Clearwater Kolsch
Ram Restaurant & Brewery

my first time in here, and i liked both beers i had, a good mix of classic styles and a few on the slightly more ambitious side of things. i really thought this was pretty well done, simple and light, a little less robustly flavorful, especially on the grain side, than the best examples of the style, but its easy and drinkable and pretty clean as they go, a fine compliment to one of their big juicy burgers in here. light golden in color, crystal clear, and with a patchy white head on top, some spotty lace as it drinks. i get some light crackery german malt in the aroma and flavor, and the yeast is right, maybe done just a little warm, a light ester through this, but its minimal and there is still a crispness and dryness to it that i like in a kolsch, and the noble hops are there as well, balanced in its lightness, and well carbonated enough to be refreshing. not exactly brimming with character, but a beer just about any beer drinker should be able to enjoy, which seems to be the goal of this one. i thought they did a fine job with it. a little funny yeast thing as it warms, but this is still a pounder.

edit: a little less refined to me many years later, some cloudiness in the glass, a little sweeter and less fermented down to me, still decent, smooth, and unoffensive, but not quite as tidy as i remember it being, which is weird because i feel like in general the beer here has improved quite a bit...

From 2014. One of the closest to the German originals I’ve tried yet in the States. Crisp, clean and mildly sweet. Light carbonation and mouthfeel, thin airy head. Grainy but very delicious.