Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

U certainly get banana .. loved the taste but bananas give me gas

 

Perhaps I am off; just typing my initial thoughts as I consume. Let me know if I am describing aroma/flavor profiles incorrectly.

 

Had the SN Koelsch with Mother's Day brunch. It's a good beer. I really like the esters the yeast kicks out: as @sierranevadabill points out, a nice bouquet of white grape fruitiness. Agree with his take on the hops, too: the U.S.-style hops are pretty well hanging in the background. Everything is in good balance. Would be interested in what type of filtration this one undergoes. If I had any gripe -- which I don't really -- it'd be the 2-row (and maybe the wheat) peeking through the pilsner-malt breadiness. Otherwise, like most if not all of SN's takes on German styles, it's very well done with just enough of an American "craft" character as to not throw off U.S. palates. Cheers!

 

@sierranevadabill is the Kölsch being brewed in both SN breweries? Would that make for some inconsistencies in batches?

 

You don't happen to know how long they've been using this Moravian strain of barley, have you? I guess it's being grown specially for them in North Dakota by a relative of Summit's owners. Looks like they're using it in a few of the German style they brew -- I don't think I ever saw the Oktoberfest last year, but I may have to see if it tastes a little different this year.

 

According to their webpage, it's been since at least 2011 (unclear whether they started earlier than that). It's probably been over four years since I've had it.

 

No, all the Kolsch was brewed in NC (for all the packs nationwide) so there should be a pretty consistent flavor profile.

 

Missed the 2011 date when I checked the web site. There's another video that shows the brewing of the Pilsener... and they talk about using 100% of that Moravian (though caramel is listed at the web site) and decoction mashing. Nice. Only trouble is I can't find Summit too readily any more.

Gotta love an Irish brewmaster who's been in Minnesota too long -- brewing Bohemian beer.

 

Yeah, so you'd surmise.

 

Do you know where the barley is malted?

Cheers!

 

I answered my own question, the barley is malted at Rahr:

“SBGA: Where is the barley sent to be malted?

MS: The barley goes through the malting process at Rahr Malting Company located in Shakopee, Minnesota, a town southwest of Minneapolis. Rahr is a fantastic organization.”

https://shebrewsgoodale.wordpress.com/tag/moravian-barley/

Cheers!

 

I had a Ballast Point Longfin lager yesterday and found it to be surprisingly good and feel it had the spirit of a good German pale lager. It's listed as a helles, but the hops are dialed up a hair more than most. It's more akin to a Bavarian pils, but definitely not anything like Jever or even Rothaus.
BP's usually known for being a quintessential San Diego brewer (big hops, big flavors), but this was quite nice in an unexpected way. I don't think I've had a bad beer from those guys, but this one was still a surprise.

 

Chris,

Have you tasted the Ballast Point Pale Ale (Kolsch)? If so, what are your thoughts on this beer?

Cheers!

 

Yeah I was not a fan last time I tried this maybe 2 years ago, diacetyl and sweet, bleh...
Ill consider trying it again. But just in PDX there are multiple better options, so I don't see much of a reason.

 

Never had it...mainly just because I'm not a huge fan of the style. I've never been to Koeln, so I don't have that itch to scratch. I've had my fair share of Calico, Sculpin, Pale, and Victory at Sea. I think those beers are actually what surprised me about Longfin. I expected something along the lines of NB's Shift or Avery Joe's and what I got was closer to Germany than beers like those.

I was actually at OB on Saturday and I still didn't bother. I think I've had maybe one glass in the last 2 years. It's definitely better than it was, but it just isn't very compelling for most of us. It's absolutely huge for new macro converts, though. I think it's even OB's best selling beer. I remember early non-canned variants being less sweet and having less diacetyl, but my wife (who hates diacetyl) never did like it. She considers the current version to be okay, so that's a decent endorsement.

 

Found a spot with Summit's Maibock, though I had to get the stocker to look in the back. Admittedly, my palate isn't clean as I already had a Goose Island 312 Pale Ale ($12 a 12 pack here @grantcty -- another local perk), but the malts seem to be holding that great breadiness the Pilsener had -- the Maibock is marked Best By July of 2015.

Taken with a grain of salt: the stocker at the retailer told me a new distro has taken over Summit in Northeastern Illinois and seems to be dropping the ball terribly. Not sure how true his statement is, but I plan to dig into it just because Summit is grabbing my interest again.

 

Man- I'd love to try this, and we get Summit in NJ, but it's just not showing up on their beerfinder. Maybe it's too early to check? I'll clue my beer guy in, just in case.

 

Just had one of these a week or so ago and rather enjoyed it as well. Thought it had a nice little saline type DMS note, really quiet, but just enough to give it a little spritz of freshness to go along with the noble hop flavor.

When imports are hard to find fresh, it's nice to know there are some domestic examples that, even if not as good as the authentic versions, can pass the muster.

 

Spent some time in Southern California recently and had a couple German-inspired brews.

Saint Archer Blonde is, similar to the curiously named Ballast Point Pale Ale, a kolsch-style ale. "...Modeled after the bright, beautiful ales of Koln, our interpretation has a clean, crisp malt character similar to a Pilsner. The authentic Kolsch yeast strain pairs perfectly with our unique blend of aromatic Noble hops from Germany." I didn't know all of this prior to drinking it, but that was actually kinda cool, because I made a note of its noticeable pilsner malt presence and noble hop finish. I figured it was just a curious take on a blonde ale, but when I saw the brewer's description of a kolsch, it all made sense. It's probably a touch heavy/husky for the style (as I understand it to be), but that malt profile was pretty darn satisfying.

I assumed Karl Strauss's Windansea Wheat would be more of an American Pale Wheat ale, but, much to my liking, it was more Bavarian Hefeweizen. Tons of banana in this -- TONS -- a bit creamy, and just enough spice to keep it from getting cloying. It's definitely a sweet take, so I'm not sure it'd be for everyone, but I really dug it (as did the wife, who is on a serious German kick at the moment, for which I'm proud indeed). Stats for the Windansea as follows:

Style: Bavarian Hefeweizen
Malt: Pale 2-Row, White Wheat
Hops: Tettnanger

 

Did you take note of any flavors/aromas from the Kolsch yeast strain?

I did a side-by-side tasting of two Kolsch beers here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-532.287689/#post-3606946

Cheers!