Kölsch
John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House
- From:
- John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Kölsch
- ABV:
- Not listed
- Score:
- 82
- Avg:
- 3.44 | pDev: 8.72%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Sep 29, 2015
- Added:
- Jul 05, 2004
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by SkunkWorks from New York
3.08/5 rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
3.08/5 rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Had on tap at the Lake Grove, NY location. Served in a pint glass. Kolsch is becoming one of my favorite session styles so here's to hoping this lives up.
Look: pale, golden body that would be perfect for the style except for the fact that its a little hazy and probably should be clear. I'm okay with that, though. A little bit of white head sits on top of the beer, doesn't retain all that well and doesn't leave much in the way of lacing but that's fine for the style.
Smell: um, ew. I'm hit with a huge, almost sulphuric aroma right up front. It smells as though they forgot to lager this beer. Behind that huge, unpleasant aroma, there's a bit of pilsner malt and some noble hops but they are hard to find behind the obnoxious off aroma I'm getting.
Taste: luckily, the terrible smell I get in the aroma is not present in the taste. Some light grain, a bit of tartness, and a bit of noble hop spice and herbal quality and a little bread. A little bit of wheat is there too but its hard to pick out.
Feel: medium bodied, so surprisingly thick for me, crisply carbonated with an bit of tartness.
Drink: hard to say, but I could session this... provided I could hold my nose. The fact that I don't know the ABV of this kind of hurts it here, but given that I had my pint in a very short time and didn't feel it at all, this would feel fairly light to me.
Overall: not the best example of a Kolsch. The aroma is obnoxious and really harms this beer. Otherwise, its fairly good. Unfortunately, for me, aroma matters A LOT. This beer really falls short in that area and if it tasted how it smelled, I wouldn't know whether to ask for my money back or challenge the brewmaster to a round of fisticuffs.
I've only recently given John Harvard's another chance and well, they are starting to show some semblance that they care about their beer. Finally, they are pouring with some head, and actually taste like they were made from all grain ingredients instead of extract. Unfortunately, they still have a ways to go. Luckily for them, their food makes it worth it. Cheers!
Apr 23, 2011Look: pale, golden body that would be perfect for the style except for the fact that its a little hazy and probably should be clear. I'm okay with that, though. A little bit of white head sits on top of the beer, doesn't retain all that well and doesn't leave much in the way of lacing but that's fine for the style.
Smell: um, ew. I'm hit with a huge, almost sulphuric aroma right up front. It smells as though they forgot to lager this beer. Behind that huge, unpleasant aroma, there's a bit of pilsner malt and some noble hops but they are hard to find behind the obnoxious off aroma I'm getting.
Taste: luckily, the terrible smell I get in the aroma is not present in the taste. Some light grain, a bit of tartness, and a bit of noble hop spice and herbal quality and a little bread. A little bit of wheat is there too but its hard to pick out.
Feel: medium bodied, so surprisingly thick for me, crisply carbonated with an bit of tartness.
Drink: hard to say, but I could session this... provided I could hold my nose. The fact that I don't know the ABV of this kind of hurts it here, but given that I had my pint in a very short time and didn't feel it at all, this would feel fairly light to me.
Overall: not the best example of a Kolsch. The aroma is obnoxious and really harms this beer. Otherwise, its fairly good. Unfortunately, for me, aroma matters A LOT. This beer really falls short in that area and if it tasted how it smelled, I wouldn't know whether to ask for my money back or challenge the brewmaster to a round of fisticuffs.
I've only recently given John Harvard's another chance and well, they are starting to show some semblance that they care about their beer. Finally, they are pouring with some head, and actually taste like they were made from all grain ingredients instead of extract. Unfortunately, they still have a ways to go. Luckily for them, their food makes it worth it. Cheers!
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York
3.38/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.38/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
On tap at JH. Pours a clear light piss yellow with a thick white head. Aroma of sweet fruits and malt. Flavor is rather wheaty, with a slight bitterness in the finish. This is not a great example of a kolsch, but it is a decent beer.
7/4/7/3/13 (3.4/5)
Feb 01, 20097/4/7/3/13 (3.4/5)
Reviewed by allergictomacros from Canada (ON)
3.5/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Clear gold. 1/2 inch of white foam with solid lacing.
S - Sharp grassy hop, metal, and a bready malt.
T - Hops are a little coarse for my taste. Sweet, a touch of tartness up front, as well as lemon and a bit of alcohol.
M - Light and fizzy with a little bit of a slick/oily texture.
D - Fairly refreshing, with some decent flavours. Hops are a bit rough though.
Jun 06, 2008S - Sharp grassy hop, metal, and a bready malt.
T - Hops are a little coarse for my taste. Sweet, a touch of tartness up front, as well as lemon and a bit of alcohol.
M - Light and fizzy with a little bit of a slick/oily texture.
D - Fairly refreshing, with some decent flavours. Hops are a bit rough though.
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York
3.62/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.62/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a dark straw hue with a trace head. There was little retention and lacing.
The smell consisted of a light husky grain soft with a smattering of noble hop.
The taste featured a soft grainy malt with sme wheat malt elements. There was a light noble hop spice as well.
The mouthfeel was full and chewy, with some astrigency from the wheat malt.
Overall, light but tasty. Good drinkability.
May 01, 2007The smell consisted of a light husky grain soft with a smattering of noble hop.
The taste featured a soft grainy malt with sme wheat malt elements. There was a light noble hop spice as well.
The mouthfeel was full and chewy, with some astrigency from the wheat malt.
Overall, light but tasty. Good drinkability.
Reviewed by UncleJimbo from Massachusetts
3.56/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.56/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampled at the Harvard Square location.
This Kölsch poured a clear, yellow color with white foam that persisted. The smell was very mildly malt and not much else. The taste was bready malt with minimal hops. The mouthfeel was smooth with light body and good carbonation. The aftertaste was lightly bready. This was a refreshing and easy to drink Kölsch.
Jul 05, 2004This Kölsch poured a clear, yellow color with white foam that persisted. The smell was very mildly malt and not much else. The taste was bready malt with minimal hops. The mouthfeel was smooth with light body and good carbonation. The aftertaste was lightly bready. This was a refreshing and easy to drink Kölsch.
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