Kölsch Style-Ale
pFriem Family Brewers

Pint from draft at The Regal Beagle in San Diego for $8 but with tax and tip a good craft beer is nearly $10 in SD now. Not surprised that this is so delicious from a brewery that consistently makes top notch versions of lager styles. This Kolsch is clean and crisp and way too easy to drink quickly. Pricey but tasty.

On tap at Brewers Haven. Clear golden pour, bright, persistent white h ead. Grainy, biscuity aroma, grassy. Taste is crisp, graint, bready with a mellow bitterness at the finish, with a hint of lemon.

 

Look: Light yellow and nearly clear with a frothy white head that levels off to a pillow, leaving nice lacing behind
Aroma: Straw, floral hops, pilsner malt, light honey notes, and soda crackers
Taste: Kicks off with soda crackers and straw that hit strong and immediately followed by waves of floral hops that include daylily, honeysuckle, and Koreanspice viburnum. Closes with more floral hops and a light honey note
Mouthfeel: Light but full, clean, medium-high carbonation, and a crisp and clean finish
Overall: This is some tasty stuff. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t reviewed this so had to as it’s a delicious and well-made Kolsch and one I drink frequently when it’s available. Recommended

this is tasty and pretty clean and light, a good summer drinker, but they have taken their lager program so far recently that this one wouldnt even really make my top three in here as far as how well the canadian, the japanese, and the pils all play in somewhat similar spaces. this is yellow and clear and high headed with nice peaks and retention. smells more fruity than they usually do from germany, perhaps a little more hoppy too, a little soapy floral thing to it and some light hop spiciness, good character from the yeast, and very much on the dry side, although it doesnt drink as minimal as the others, not quite as brisk at the end, i know this isnt exactly a lager, but is still presents like one. floral hops add to the springy vibes this hits with, and it has a little more structure than a lot of them from the grain, its just longer feeling, which slows it down a little, but in a good way. they very obviously did a nice job with the water chemistry on it, always such good attention to detail here. good carbonation, the bubbles seem tiny but there are plenty of them, a light corn or honey or something sweetness in the middle, light bittering hops on the finish, sudsy and frothy, nice with salty food. this would pop more for me if it wasnt for all their other crispy yellow beers they make, to me this one gets lost in that shuffle just a bit, perhaps a little less quintessentially german in some respects, but authentic and delicious just the same.

On tap at Beergarden in Eugene, Oregon.
Clear, straw colored gem. Fluffy white head that has an almost milky edge. Good head retention, slight lacing.
Malt notes are slightly creamy and biscuity capped with a nice herbal note that presents some lemon zest and blossom as well.
Flavor follows the nose and brings in a minerally aspect. Quite nice.
Finish is crisp, a tad herbal and grassy. Carbonation is active yet light.

 

 

16 oz can purchased from Safeway in West Salem.
$3.79
Pours a crystal clear light and bright gold coloured body, with a lovely proportioned frothy off white head.
Aroma is of biscuit malts , some cream of corn and a slight medicinal aspect.
Taste has all that and a slight hint of grassy hops also. Very well constructed flavours here.
Mouth feel is excellent..well carbonated and not cloying in the end.
A very good kolsch.

I’m not a big fan of the style, and I remember not liking the ones I had before. But this is a pretty good beer. It’s got some lemon with a little sweetness, but it’s somehow flowery and bready, with a very light body and a dry finish. The appearance might be my favorite thing though-golden, clear, and a bunch of floaties. Refreshing, tasty, and although I’m not a fan of the style, I like this one.

Can from Market of Choice.

Crystal clear golden yellow with a dense, white head with excellent retention and lacing. The nose is softly fruity, delicately snappy, clean, lightly sweet and has a nice, lemony hop character. A little more carbonic acid character on the palate than I'm used to, lending a prickly feel and a light acidity. Light fruit notes with a light strawberry character to go with the lemon from the hops. A hair watery, holding this back from greatness. Still, this is a tasty kolsch.

500ml bottle

Pours nearly two fingers of pillowy, fizzy white head into my Kolsch glass. Retention is a little below average and the majority of the head fades within a minute, but it leaves behind a hefty film. Initial lacing looks decent. Body is straw yellow, crystal clear, with a medium amount of bubbles coming up. Looks pretty good so far.

Inviting bready malt gives way to notes of pear, with a crisp ambiance, and a touch of creaminess. Signature Kolsch yeast lingers in the background. Faint mineral character, as well as faint noble hops. Smells very balanced, not too dry, with a hint of sweetness, wonderful.

Flavor does not disappoint. You get that tasteful dose of bread up front, a little creamy, faint pear, faint noble hops. Very crisp indeed, lovely.

Carbonation is very high. Body is about medium, but the carbonation has a lot to do with that. Balance is absolutely perfect, a touch of dryness, and a touch of sweetness. Bitterness is medium-low, it’s pretty palatable, but present if you look for it. For the style, and just in general, the mouthfeel can’t get much better.

Drinkability is fantastic, this is light and tasty.

Appearance turned out ok. Lacing was slim at best, but the heady film lasted quite some time.

Overall this is a very very solid Kolsch. Balanced, tasty, prost!

Clear bright golden brew with plenty of foam in the Wander snifter. Sparkling and lively on the tongue. Aroma of rice and bread. Flowery aromatics emerge in the nose. A pleasant touch of malty sweetness combined with the tang of hops. Hints of honey and resins.

Warm and beery with some alfalfa and the slightest bitter aftertaste, a kiss. This is light and bright and eminently quaffable. I'd say it compares favorably with the real Cologne beer. From the 500 ml bottle dated 06/10/21.

 

 

Light yellow body, crystal clear; tons of carbonation; one-finger + thick head, white and creamy. Outstanding aroma; cracker and light bread crust; mild herbal and grassy scent. Very mild mat flavor but moderate levels of bitterness and herbal flavors shine through; clean. Fairly light mouthfeel; crisp and somewhat dry.

This beer delivers clean and refreshing beer to your palate. It is simple and direct. The taste and mouthfeel definitely improve with a little warmth.

Poured at 48 °F; BOTTLED ON 06 10 21.

Bought at a rather dear price from Tavour. My only other ale from pFriem also came from Tavour, and I complained about that price also. But both were worth the price, just not worth repeating at that price.

Bottled three months ago and genuinely poured into my only stange cylinder, the glass shows off this Kolsch's crystal clarity and delicate bubbles leaving a fancy foam and discrete lace. Smells start with biscuit malts, then introduce a pear/apple that is gentle. This is welcome compared to the style's sometimes "forced" fruit character from the ale yeast not behaving once it gets lagered. Tastes are balanced, nicely sweet and malty in the attack and more crisp in the finish. Interestingly different from the classic Kolsch upgrade to compete with pils, pFriem's has very modest hops; presumably used only to get this unique balance. Creamy yet amazingly with gentle bubbles for refreshment, this Kolsch can sit in my mouth as long as it wants.

My second from pFriem, I don't have much to add to their brewer review. While I would like to visit in my next trip to the Northwest, in the meantime I repeat: I really would like Tavour to sell some of pFriem's Belgian renditions. I won't even complain about the price.