pour with a great head, plenty of lacing and some pronounced chill haze. Clean and tight aroma with some fruit (bananas?) and some yeasty alcohol. "Wheatiness" too. Drinkable and refreshing, re-established my...
Saranac Kölsch
Nice looker, clear golden color and a small head and a little lacing. Light peppery flavor is the over-riding experience here. Dryish finish with some mild hop flavor. Not much balance of malt apparent, but becasue the hop flavor is reserved and mild, it doesn't really matter. Crisp in the mouth with a refreshing bite that makes this a drinkable, if somewhat average brew. Good value, simple, drinkable beer. This will not surprise or thrill you, but you might enjoy sucking a few back.
Capitol City Kolsch
I'm not all that familiar with the style, but this was still a crushingly disappointing effort all around. These beers really need to be be produced very carefully otherwise you get marginally better (or sometimes even poorer) versions of adjunct macro's. This was one of thos cases. Looking for a crisp, biscuity, lively, sweet experience I got nothing like that. A lifeless, macro-like lager that was almost indistinguishable (except the price) from 100 other mass produced beers. Don't...
Tire Bite Golden Ale
This really was disappointing. The reason I say that is that my other Flying Dog experiences have been generally very positive. The pour is a really pale yellow color with a non-existent head, a very ordinary looking beer. Taste was a little tart with plenty of alcohol flavor up front that faded to make it drinkable, but singularly unspectatcular. Super-average in the mouth with very little character or excitement. It's a shame, becasue Flying Dog often do much better than this. I hate to say...