Chef's Choice No. 2
Three Magnets Brewing

 

 

16oz tallboy can purchased at the Kendall Yards Nectar, in Spokane, Washington, for $4.29. Part of an ongoing series of food-related beers 3M are doing in collaboration with their current, outstanding head chef, Frank Magana. This is a Kolsch brewed with Thai basil, ginger and coconut water. According to the stamp on the bottom of the can, this was canned on May 29, 2018.

Poured into a shaker pint glass, this was a hazy golden amber color, with about a half-finger's worth (I have somewhat thick fingers, so YMMV) of eggshell-white foam. Said head didn't hang around too long, but never entirely vanished, leaving a thin white ring throughout the beer's time in my glass. Spotty lace.

Big nose for a Kolsch, but it's quite well balanced between the three adjuncts, all of which can be noted as present even if none makes itself felt as the dominant aroma. No traditional hop or malt aroma makes a dent here,

Like in the aroma, the adjuncts lead the flavor harge. At this point, the basil and ginger are more or less the co-captains of the taste, with the coconut water a distant third, most notable in the finish. Again, hops and malts are very restrained, providing a balanced playground for the adjuncts to do their thing and not much else. Finish is slightly dry.

Body is somewhere between light and medium, with a mouthfeel that is more crisp and dry than I expected for a 5.6% alcohol Kolsch with such adjuncts present.

I was a little dubious about this one, but I guess a Kolsch makes a decent canvas for experimentation. Definitely not a traditional take on the style, but instead a bold experiment that paid off. While I'm not sure I'd want to session this, the one can I've got is drinking well after work on an about 90° day. I'd definitely hit this again.

Poured into an Euler stange. Pours a lightly hazy, medium golden amber with a half finger white head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of basil, ginger and coconut with some faint biscuity malt in the background. Flavor follows, with summer herbs (I'm getting more sage and rosemary than basil), light coconut and ginger. Like the aroma, the light biscuit malt is subsumed into the herbal flavors. Light to medium bodied with good carbonation. This was much better than I expected (it sounded a bit busy), but one of the charms of the kolsch style is the delicate if grainy biscuit malt and sadly it is in the background here. It really could be any light ale base supporting the herbs, coconut and ginger. On the plus side, this rather forward flavors are well balanced and not overpowering and the result is a light, refreshing ale that is reminiscent of Thai cuisine. The ginger and coconut are light, but distinct. The basil, as mentioned earlier could be any summer herb, but does add a nice savory, earthy spiciness. I liked this and am impressed that they brought these flavors together in a pleasant way. Not a classic kolsch, though.