Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company

I thought it seemed nicely accurate as well, but that was only a hunch, because as you say, it’s unique to have traditional kolsch available so I didn’t know for sure that I’ve tasted traditional kolsch. I’ve long been on the lookout for a benchmark kolsch so that I could have a baseline experience with it beyond just reading BJCP style guidelines of what it’s supposed to taste like. Yes, I’ve had American made kolsh’s before but they always seem too Americanized. Harpoon claims their summer ale is a kolsch, but I didn’t care for it and I didn’t want to write off the style just because I didn’t like Harpoon’s version. So outside of drinking fresh tap pours in Cologne, I assumed the closest I can could get is something like Reissdorf, but every Resissdorf bottle I see looks ancient.

So yeah it’s nice to have the Exhibit A option available and I also like that they serve it in a traditional stange glass in their taproom.

 

I had the Exhibit A Kolsch over the weekend and enjoyed it. As to its authenticity, I can't claim to be an expert but I thought it was very clean & had nice balance.

As for a benchmark style @jbertsch Reissdorf Kolsch seems to be available at a few places around town on draft & many package stores. My German neighbor from Koln believes it to be a hallmark, though freshness can be an issue as with most imports.

 

Good to know regarding your neighbor. I don’t recall seeing it on tap but I don’t get out much. I think if I could at least find bottles cold, I’d try it regardless of age but they're always warm and dusty.

 

I'm also far from an expert on the style, but I feel I've hung around the Germany forum long enough to have a ball park idea of what it should taste like. Based on that, I've never found Reissdorf to my liking, it's always tasted off, to the point where at times I regretted buying the draft. Also in the bottle I've had no luck.

I find it in/around Boston quite often on tap, and I've given up on trying it. What's your experience with Reissdorf?

You could try Fruh as well. I think last year I saw new Fruh bottles that had just arrived at my local store, and they were incredible. It fit the description and was one of the most refreshing and drinkable beers I've ever had. I believe there's dates on them, but I forget in which format. I haven't picked up bottles since then though, I think the same bottles have been there all year.

From memory, I think those who have been to Cologne have said Reissdorf/Gaffel/Fruh, if fresh, should give someone a good idea of what a proper Kölsch tastes like.

I also enjoyed this beer from Freigeist but it's unfiltered, so it's technically not a Kölsch. It also was quite refreshing, but I remember it maybe having more of a lemony/grassy note to it, which may be atypical for the style.

 

If you want to get nitpicky, it's not a true Kolsch unless it's actually from Koln. Kinda like lambic or Champagne. That's why I appreciate when producers note their beers as "kolsch-style" ie Big Sprang.

@SunDevilBeer @jbertsch it actually has pretty good turnover time. It just started coming in tall boy cans within the past 6 months, check those bad boys out. In terms of draft, The Independent and Sweet Cheeks usually always has it on.

 

An upscale steakhouse near me in Burlington (Bancroft) usually has it on tap & it tastes great. The drafts I've had @ Magoun's have been sub-par, perhaps due to age (of the keg itself & perhaps how long it sits?).

Only gotten bottles a few times - once was fine, the other I got that same "off" dirty taste.

Wouldn't mind having a consistent local brewery like Exhibit A continue to put out a good Kolsch-style offering, authentic or not.

 

My wife picked me up 3 4 packs of Exhibit A at the Craft Beer Cellar a week or so back. She bought it along with a bunch of Trillium as well. Drinking these beers side by side with Trillium I am really impressed so far with Cat's Meow and Hair Raiser, I'm looking forward to the Leitmotif in my fridge. I had heard of Demo Tape but hadn't really known much about this brewery. For me I would buy this beer again at the price point. Its totally worth it to me. The price question is really simple, if they maintain consistency and people like their beer then the price is correct. As for should it be cheaper at the brewery due to no distribution costs? That's absolute crap. Breweries are a business. Profit is how they grow their business. NightShift is a great example of using their profits to expand and make more of the beer we love.

Bottom line the cost of the beer should be judged by the person buying the beer and whether the value is justifiable. It doesn't really matter how much it cost to make the beer or ancillary costs. Supply and demand dictate price, the cost of goods dictates whether the brewery will make a profit or not.

 

Went to the tap room last week 12/8. Picked up cats meow and Hair Raiser. Cat was 12/5 canned, Hair was 11/25. Cat was a basic mosaic, citra ipa, but great overall (maybe just a hair boozy) 4.25. Got more nose than taste. Maybe a little slickness or watery separation. Hair Raiser was not great imo, rather bland tasting and quite boozy. Tap room was fine, a little industrial. When I got a growler the dudes screwed up swapping the emptied keg and seemed a little flustered. Nice enough dudes though.

 

Instructions unclear, bought more beer.

 

I don't want to hijack, but since Kolsch has been such a topic, at least on Verizon On Demand, there is an episode of Anthony Bourdain (yeah he's a jerk) Parts Unknown where he goes to Cologne, and as a bonus the last 5-10 minutes are in Dusseldorf. I've already watched it once, and it's worth it for the beer hall scenes, the bar food etc.. even if you hate the guy (I'm fairly ambivalent about him)

 

Stopped at the brewery last Wednesday with a buddy to test out some samplers in the draft room. Neat little place with a very industrial-feel ( vaportight "jelly jar" light fixtures and stainless finishes). Tried almost everything on the menu. Absolutely loved the Cats Meow and Briefcase Porter.. So tasty. Didn't notice any of the issues other were experiencing, but my palate might not be that refined. Got to talk to the owner for a bit, super nice guy. Staff very friendly and engaging. I live about 10 mins from here, so I plan on stopping frequently. Left with a nice buzz and a few 4-packs of the Exhibit "A" product. Looking forward to more.

 

I absolutely adore Hair Raiser, and since my office and practice space are within a 15 minute drive I think I'll be getting a lot more.

 

I had both Cats Meow and Had Raiser last night. Cat was decent but the hops seemed muted and nothing popped. Hair Raiser was a bit boozy, super sweet and left a bad after taste. At $20 per four I won't be buying anymore of that one.

 

This batch of hair raiser looks different and has different flavor from last batch to the point of wondering whether hops or process changed. I thought last batch great. This is a different beer. Disappointment.

 

Hmm... I got a 4-pack from CBC Thursday, haven't cracked one yet. Loved the first time I got it. I'm interested to see if it didn't translate into this batch.

 

Swung by the brewery last week but they hadn't canned Hair Raiser yet. Had a taste and it was great. Was stoked to pick up cans when they landed at a CBC near me a few days ago. Seems like a totally different beer as folks have mentioned above. Sweet, boozy, not hazy like any of the photos here or on Untappd from December. Definitely a disappointment! Hope it's just a batch variation.

 

Yeah, this run of cans seems off. Very sweet. Nothing like what I had the first time.

 

Thank you to everyone who has posted on here positive and negative. The reality is beer is both objective and subjective and certainly rarely perfect. I take great pride in what I do, and I accept your experiences with my beer as just that. I respect it, be assured. Just to clarify. as a small brand new brewery, you will absolutely experience some variations batch to batch. I work hard every single day to make sure our beers are something we are very proud of. If they aren't, they go down the drain. Fortunately, we have only had to dump a couple batches thus far. That being said, yes... I have made a couple minor changes (hop wise and process) to the latest Hair Raiser. The hop changes were a planned thing because certain varieties that I wanted in that particular beer from day one were not yet available to me. I have my Azacca and Equinox now, plus others. Process wise. Of course. Some processes stay the same, while other processes change from time to time. On the latest Hair Raiser, we had better than normal yeast flocculation earlier in the conditioning which left the beer much brighter after the serious amount of hops for dry hopping. Remember we are talking about a beer that has been brewed 3 times, so please bare with me. I assure you, Hair Raiser will be a beer you want to come back to. Crazy how so many people love this batch due to its balance and lack of milky haze. I like the softness of original demo tape seven which is where this beer is going.

As a brewer of 20 years, I assure you, even the most consistent, automated breweries will have slight process changes hoping for improvements to products. Yes, we all strive for consistency but not at the detriment of improvement of flavor. At least for me. And I promise, all our beers will improve. Even the ones people love already. For our next batch of HR and possibly all our hop forward beers, I am changing up the process of how we introduce our hops in the beer in the cellar. Essentially recirculating the beer through the hops to maximize(maybe) hop oil extraction. This is pretty cool technique. I tried this process first in 2004 while Head Brewer at Offshore Ale. The beer was Hop Goddess. I really loved that beer. People were a little afraid of if at first because it was 'cloudy' really hoppy(not bitter) with a belgian yeast. It became the top seller that summer. Anyway, this is just another process (of many) that I will work with in order to make you the best beer possible.

On a more important note. All are welcome to come to the brewery sometime to check us out for the first time or again and talk with me about your past experience. I see above a few of you had experiences that likely will make it so you don't try my beer again. That bums me out. Those of you here that know me, get that. Hate to consider that you had 1 beer from us that didn't quite work for you, and we lost you forever. We are small, new and passionate and also, I would like to think disserving of your next visit.
See you at the brewery.

Matthew Steinberg
Co-Founder and Brewer
Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co.

 

One thing that nobody can say is that the owner doesn't care. This is the kind of passion I want to see out of a local brewery...