Claritas
Mike Hess Brewing - Miramar

 

 

 

Type: 12-oz. can
Reviewed as: Kolsch
Glass: Modern Times 16-oz. Willi Becher glass
Price: $9.99 for a 6-pack
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: July 9, 2020
Consumed: July 11, 2020
Misc.: Canned on June 8, 2020

Spent way too much at Windmill Farms and then at North Park Beer Company, but happy with my selections. I’m mostly miss with Mike Hess beers, but I keep trying them. Was surprised that I hadn’t reviewed this, but looking it up I’d only had it once, giving a glass a 3.75 on Untappd on June 12, 2015. Their website calls it, “Claritas is our 2016 World Beer Cup–winning Kölsch ale. This refreshingly smooth, authentically German beer is light straw in color, infused with light fruit and bready aromatics from the German Pilsner malt, hops, and yeast. The result is a smooth and dry ale with a refreshingly clean finish.”

Poured a medium yellow clear color with 1-to-2 fingers of off-white fizzy head. Could see a few bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass at slow speeds. Below average watery lacing. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled sweet grain, fresh baked bread, graham cracker, cookie and caramel malt. About the same from the can, maybe a little sweeter. (Smell - 3.75)

Taste wasn’t quite as good as the nose. Very flavorful for a Kolsch though. In order got sweet grain, graham cracker, cookie, fresh baked bread, biscuit, cereal and caramel malt. (Taste - 3.75)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Soft carbonation. Abrupt finish. (Feel - 4.00)

For a Kolsch, this was very good. Affordable for a 6-pack, too, at $9.99. (Overall - 3.75)

3.75 | 85 | B+

12oz can with a pull off top and a canned on date of 1/10/20. Opened 4/9/20.
1" eggshell white head with good staying power and a slow move down to a solid cap. Straw gold color with a slight haze. Thick, sticky lacing.
Grainy (feed store) and bready malt nose up front. Hint of floral or grassy hops. Simple and smells very good.
Bready, lightly sweet malt with enough hop to balance, there's a touch of tree fruit (apple or pear maybe) but nothing out of bounds.
Clean, light body, medium carbonation. Dry finish with a light lingering bitterness. Good drinkability, refreshing. Well done.
Very good.

Can #2 4-11-20 Lots of apple in the nose.

 

 

This beer pours a light straw color with a bit of cloudiness with a tight white head that dissipates quickly. The nose is malt, specifically German malt. The body is light, and the taste is slightly sweet malt which is more than balanced by a snappy noble hop finish. Well carbonated. This beer tastes like a real Kolsch and is perfect to follow up a hot summer day!

Great and easy drinking beer! I looooove tripels and so this is lovely. It's like a light, bready tripel. The smell is fantastic. Very sweet, like apricots, lemon and pineapple with some bready background. The taste is of banana, lime, bread...and something else that I'm not good enough to identify. Very drinkable and refreshing. The look is nothing special with a glassy but slightly hazy gold color and mild lacing and it comes in a can (a great can with a big mouth). Still, it's underrated, imho.

 

 

Poured this from a can that I could have drank out of. There's a slight light candied cherry note on the aroma. Initially the taste was off putting, with the floral and fruity character overbearing. Mellows out as it warms.

 

Poured from 16oz can into Stange. Canned on April 24th 2017.

L: Pale yellow, two finger white head has good retention.

S: Pale bready like malts, with honey and lemon.

T: Again bready like malts with honey and lemon.

F: Light, crisp, semi-dry grainy finish.

O: Pretty good.