Columbia Kölsch
Ice Harbor Brewing Company

Review: 2617
Name: Columbia Kolsch
Brewery: Ice Harbor Brewery
Location: Kenniwick, WA
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 5%
Canned: 16 February 2026
Date: 19 May 2026
Initial Impression:
Columbia Kölsch was the last beer brought back from Ice Harbor Brewing Company for me to sample. I intentionally chose the Kölsch because it's one of those deceptively difficult styles—simple on paper, but requiring a lot of finesse to really nail. So far, the beers from this brewery have ranged from decent to solid, and I can tell they're close to putting together something truly polished.
Appearance:
Served at 44°F in a belcher glass. The pour created an airy, creamy white head about two fingers thick with above-average retention. Slow-to-moderate dissipation left a generous amount of lacing behind.
The beer pours pale straw with light golden hues (SRM ~4), slightly hazy with a few visible yeast floaties. Personally, I prefer a brighter, clearer Kölsch presentation, but the excellent head retention helps make up for it visually.
Aroma:
Malt-forward with restrained hop support. Biscuit, cracker, lightly toasted grain, and gentle malt sweetness lead the nose. A second pass reveals subtle lemon, grassy notes, faint herbal notes, and soft floral tones reminiscent of jasmine or elderflower.
The aroma remains clean and straightforward overall, though the balance leans more toward malt than the crisp delicacy I typically expect from the style.
Flavor:
Easy-drinking with a muted but pleasant hop profile. Lemon leads up front, followed by grass, light bay leaf, faint pine resin, and soft floral notes. The hop character stays restrained and supportive rather than expressive.
The malt backbone is more noticeable, bringing biscuit, toasted grain, bread crust, and cracker notes, with a touch of lingering sweetness. While flavorful, the malt emphasis slightly softens the crispness and delicacy that make exceptional Kölsches stand out.
Mouthfeel:
Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. Creamy on the palate, with a dry, crisp finish that keeps the beer refreshing and approachable.
Overall Impression:
This is a good Kölsch, though not quite as refined as I'd hoped. The slightly darker color, fuller malt presence, and softer hop balance push it a bit away from the clean, delicate precision I personally look for in the style.
That said, it's still an easy-drinking beer with solid fundamentals and plenty of drinkability. A little more refinement—particularly tightening up the malt balance and presentation—could elevate this beer well above the rest of their core lineup. I'd happily quaff another pint, especially on a warm afternoon.

Had this beer at their Marina location about September 2023. Don't remember the specifics but from my rating it was just another average Kolsch style beer.

Taster at Ice Harbor Marina. Clear golden pour, paper thin head, streaky lacing. Malty, biscuity aroma with a touch of citrus. Bready, malty taste, slight metallic notes at the finish. Starts great, fades at the end.

 

 

 

Thanks to woemad for this one. A bit on the cloudy/hazy side for style. Good grain scent, with a nice hop counter-point. A bit sweeter on the the tongue. Smooth, even body. Good, easy drinkability. Worth trying if you see it.

 

Clear gold with a massive white head that leaves big clouds of lacing on the glass sides. The head lasted for a good 10 minutes.
Smell is lemons grassy hops with a light cracker malt.
Taste is similar to the smell very light and delicate.
Mouthfeel is light with high carbonation. A very tiny hop bitterness in the finish.
My bottle said 4.8% abv. instead of 4.4%.
Very enjoyable summer beer.

22oz bottle from Grocery Outlet in Salem for the ridiculous price of $1.79 Not sure if the same this as the last beer from Ice Harbor of this type was 3 years ago and lower in abv. Clear,bright golden beer with a large candy-floss white head. Strong honey, nutty caramel aromas. Favor is similar to the aroma..pleasant honeyish and caramel..slight hop very slight grassiness. Nice mouthfeel to this one..i think they got the carbonation right on. Overall a nice drinkable kolsch great for $1.79

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle purchased at brewery poured into shaker pint glass 2.22.10.

Hard pour resulted in 1 1/2 fingers white creamy head, quick dissipation with minimal lacing, clear light golden body, a good bit of visible carbonation rising from bottom of glass. The nose is lemony, floral hops, dry. Taste is fairly sweet, meyer lemon, wheaty chewiness, a bit of bitterness on the backend. Mouthfeeel is fully carbonated with a dry finish. Certainly a very sessionable beer, but lacking in character. A good entry style for craft newbies, but not the most flavorful of versions.

Poured a straw yellow with a decent white head that collared nicely into an excellent laciness. Smell was of cereal grains. The taste had a balance of hops and cereal grains. It was thin but not bad texture. I felt the flavor was good for a 'light' beer that was crisp and very refreshing. Recommend trying, good session beer on a hot day.

I sampled this beer at the brewery pub in Kennewick, WA with imacoug.

A: It poured a very pale clear yellow with a bone white head that receded fast and barely left any lacing.

S: It had a sweet fruity malt aroma that was dominated by oranges and white cherries. There were very slight undercurrents of floral hops.

T: The initial taste was dominated by sweet and tart fuits including ripe oranges and tart rainier cherries. There was a tangy hop flavor that had no bite or bark, and simply complemented the tartness of the fruits. despite a low ABV the finish was clean and dry.

M: Very light body with a sweet front, tangy back and clean refreshing aftertaste.

D: The low ABV and IBU and clean finish make this a beer one could drink long into the night. It was somewhat unremarkable but that is also one of its virtues.

Another exceptionally clear beer from Ice Harbor. This kölsch is – and I do have to say this – piss-yellow, and so polished I could almost read a newspaper through the glass. (As a lens, a pint of beer inverts imagery and print.) The body afforded slight carbonation and sported a film head that faded and trailed no lace.

Aroma is yeasted with a modest beefy flavor that comes across clean and drinkable. The taste isn’t particularly strong, but it approximates something along the lines of a cream ale or lager with a note or two of haybale. A gentle, approachable beer with a fairly full body.

Not being an experienced Koelsh drinker (I briefly visited Cologne 4 yrs ago, but was drinking Alts as I'd just discovered them), I'm making no attempt to hold this beer to any style standards. Rather, this review concentrates on what I liked and disliked about it as a beer - period. Poured a slightly dark hue of gold. Small white head that didn't hang around. Very floral in the nose, along with a breadiness from the yeast. Taste is floral and crisp without the hops being overpowering. Slightly marred by a mineralish taste lingering in the background. Finishes very dry. A little thin on the mouthfeel for my porterish tastes. Seems very drinkable. This is a nice beer, nothing earthshattering, but certainly adequate.
11-18-03
Bought another bottle of this, and it tastes very different. Taste was totally dominated by a grapefruit flavor. It was so strong it could have been marketed as a "grapfruit beer," if such a thing could exist. I really hope this was a random bad bottle, as the taste was way too overpowering.
4/25/04
Tried another bottle of this today. It's very good, and proves that the bottle I had in November was bad. In fact, I think this is better than my first positive review, as I'm not getting the mineral/metallic taste I detected before. While I am glad that this does appear to be a good beer on the whole, I can't help but think that IH has some quality issues with this beer. Their pale and stout don't seem to be inconsistent, so maybe this is a tough style to get right. I haven't had enough Kolsches to know.

Medium golden color, small head. Aroma is fruity and sweet. A German style Kolsch golden ale. Slightly hoppy, crisp ale. Some maltyness with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slighlty sweet.