Kölsch
Blackfoot River Brewing Company

this is very solid, clean, tidy, delicious, easy to place as a kolsch, of nice quality, but i had it in the same session as their downright awesome japanese lager, which does a lot of the same things in terms of ease and refreshment, so it may have detracted a little from this one, having them in such close proximity. properly german to me, nice freshness, but still with that classic crackery pils type malt character to it, light but not boring, the sweet spot for a kolsch overall i reckon, and they hit it. moderate noble hop personality, a near lager crispness, good minerality and water chemistry, very professionally executed, balanced and drinkable, old worldy, but not quite as could have come from europe authentic as say their esb, which is bang on, but darn good. subtle herbal hops to this, more as it moves along, enough bitterness without being aggressive in any way, soft early grain sweetness is quickly resolved on the palate, and rushing carbonation speeds it along nicely. they had a really nice lineup of beers on tap while we were in this time, covering quite a lot of ground, and they do so many things so well, dont sleep on this place. very solid kolsch, without it being one of the more exciting beers on this visit, which is more a compliment to the rest of the lineup than anything against this brew. love this place!

 

 

Served on tap at the brewery.

Appearance: Pours a pretty hazy straw color. Not a lot of head from the pour, a swirl brings a bit out but it doesn't stick around long. Moderate amount of carbonation.

Smell: Smells a bit wheaty, some pale maltiness, along with light citrus and florals too. Not real impressive, but not bad either.

Taste: Taste is a mixture of wheaty and pale malts, citrus and floral hops. Probably a bit more assertive here than on the nose, but not by too much.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is pleasant. A bit more than light bodied with ample fine carbonation. Makes for a very drinkable beer. Overall not bad, but not awesome either. Not real familiar with the kolsch style but this seems like a decent example.