Sam Adams Escape Route Kolsch

I recently picked up a 6 pack of Sam Adams Escape Route Kolsch. Not too many US craft breweries produce packaged Kolsch beers.

Here is the description that Sam Adams has for this beer on their website:

“Escaping from winter’s darkness, this hazy golden, unfiltered Kölsch style creates a fresh start. Our take on the classic hybrid style from Cologne Germany combines the subtle fruit notes of an ale with the smooth crispness of a lager for a bright, refreshing brew to help escape those lingering cold days. Available beginning in January.”

A bit of a technicality from a German (Cologne) perspective is that an unfiltered Kolsch beer cannot be called a Kolsch in the city of Cologne; they call the unfiltered beer a Wieß .”Wieß ("white" in the Kölsch language) is a cloudy, unfiltered version of Kölsch. It had virtually disappeared from the market during most of the 20th century, but has seen a small resurgence in recent years.”

So, kudos to Sam Adams for being part of the resurrection and making a Wieß beer!

My take on Escape Route:

Appearance: A nice golden color with a very slight haze; big fluffy white head.

Aroma: Subtle bready malt aroma.

Taste: The flavor followed the aroma: bready malt flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a crisp finish.

Overall: An enjoyable beer to drink and a solid effort in making a Kolsch. It had most of the things that I look for in a Kolsch style beer. I could not perceive any off flavors. This beer was clean and crisp which indicates that Sam Adams did a good job of fermenting this beer cool and lagering properly. The highlight of this beer was the aroma/flavor and they were reasonably consistent with this style of beer. For those folks who like to drink Kolsch beers I would recommend you try this beer. For those of you who are aficionados of the Kolsch beers brewed in Cologne, Escape Route came close to those beers but it is not quite there (yet).

My only beef with Boston Beer Company: why did you release this beer in January? I understand that there are competitive and financial reason on why seasonal beers like Pumpkin beers and Oktoberfest beers are released ridiculously early but a Kolsch such as Escape Route would be better served if it was released in late spring/early summer; this beer would be an excellent drink on a warm/hot evening after work. And dare I say it: an excellent lawnmower beer.

Cheers!

 

Just to expound upon what I stated in my first post: Sam Adams Escape Route is not like a Kolsch brewed by Brauerei zur Malzmühle or Brauerei Päffgen or Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf. It is a very solid Kolsch brewed by a US craft brewery and at 10 bucks (or less like $8.69 at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD) a 6-pack it is a very good deal IMHO.

Cheers!

 

I am guessing that the Kolsch style may not be your ‘thing’? A Kolsch beer is noted for its delicate flavor profile: malty aroma/flavor and overall clean/crisp aspect. Overall it is a subtle beer of beauty but I can see why some folks might think it is not a remarkable beer.

Some Kolsch beers will have a subtle white wine flavor which is produced by the yeast strain. I personally did not discern much of a white wine flavor in Escape Route but I do perceive a white wine flavor in my homebrewed Kolsch beers. I am curious which yeast strain Boston Beer Company used to ferment Escape Route.

Cheers!