The Great Kolsch Affair
Paradox Brewery

 

 

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that quickly faded away and only left a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of floral hops and biscuit malts are present in the nose along with hints of green grapes.
T: The taste follows the smell but has additional hints of cracker malts and faint bits of grain.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a light to moderate amount of dryness in the finish.
O: This beer seems to be a littler maltier compared to others in the style.

Serving type: can

 

good but not great, i want these to be cleaner, crisper, more crushable and snappy, and while i think its cool they have so many pale german beers like this, a couple of helles types, a pils, a kolsch, etc, none of them really blew me away from an execution standpoint. this is identifiable as a kolsch, the yeast is right, the grain is light and crackery and european, and there are some noble type hops through the back half of it, but its also a little soapy, a little fuller in places, and without the tidiness in the ferment, its off dry, and the yeast, authentic as the strain is, seems a little stressed to me, maybe it just needed more time in the fermenter, either way we do not have the refreshing finish i am looking for. its not clear in the glass, but its light and straw colored and has a nice inch of head on it, looks pretty close. the aroma and flavor are good, but mild, almost dumbed down from the best examples of the style, but i like the herbal hops giving it some life, and i think this is close to being really solid. everything here a little bit seemed like a work in progress, especially these light german beers, but they potential is there for this to be the summer ripper of the north country, they just need to dial it in a bit...