Adventurous Stranger
Campanology Brewing

So I guess I either pulled this out of a Wisconsin trip or one of the generous peeps I know out that way threw this into a box.

Poured golden. Its generally the opposite color you think of when you read "coffee". This looks like a normal kolsch/beer. 1/3" white head. Compared to some other coffee blondes, this is a little light in the coffee department (Stone, Odd Side and Cascade come to mind). Coffee outranks the kolsch yeast in the nose though for prominence.

Taste has a more bitter edge than a normal kolsch, certainly the coffee, low in taste, but higher in bitterness perhaps factors in there, but some other things, like the heft/chewiness, seem to be bigger than most. Thought the mouth feel would have benefited more if it was lighter, more carbonated. I dunno that a kolsch or lager yeast works with coffee either. Not saying it can't, just doesn't seem to have been done well yet, if possible. Prolly won't please hardcore kolsch nor coffee fans.

 

Taste: crisp yeast grain, hint of sweet, mocha coffee, cocoa notes. Crackers and coffee nose. Light Gold, semi hazy, with white head that quickly disappears and delicate ring lace. Medium body, a little chewy but still easy to drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours yellow, slightly cloudy. Smells grainy. Taste is interesting, a little tartness along with coffee flavoring. Feels light and crisp.
Overall: the coffee doesn't quite work for me in a style like this -- it had sort of a cloying syrupy character to it, and I can't quite place it. Still worth trying once, and not bad to have something different that still works on a hot summer day.

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle served in a small stange. Beer pours very pale yellow in color, slightly hazed, with big soda bubbles & no head formation. Aroma is grassy and lagery, like a pilsner (or, of course, a kölsch), then upon deeper inspection, the earthy roastiness of coffee beans. Served cold, the flavor offers a crisp and fizzy edge, but quickly gives way to a syrupy and sweet flavor of brewed coffee, or perhaps coffee flavored chocolates or candies. As fizzy as this beer is, it's simultaneously at the high end of acceptable for a Kölsch and not fizzy enough to balance out the heavy sweet flavor and mouthfeel. While I love the label art, this is not an adventure I can recommend repeating.

 

 

22oz bottle, no date (purchased at Trader Joe's), split between two Bitburger Pils Rastel 0.2L pokal glasses.

Appearance: Slightly hazy gold, with a thin white head that died back fairly quickly. Little to no lacing.

Smell: Coffee and and a hint of chocolate dominate - very little other aroma.

Taste: Mocha with an underlying lager flavor. Very weird.

Mouthfeel: Crisp carbonation, but a little sticky.

Overall / Drinkability: This beer is like someone took an iced mocha and blended it with a lager. It's very unusual, not bad, not good, just unusual. I don't think I would buy again. I think if I want these flavors, I'll seek them out in a porter or a stout - they don't work in a kolsch in my opinion. An interesting beer, but the coffee dominates the flavors and the kolsch is absent.