1980 Kolsch
No Label Brewing Company

RB transfer

 

 

 

 

poured from a can. Yellow hazy look. Small head. Sweet smell of bread, a little fruity. Good mouthfeel with good carbonation. This is a good German Kolsch.

Surprisingly good kolsch and definitely underrated here.

Had it from a can poured into a tulip glass. Clear yellow color with good head and excellent lacing. Slightly sweet and bready smell and taste. Lemony and slightly spicy, refreshing and very drinkable. Definitely something to buy again.

On tap at the brewery. Orange color with white foamy head. Citrusy smell. Light creamy feel. Citrus flavors with some earthy notes and a floral hop finish. Very drinkable, but not exactly true to style.

12 oz. can poured into wide-mouthed stick
March 19, 2019 born-on date

L: pale yellow-gold, small white head of foam, consistent collar and part of a skin of foam

S: sweeter bread malt, light yeast, hint of greenish hops

T: hops are much more forward, grassy, almost citrusy (lemon, lemonpeel); also some earthy/yeasty bitterness balanced with some of the sweeter malt/grain flavors

F: full, solid midweight with enough carbonation to give it some extra body and crispness

O: despite being five months old, this beer is quite tasty with a little bit of hop life left in it; the delicate balance of aromas and flavors falls in line with the style; I'd love to have a fresh 6-pack of this one and will look for it in the future

Look was somewhat disappointing, cloudy and murky light gold. Smell was nice, floral with a little spice. I’ve never been a huge fan of the style but this was a nice surprise. Right off I noticed it doesn’t have too much of the typical fruity notes that are found in most kolsch yeasts. There is a pronounced toasted malt flavor up front with noble hops to balance. I was surprised that the IBU’s are listed as 22.5, it tastes more like 30 to me. It tastes very much like a lager. It’s also a hometown beer for me, I live about 5 miles from the brewery. It’s a well made beer so give it a try if you see it.

12/06/19 Update
Beware, this product is not consistent from batch to batch. I had this again a month or so later and it was not the same. It only comes in cans so that was equal, the second time I tried it was a bust. It tasted way off, lots of diacetyl, wet paper, corn. Even the smell was off. The second batch tasted like some really amateurish home brew. So basically you’ll be rolling the dice with this one. It sad that my hometown brewery is not a serious operation. Perhaps they should perfect their craft before going to market. It’s really hard to take a brewery serious when they lack consistency. There are plenty of really good brewers in the Houston area, NL isn’t one of them. C’mon man.

I like it better than Heineken.
Not the highest praise I have bestowed on a beer.
It's a little hoppy, but not as bad as an IPA.
If it's cold it is pretty refreshing on a hot day.
It doesn't zuck.

 

 

 

 

 

Bought this when I was in Houston back in March, never having anything from No Label before. Loved the label with the style that one would see on a shirt or poster in 1980 and the outline of the state of Texas was a nice touch, as well! Even though this beer was light, it had enough going for it and was a pleasant diversion from the beefier and hoppier offerings that I tend to enjoy on my off nights!

Of course, this beer poured straw with quite a bit of clarity to it, topped off by a sufficient head. Plenty of lacing remained on my pint glass as I worked my way through this as the carbonation remained quite lively throughout my session. White grape, cracker, and Pale malt in the nose, with plenty of wildflower honey, sour grass, floral notes, and dryness in the taste made this a fairly typical, but somewhat enjoyable, take on the style. Mild sweetness from the honey, hints of wheat, and the dry finish gave this just enough body and color to keep this from feeling like a macro, as this went down nice and easy...

It was easy to finish this off and have another in a session, though I doubt that I've have two of these in a row. Not a winner but certainly not bad either, I'd reach for one of these over a typical "lawnmower beer" and the design of the label was an added plus that made this old-school enough to cater to the hipster crowd, and even to someone like me who was alive in 1980.