Sonnenhopfen
Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker

 

 

From the bottle, it pours a hazy golden color with a very nice white head that slowly reduces. The nose gets some malt and citrus, although all is mild. The mouth gets an easy drinking lightly malty slightly hoppy brew.

 

 

It appears that this beer is technically a Koelsch (because of the fermentation process used) but tastes entirely different from anything else out there. Some say it's a pale ale, but its IBV is FAR too low to be lumped in with bitter pale ales.

It does use the same hops varieties as a pale ale (west coast citra hops) but it's added so late in the boil (or perhaps dry-hopped) that they impart all the citrus flavor of a pale ale without the bitterness.

It's literally my favorite beer of all time.

Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co. “Sonnen Hopfen”
,33L brown glass bottle coded “Mindestens haltbar bis: 07.10.2022. LB015”. Sampled on 26.09.21
€3 @ Gaffel Am Dom, Köln, DE

This is an interesting beer that’s an ale brewed with American hops. It’s a cloudy golden in color beneath a full head of white foam that holds well and leaves some nice lacing about the glass. The aroma is mainly just malty but there is a touch of citrus to it. The flavor, however, delivers a whole lot of sweet malt and lemon. My guess is that it’s got Lemondrop hops as well as Citra, but that’s just a guess - the label only mentions Citra. It’s not that bitter but it does come to a dry conclusion. In the mouth it’s medium bodied and crisp. Overall I found it a touch sweet but ultimately enjoyable.
Review #7,446

Pours a cloudy, golden amber coloration with a medium, foamy head. Smells of bready, grainy malt and citrus hops, with a good bit of grassiness coming through as well. Taste follows the nose, with a good balance of bready, grainy malt and fruity, grassy hops, with slight citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon rind, as well as some freshly-mown grass. Finishes with a light bitterness and some citrus and grass lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

While I applaud Gaffel for broadening their spectrum, being the only traditional Kölsch brewery in Cologne to produce both a Wieß and Pale Ale, this one is pretty mediocre at the end of the day. I mean, it's nice enough, but just feels a little washed out and not really packing that hop punch that I expect from the style, being rather mild in tone. It does have that certain, although rather restrained, citrus zest going on though, making for a nice, refreshing brew that just needs the hops to be little more defined and less grassy to truly stand out though.

 

Rich and flowery aroma, more of the perfumey style. Brewed with Citra-Hopfen from the Yakima Valley, the label informs us. Flavor is bright and citrusy with some pear flavor that is interesting. Some mellow malt with a bit of sharp tang. Quite distinctive, crisp, and refreshing.

Not very bitter at all, but the aromatics are quite nice. Overall this is a flavorful, quaffable brew and unusual in the hop flavors they get from Citra. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at a little store in Cologne. Unfiltered with sediment.

L:
-pours a cloudy golden with a medium,foamy,white head
-medium to high carbonation visible
-hop & yeast particle floaties visible
S:
-doughy,lemon,honey,floral,slight mango,vegetal
T:
-lemon,pineapple,pear,grainy,grassy
-high bitterniss for the style
F:
-medium to high carbonation
-light to medium body
-slight alcohol noticeable
O:
A really nice Citra-accented Kölsch.Unexpected from an industrial Brewery like Gaffel.
And it does it without turning this Kölsch into an IPA, which is what a lot of "craft" Breweries would do.

 

 

 

 

Pours hazy yellow with big white head, excellent retention.
Smell - fresh, citrusy, slightly acidic, dough, floral.
Taste - malty, slightly fruity, apricot.
Light, gentle, well-balanced, excellent kolsch.
I would appreciate more hop character in this beer.

 

Im glad I found this amazing brew at this time of the year because its usually only available at summer times.
Bought few 0.5 litre bottles at my local, german beverage store for 0.95 € per bottle plus 0.08 € deposit/bottle. Poured it into a weizen glass. Love the murky, light golden color in the glass. I can smell the lovely citra hops in my nose. The taste is awesome, I could taste some citrus fruits which I totally love. I highly recommend this brew! I wish it would be available troughout the year.

I had this beer at the Gaffel am Dom restaurant (near the big cathedral) in Cologne DE during Octoberfest. It's expensive for a Gaffel (4.5 EUR for the big bottle) but worth the extra coin. While listed here as a Kolsch, I'd place it as between a Kolsch and a hoppy IPA (the name translates to sun-grown hops). I look forward to my next one tomorrow!

Very pale and slightly murky, coarse bubled head but thick and lasting
Aroma is pale malts, bready, some spicy hops with a grapefruit note
Taste is more grapefruity, yeast and a balance of malts and bitter
Medium body, easy drinking, well integrated fine prickly carbonation
Very tasty Kölsch with some refreshing new world hops addition