Blue Stripe
Axemann Brewery

LOOK: Pours a very clear, very light pale straw with gold hues, along with an all white loose head that had a bit of retention while providing a decent amount of side glass lace.
AROMA: Some wet doughy bread, along with a distant peppery spice scent.
TASTE: The spicy aroma is a bit more assertive in the taste. Some hop bitterness that is also creats a drying finish.
Crisp, and the dryish finish make for an easy drinking satisfying brew.

I am sampling a cold 12 oz can poured into my .3L stange. No date stamp on the can anywhere. I picked this up at a beer shop in central Pennsylvania while in the area visiting family. The beer pours a bright clear golden color with a fluffy bleached white head of 2 cm. This foam fades to a sturdy surface covering and leaves windowpane lattice as it falls.
Several streams of carbonation rise towards the surface.
Aroma is some doughy bread, hints of white grapes and some apple notes. There is also something slightly astringent or metallic on the nose. Its not the dominant scent, but I smell it with every whiff.
First sip reveals a light body with fine prickly carbonation and crisp texture. The beer drinks pretty easy.
Flavor is a bit of bready note and then goes sweet with apple and pears and some floral honey. The sweeter notes linger a bit. Finish does dry out and there is a bit of hop bitterness here too.
Im not sure what the "bad" scent I got on the nose is from, but overall the beer is fine, although there are better Kölsch-style brews out there IMO.

Axemann Brewery "Blue Stripe"
12 fl. oz. can without production codes or freshness dating

Notes: I appreciate that they've labeled this as "Kölsch-Style Beer" rather than Kölsch, which it's not. It's straw gold with a slight haze beneath a short head of white foam. The head retention is just OK, and the lacing is really not that much better. There's something odd in the aroma but I'm not exactly sure what it is; I'm thinking ethyl acetate. I AM sure, however, that it's fermentation related. Beyond that it's just grainy malt, a touch of apple-like yeasty fruitiness, and a smear of non-specific hops. Unfortunately the flavor follows. The off note remains, although it's not as clear, and the rest is just malt and distant hops. They're a little bit floral, a little bit spicy, and a touch herbal. It's not that bitter, which makes total sense, and it's balanced for what it is. In the mouth it's medium-light in body and gently crisp. The label reads "EVERYDAY EXCELLENCE" but that's certainly not true. I have no problem with the style of beer, the "Kölsch-style" designation, or the recipe itself but its production quality is certainly lacking.

Pretty solid kolsch, crisp, clean without thay overdrawn typical straw flavor. Really enjoyed this one

Just came across this for the first time. Definitely a pleasant surprise. This is one of those crisp, flavorful beers that's perfect for warm weather, but tastes good anytime. Tastes like what I always hoped ballpark beer would taste like, like something a German brewer would be proud to have made. In a world dominated by IPAs and other kinds of quirky, intense beers, Blue Stripe has great flavor but it's more like a Platonic ideal of "beer" than something more peculiar or unique. Still, this was a kölsch that I genuinely enjoyed every mouthful of. Nothing bland about it. It takes skill to make this kind of beer and make it memorable. Hats off to these folks for bringing excellence to a beer in this style that you wouldn't mind drinking any day.

 

 

DATE: August 27, 2020... OCCASION: Holey Moley with the family after Michael's fall baseball tryout... GLASSWARE: Man Skirt willibecker... the second of six sixes gifted by brother Jer a few weeks ago, this pours a golden yellow body with a pilsner's worth of small bubbles forming a sudsy, broken ring of bubble with some trace smears inside it... looks drinkable... bright noble hops, full of flowers, toasted oats, honey, and a bit of pine... this sips well, slightly oily but refreshingly as well... clean, almost watery in its movement, it finishes with a light but noticeable slickness... easy drinking, for certain, with an ABV that hits the middle of the road... oats, ginger, honey, toasted malts, light hay and lemon, minimal sweetness, minimal bitterness... just a solid kolsch, refreshing without taxing, cloying, or pestering.... smooth and agreeable... does what it needs to...

Very good

Poured into grip shaped goblet: color is straw, great clarity, nice thin but solid white head with fine bubbles, some light spotty lacing on the glass.

Smell is clean, lightly sweet pilsner malt, some crackers and biscuit, bright grassy hops.

Taste is similarly clean with light pilsner malt with hints of crackers and biscuits, hops are lightly herbal and hint of grass.

Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, moderate bitterness, crisp finish.

Overall this is a great, simple beer - well done and to style.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a Shy Bear pint glass

L: Clear light golden pour with big fluffy white head. Nice lacing.

S: Light malts and lemon citrus hops.

T.F: Clean and clear. Light bodied and well carbonated. Crackery grains... grassy lemon citrus hops. Modest bitterness.

O: An easy-drinking lager. Clean and tasty... an easy go-to for outdoor summer funsy type stuff.