High Country Kölsch
Mt. Begbie Brewing Co.

 

Nothing special to look at and the head does not linger. Aromas of light sweet malt with a hint of cracker and herbs. Bready flavour with faint herbal hops. Finishes with slight sweetness but remains fairly crisp on the palate

 

 

Poured from a 12oz can. Colour is a slightly hazy yellow-gold capped by a head of foam that recedes very quickly to a few islands. Not a lot of lacing.

Smell is lightly fruity (tart apples? Pears?), estery yeast, slightly grassy and biscuity. A touch of pepper. Taste is sweet and gently tart fruit, a touch of bready, crackers malt, and some faint hop grassiness. Moderate to high carbonation, good body. Very drinkable, and punches above its 4.5% ABV.

It's still a subtle beer, but that's pretty consistent with the style, and this is quite likeable. One of the better Canadian attempts at the kolsch style that I've tried, for sure--very accessible, but interesting, and would appeal to "new" craft drinkers.

 

The perfect summer beer. Nice flavour, goes down easy. You can drink this lovely Kolsch all day long on a hot summer day. Definitely my new go-to summer beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Sampled at Beer Revolution in Calgary, a recently tapped keg. A fairly pale golden brew with about an inch or so of stark white head. Although I am by no means a kolsch expert, this one has a different character to me as compared to some of the other Euro and North American takes I've sampled ... The malts were sweeter and the hops were somewhat bolder. Perhaps I was able to capitalize on trying this fresh on tap as opposed to from a bottle or can. Aroma was fresh and crisp, characterized by pale white bread style malt, a green mildly aromatic vegetable note like cucumbers and a hoppy fruitiness that evokes gooseberries. Tastes like sweetish pancake batter, tomato leaf, oilseed, floral tobacco, and floral soapy gum, with a sweet boiled graininess pervading the whole experience from start to finish. I like the currant-esque "genus Ribes" fruity vibe from the hops, and presumably this fruity character is further bolstered by the ale yeast. The malts taste less cracker-like than other kolsch, with more caramelized flavor apparent, although the thinnish mouthfeel and moderate to brisk carbonation remind you that this is technically a session beer. Pleasingly flavorful, at least in this capacity. The reviews below suggest that the bottled experience is rather more banal.

 

 

Another can for the collection, I'm so glad Zyn sells such a wide variety of singles.
Tan can with a black and white picture of a train engine and engineer, photo courtesy Revelstoke Museum and Archives (same as the bottle label pictured). "A light bodied, refreshing German ale. Craft brewed in small batches in the heart of the majestic Selkirk Mountains. Revelstoke's hidden gem..a real thirst quencher!
Pours slightly hazy, straw yellow with a short topping of white head. OK foam retention, thin lace lines. Smells grainy and grassy, hint of citrus, very lightly hopped.
Taste also lightly hopped, fresh wheat graininess, slightly fruit finish. Body light, finish dry, medium mouthfeel, good level of carbonation.
Light and crisp, easy to drink, a decent interpretation of the style. It was a real thirst quencher!

Appearance- Pours a hazy straw with finger width of white frothy head.

Smell- grains, white grape, grass, lemon zest.

Taste- You get pretty much everything from the aroma. Has a pleasant fruity finish.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall- A easy drinking and crisp Kolsch by Mt. Begbie. I enjoyed the presence of the white grape. I would have liked to see the hops more pronounced to make this brew stand out more.