Blur_yo_face was kind enough to send two beers for me to review, and tonight, I had the chance to drink his kolsch.  Here is how it went.


I'm a sucker for the Amerian flag bottle caps, so I liked this touch.

Bottle gives a moderate hiss upon opening.  Fill level of the bottle is a little low - a competition judge would gripe for sure.

Pours a cloudy warm gold into my souvenir Epcot Biergarten stein.  I get a full three fingers of fluffy white foam, which slowly recedes to a long lasting cap, but leaves outstanding lacing behind.  1/3

Aroma is soft and malty, though I get an enjoyable hint of fruitiness (pear?).  I get a little German yeasty character, too.  9/12

Flavor is very light and soft.  The balance is to the malty side here, with reserved sweetness up front, but the bitterness level is very nice.  The German yeast character from the aroma is also present here in the flavor - I personally enjoy this.  Hop flavor is all but completely absent.  Beer seems to be well attenuated, though the finish is not quite as dry as I might have thought.  Alcohol is completely hidden, as it should be.   14/20

Mouthfeel is a little heavier than I would expect for the style.  Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely classify this as a refreshing, easy to drink beer, but it's a little more substantive than I expected.  A slightly higher carbonation level might help with this.  3/5

Overall, this is a very nice beer that I really enjoyed.  I'm the type of guy who usually limits myself to one beer in a given sitting, but this is a beer I could easily enjoy another pint of.  If I was looking for a summertime/lawnmower type of beer, I could do FAR worse than this one.  Nice job!  7/10

Total score: 34

Suggestions: The single biggest ding I have on this beer is in clarity.  The BJCP says this style should have "brilliant" clarity, so cloudiness is a red mark.  Look into whirlfloc or Irish moss for the last ten minutes of your boil, look at chilling as quickly as possible.  Consider a longer, colder lagering period. 

I didn't pick up any hop flavor in this beer, and the style suggests it should be low to medium high in noble hop flavor (most being medium-low to medium), with a "slight pucker in the finish".  Consider a very small late hop addition to give a touch of hop flavor. 

Consider carbing this beer to a slightly higher level to lighten that mouthfeel a shade.

Also, please take this away - this is a very good beer that I would be happy to find more of in my fridge.  My suggestions are meant only to help you take a very good beer to that next level. 

Thank you very much for sending this one to me!