Cat's Shank Kolsch
Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery

Cat's Shank KolschCat's Shank Kolsch
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From:
Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery
 
Australia
Style:
Kölsch
ABV:
4.6%
Score:
74
Avg:
2.87 | pDev: 19.86%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
19
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 19, 2014
Added:
Nov 01, 2012
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by nitrofenix from Australia

Nov 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Hyperionecta from Australia

Oct 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by BuddhaBrowett from Sweden

May 16, 2014
Photo of Breeza
Reviewed by Breeza from Australia

3.77/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
(Bottle)

A: Clear straw coloured beer with moderate carbonation. Head has large bubbles and dissipates quickly.

S:Slight herbal scent, hoppy and bready,

T: Similar to smell- herbs, hoppy, with a fantastic bready aftertaste which was delicious.

M: Carbonation leaves a nice tingly feeling on tongue, good balance of flavours means it doesn't feel watery. Very nice.

O: I've had this beer several times in the past and having read the advice on this website that people drink their beer too cold, I decided to monitor the temp closer and wow! This beer has changed significantly for me. Will definitely drink again.
Feb 04, 2014
Photo of chogm54
Reviewed by chogm54 from Australia

2.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
been a long time coming, finally get around to trying out the Sail and Anchor's Kolsch

A - pale brown/amber coloured, white fizzy persistent head about 5mm thickness,

s - not much of a smell, trace of stale malt

t - bitterness up front, almost salty finish, not much lingering - pretty bland

m - light with moderate lively carbonation, slightly metallic

i've had better kolsch's elsewhere, this beer isn't bad but a bit watery. glad i got it on special, so for the price I paid a decent beer. Not so at full price.
Jan 05, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by GraduatedCashew from California

Aug 29, 2013
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.38/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: interesting 345mL brown bottle with a funky and unique 'Cat's Shank' label with a story on the back.

Appearance: a lighter golden yellow colour than Monkey's Fist or Lark's Foot, but again a total lack of head and lacing.

Aroma: again quite light on the nose, but what is there is decent. Sweet malt and grains with some sweet fruits that I can't pinpoint (update: thanks doktorhops - its melon!).

Taste: again the sweet fruits up front with a more complex profile than the nose would suggest. Sweet malts, grains and some floral / grassy hops.

Aftertaste: carries through reasonably well, with a dry finish. Still not fully flavoured on the aftertaste which is a little disappointing.

Mouth feel: moderate in body with a moderate yet sharp carbonation. Brings the flavours across well.

Overall: this is the third I've had of the Sail & Anchor release, and the first I've actually thought "hmm, I'll have to go get more of that". More complex than Lark's Foot or Monkey's Fist, and still the same equivalent price of AU$55 per case of 24. Worth the while, if still a little 'craft for the masses'. Still, it does take a brewery like Sail & Anchor to change the hearts and minds of lager-only drinkers, so more power to them.
Aug 19, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by magpieken from Australia

Aug 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by sonorb7 from Australia

Jul 12, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by SouthCrescent from Pennsylvania

Jun 19, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by mungus from Australia

Jun 12, 2013
Photo of soju6
Reviewed by soju6 from Missouri

2.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
A: Pours a clear pale golden color with a small head that fades to nomial lacing.

S: Aroma is fairly mild with some citrus, some grain and a bit of malt sweetness.

T: Taste is fairly bland with a bit of citrus and a bit of malt sweetness. Mild bitterness and a fairly clean finish.

F: Light body, smooth, quite bland and a bit sticky.

O: Drinkable, but a pretty basic Kolsch. probably best on a hot summer day.
Jun 03, 2013
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.35/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
345ml brown, sculpted bottle purchased from Dan Murphy's in Alexandria. I was yet to try any of Woolies' pseudo-craft range (whatever that means), so I picked this one somewhat at random.

Pours a middling golden colour, with a checkered, inconsistent head of white that eventually decays to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Carbonation is fine, and fleeting. Minimal lacing, very light body. Looks solid enough for what it is, even though that might happen to be pretty average.

Before swirling, there were some clean, slightly grassy volatile aromas much like you'd get in a lightstruck green bottle euro lager (a smell I actually find rather appealing), but once it's gone, it's gone, and there's very little else: just a mild floral perfumed overtone and some grainy porridge character. It's not unpleasant, but very light and quite bland.

Taste is similar. Faint grainy undertones, melding towards a yeasty, grain-bread note towards the back. Atop this is a clean, light and rather bland palate, with some very faint, slightly metallic twinges and a suggestion of orange peel. But these are very faint, leaving it mostly just crisp and light.

Feel is, indeed, crisp and light as well.

Overall, it's pretty bland, but it's really hard to fault it as a crisp, light easy drinking ale. There's a pleasant nothingness to it which makes it both easy to drink and easy to ignore. Not one of my favourite beers in the world, but it's certainly far from being awful.
Apr 12, 2013
Photo of Kulrak
Reviewed by Kulrak from Australia

2.53/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Pours a very pale and slightly cloudy straw color with no head at all (At least they're consistent). It mostly smells like water, but there's a very faint malt aroma there too. The flavor is a nondescript sweetness and no bitterness, with a sour finish. Mouthfeel is light with a little tingly carbonation. Overall, you could drink it all day and never get tired of the flavor cause there really isn't any.
Jan 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by hopnerd from Australia

Jan 01, 2013
Photo of heygeebee
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

2.4/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
From Danno's , no BB.

OK I am starting to understand the S&A brewing modus operandi. Sadly.

Pours a flat pale straw. No head no film no lace.

Cardboard and grains on nose and sweet malts.

Taste is Easy Going. Like there is nothing there. Some grains, some sweet malts, no discernable elements. Sweetness builds so I suspect no good for a session either.

Mouthfeel is however, spot on for style, light and well carbonated.

Sail and Anchor are not doing anyone any favours if you like flavour in your beer..
Dec 30, 2012
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

2.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Pours amber with a quickly fading head.
Faint aroma, some vegetal notes, soft malt, cardboard and grainy notes.
Nice sweet malt as a flavour, but it doesn't last long and the extremely low bitterness makes for a very weak finish.
Needs more carbonation. Feels watery.
Dec 12, 2012
Photo of foles
Reviewed by foles from Australia

2.03/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours a golden yellow with limited, thin head. Unusual pine/passion fruit on nose. Same on palate, but harsh and tastes a bit astringent. This is not a kolsch, and they shouldn't be using the name. A poor mass produced brand masquerading as a craft beer.
Nov 03, 2012
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

3.12/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Number three in the free beer taste test: Cat's Shank Kolsch. So far we started off with the just passable "Lark's Foot", then followed with the interesting (but lacking) "Boa's Bind" and now we come to the Kolsch. Got to say I'm a fan of a good Kolsch, however outside of Germany I've never had a decent one, they all seem to pale in comparison (pun intended).

Poured from a 345ml bottle into a nonic pint (don't own a Stange).

A: Slightly pale clear golden straw hue for the body with a wisp of bone white lacing.

S: Light melon hops compliment a toasty malt base with a hint of dry vinous yeast. So far it has the intriguing aroma of a Kolsch.

T: Hits straight away with those melon hops, carries through to the lightly toasted malt base then finishes with dry with a white wine grape flavour. Slight acidity in the after-taste begs another swig. Again it's a bit mild on flavour (which seems to be a reoccurring theme with these new S&A brews), but otherwise it is the best out of the three so far and the lightness in flavour actually works well with the style (Kolsch also being known as a Summer Ale).

M: Mid to light body, carbonation is denser than the last two S&A brews and works well.

D: Here comes summer! It's good to have a decent Summer Ale for a change - I'm sick of seeing brewers bring out these "Radler" style beers that taste simply awful with their included lemon flavourings. This brew, whilst not up there with the best of its style, is still a decent drop that will possibly end up in my fridge during the hotter months.

Food match: Summer BBQ fare like sausages, minute steaks, potato and garden salads are all good candidates.
Nov 01, 2012
Cat's Shank Kolsch from Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery
Beer rating: 74 out of 100 with 19 ratings