Golden Kölsch
Niigata Beer Co.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing about this beer that makes it a Kolsch. It pours a very dark red brown. Smells very soapy and malty. Tastes very yeasty (like a dark Belgian ale) and way too boozy.

 

Bottled 6/1/15. Best by 5/31/16

Pours a murky dark orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, earth, grass, and caramel aromas. Taste is much the same with grass, earth, caramel, and candied fruit flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with interesting caramel and fruit qualities that I wasn't expecting for the style.

Serving type: bottle.

 

 

 

A: The beer is a little hazy dark brownish red in color—strikingly dark for a Kölsch—and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short off white head consisting of a thick ring of large bubbles around the edge of the glass and a lacy star of bubbles on the surface in the center of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of butter are preset in the nose along with some hints of fruits.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has diacetyl with buttery flavors and some additional notes of apples and hints of grapes.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This "kölsch" is quite unlike any other beer I've had before in the style and seems "off". At least it's not bland.

Serving type: bottle

 

 

My first review.
Got it at Far Bar, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance is a deep golden color. The head wasn't very big: it seemed to dissolve relatively quickly even at my rushed second pour. I didn't notice any fizz/carbonation/bubbles.

Frankly I forgot to smell this one before drinking.

The taste surprised me with a rich, buttery flavor. I could not taste the alcohol, even though it was 7%... it was all flavour. Yet, it didn't taste particularly heavy- it was quite easy to drink while being relatively substantial in flavor. A little bitterness, a little sour, mild carbonation, maybe even a little sweet, but "buttery" is definitely the key word. As it warmed, the flavor seemed to get a little heavier and more bitter. I think I prefer it cooler.

Mouthfeel was relatively light, soft, smooth, refreshing. Not too dry, not too wet, not particularly carbonated.

Overall, maybe it's just my inexperience, but I think this beer is outstanding. I've maybe only once before had a beer with a buttery flavor like this... and it is a very unique thing that I love about this beer. I'll definitely remember this one and come back to it again.

On Niigata's site, the bottle reads 'European Kölsch' and 'Gold Label'. I guess they've recently changed the name to 'Golden Kölsch' to differentiate between their weaker, other European Kölsch (white label). Bought this one at Tanakaya, dates are a bit confusing on the label but read 05.09 and 07.09 (good between Sept. 05-07, is my guess).

This one poured out a murky, thick, golden amber color, cider-like in appearance. Head was slightly off-white and faded quickly.

Definite diacetly presence in the nose, buttery and a bit chalky, honey, traces of alcohol, and also some tart fruit, peaches and nectarines. Also, a faint smoky character lingering in the background. Interesting aroma.

Strong, carbonated taste with the tart fruit heavy on the tongue, leaving a sour aftertaste. Buttery, with some diacetyl in the flavor, and assertive hop bitterness towards the end. Very clean and crisp, watery mouthfeel. Finish was a bit dry, mostly buttery.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Nice and refreshing for a summer day, with extremely well-masked alcohol content, but the taste doesn't really WOW my palette. Maybe someone else will appreciate this one a bit more than I did.