Kolos Rises
Brasserie de la Senne

Copenhagen 14/2 2023. 33 cl bottle from Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard, Kbh. V. A female colossus carrying the name of the beer on the yellow label.

Pours opaque hazy golden yellow with a mid-sized white head. Stable. Settles as 0,5 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a light malty sweetness followed by a stronger tart and citric scent. Light whiff of spice. Sweet pale malts. Tart currants and lemon. Black pepper.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, smooth, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a light sweetness followed by a strong tart bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter and lingers for a bit. Finish is thin and semi-dry.

Fine tart and dry specimen.

Bottle: Poured a yellow color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some good lacing.Aroma of rustic malt notes with some peppery notes. Taste is also a mix of rustic malt notes with some peppery yeast notes and light rye presence also noted and some dry hops. Body is a bit thin with some good carbonation. Well made saison but not the biggest fan of Zachrava hops.

 

i believe different to some extent from the schieve kolos they make, which i have never had, but tweaked in label and name and maybe also recipe given the recent happenings in ukraine, which this beer is now in support of financially, very cool. de la senne is one of my all time favorites, and that they go this deep with this saison is pretty special, having a ukrainian brewer over to make it, using a hop from there called zachrava, which i had never heard of before, and then putting this complex, dry, mixed grain saison together, super compelling stuff here, a beer i wish i had more than one of. super pale, like whitewashed and minimal looking, strikingly well bottle conditioned as is often the case with these guys, two plus inches of pure snow white head as thick as stiffly beaten egg whites on top of this, permanent, intricate web lacing too, so sexy. soft and unfiltered looking, not sloppy of sediment. its too cold when we first pour it, and so it doesnt smell like much, but it opens beautifully to green pear, white wheat, lightly peppery rye, and a slightly funky rustic yeast i know from some of their other brews, a little bretty to me, well developed, drying, and only very subtly estery, and the flavor is right there with the aroma, tight at first when this is frost cold but coming alive as it warms. definitely can appreciate the different malts in here, wheat and spelt and rye with the barley, all very pale and dry, but creating a hearty cereal base for this yeast to play with. zesty, i get hints of lemon, wet lawn, and earthy minerals, along with gentle fruitiness from this hop, faint berry maybe, not quite ripe strawberry, light aromatic orange, hay, very late summery, super unique and so delicate the whole way, bitterness is very light, but this finishes crisp, fast, and refreshing. the mouthfeel is just epic too, so alive and so fast, so expressive. this is amazing beer, subtle, way way way under the radar somehow still, as are these guys in general, but this is genius. need to keep an eye out for more with zachrava hops too, so intrigued! world class grisette type here. if anyone has more information on these two beers, and how they may be different, id love to know!