Das Gurke
Outer Light Brewing Company

a pretty solid cucumber kolsch here, authentic cucumber character to it, a tidy kolsch underneath with a slightly fruity ferment, a light malt complexion, and high drinkability thanks to its dryness, effervescence, and freshness, i enjoyed this quite well even if we missed its season a little bit, more of a high summer thing for my tastes, but was glad to cut into it anyhow. blonde and off from immaculate clarity which i look for in these, short headed but nicely carbonated the whole way. aroma of honest real cucumber to me, neat with the subtle german grain and yeast notes, i get the waxy lush dark green peel, the seedy flesh, and crispness of the real thing, very well done, not fermented out or changed by time in the can, its fresh and popping, and the taste is as good as the nose in this regard. i think it marries into the base beer well, not overwhelming even though its bold, this is still drinkable and not over flavored, light on the hops, the cucumber seems to kind of do the same thing, there is a little citrus and bitterness late here. its off dry, has a fresh pils malt base it seems, and has a cold fermented snappy vibe, nice to have a cucumber beer that isnt also a pickle beer, i dont miss all that here and the simplicity and purity is part of what makes it. slightly soapy to me as it warms, mineral forward, lightly vegetal as is to be expected. the right base beer for the cucumber. clever and well made, drinkable for a flavored beer, i have been impressed with outer light so far!

Full disclosure: I don't like adulterating the Kölsch style, either by adding unnecessary ingredients or amplifying it to imperial strength.

But ...

... this beer freaking works.

The Kölsch base works out remarkably well for the addition of cucumber. It's got enough malt sweetness to stand up to the fruit (yes, cucumber is a fruit - in fact, it is technically a berry). The cucumber itself is refreshing and bright, but not overpowering. It's damn near the perfect beer for a hot Summer day, much more balanced than other cucumber-infused beers I've had.

I have very little to complain about here, other than any perceived disrespect toward tradition (and EU PGI status). This beer is excellent, but it is also likely to be polarizing. I will offer that if you're open to the idea of cucumber in a beer, and have been turned off by other attempts, this is a beer well worth giving a chance.