Summer Haus
Poor House Brewing Company

Couldn't find parking at the popular brewhouse I was headed to, so turned around and suddenly noticed this new, much smaller one … called a neighborhood brewhouse. I could park on the street. 10 or 12 selections on tap, along with some finger food from cooperating vendors. No canning or shipping to do. The tanks and equipment were just enough to serve the neighborhood Inside it was much more of a relaxed vibe than the larger places, and kids and dogs friendly.

Since they didn't have a lager in the rotation, I went for the summer kolsch. In the last year I've had kolsch from a couple of micros, and this tasted right in the ball park.

Look: pours bright yellow gold, very slightly cloudy, out of growler into the widest mouth waterglass I have. Plenty of small bubble carb, the off-white 2” head drops to 1/4” in a few minutes, with modest lacing on glass. The foam seems a bit on the low-density side, a bit more like sea foam that what your normally get in a pour.

Smell: good balance between malt and hops. a light almost spicy fruitiness, with no unexpected other stuff. Smells like it will be on the dry side, and it was.

Taste. The kolsch I've tried the last year or two have a certain sourness to them on first sip, and this one does as well. The interesting thing about this beer was that the 'midstream' flavor profile didn't last long, and after the initial sip did it's thing, the ….I supposed these are called grassy hops … hop flavor took over and left a clean, light bitterness in the mouth that lasted more than most beers. It was very pleasant. I was unable to learn at the time, a lazy Saturday afternoon, what hops and grains they used.

Feel: For all the flavor packed into this brew, I would have expected a thicker mouthfeel. But I guess that's the purpose of a summer kolsch … save the heavier ones for the winter,.