Goldie
Lightcaster Brewery

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Aug 1 2025 and served barely chilled.

Pours crystal clear and effervescent, its pale yellow-hued body capped with an inch of soapy, sparkling white head. It lingers for five minutes or so, eventually whittled down to a creamy collar and frothy cap; great lace deposition. Clean, wholesome aroma of grainy malts, cereal sweetness and whole grain bread, with hints of grassy, spicy hops.

This is a pretty good kölsch: grainy malts, bready sweetness, apple skin and a touch of grape, with grassy, herbal hops rounding out the back end. Grassy, grainy finish preceding a fairly dry aftertaste. Light in body, with middling carbonation that lends some spritz to this brew's smooth, satisfying mouthfeel; this is an extremely drinkable beer with real session potential.

Final Grade: 3.84, a B+. Plenty of Ontario brewers have tried their hand at producing a kölsch - though by my estimates, most of them miss the mark, to varying extents. Lightcaster's Goldie is better than average, IMO - it may not be a perfect facsimile, but it nails most of the main bullet points: the dry finish and slightly fruity profile are my favourite aspects. This is a brew that I would buy on a regular basis, if it were stocked locally, and I'd encourage other German beer lovers to give it a shot if they can find it.

Apr 24 2025

Poured a 473ml can into a stang. A two finger fine white head on a slightly hazy pale gold. Excellent head retention. Lots of fine lacing.

Herbal spice in the nose. Tastes mildly fruity. Some malt in the finish. Very subdued bitterness.

Very smooth mouthfeel. A light body and moderate carbonation. Overall a clean crisp Kölsch. true to the style and well worth a try.