Kolsch Swap 2009

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I wanted to get the Kolsch swap beer reviewed and posted before my daughter drops in and takes up any sort of free beer review time I may have. Nine days on the count down. :D

Not a BJCP judge, but I used that scoresheet for some sort of consistency in the reviews.
 
Edcculus's Kolsch

Aroma

No malt/hop to speak of, very well balanced in that respect. Slight apple notes and a "wine" type aroma, maybe sulfur.

10 of 12

Appearance

Straw gold with a pillowy head. 1/2" pill of foam for whole 12oz "sample" :)

3 of 3

Flavor

soft, slight sweet aftertaste, little malt over hop, otherwise well balanced. would like a little more hop bitterness to present over the hop.

16 of 20

Mouthfeel

little malt, great carbonation but not quite "dry" finish

3 of 5

Overall Impression

Phenomenal head, great carb and "drinkablilty" I would buy this in a pub.

9 of 10

42 of 50

Awesome beer. I'm holding onto one of the other two for my wife after the baby drops.
 
AnOldUR's Kolsch

Aroma

slight hop, little malt, little fruit apple/pear

9 of 12

Appearance

Straw gold, very little head/carb =(

2 of 3

Flavor

smooth with more pronounced hop notes than malt
clean with a very slight aftertaste of a grain tannin/bite

17 of 20

Mouthfeel

smooth, slightly malty maybe because of a lack of carb

2 of 5

Overall Impression

very tasty and if carbed for style would be a higher score. I'd like to try it properly carbed... maybe 2010 Kolsch swap is in order?

7 of 10

38 of 50


The carb issue made this score way too low for an otherwise very good beer. I'm worried about my BMBF bottles as a result. :(

I'll review the other bottles sent as well at a later date. Very interested in the Munich Dunkel. That's the SMaSH, right?
 
GreenwoodRover's Kolsch

Aroma

slight wine/sulfur with a pear fruity note. slight sweet smell.

9 of 12

Appearance

straw gold head dissipates to slight 1/4" foam

3 of 3

Flavor

balanced with a slight malt/bready flavor little more hop maybe? slight fruit ester apple/pear.

15 of 20

Mouthfeel

smooth, slightly undercarbed, medium dry finish no aftertaste

4 of 5

Overall Impression

Slight ester and a little malty. Very drinkable. I'd drink this beer again and would serve this to friends/family at the bar.

7 of 10

38 of 10

I wouldn't be disappointed in this beer if I bought it at a brew pub. Little more malty that I like my kolsch-style but otherwise a very nice beer.

Holding onto the ESB per instructions. I'll have that near the end of May.

:mug:
 
Tasted everyone's Kolsch last night. I hand wrote everything, so I'll have to type up the tasting notes later tonight. I used the same format as MMB. I'm not a BJCP judge, but I think its the best critiquing tool available to us.

This was a great swap. Proabably one of my best brews to date. I had a lot of fun brewing this one. It took a lot of skill and planning to brew. Not one of those set it, forget it then keg it 3 weeks later brews. I'm really looking forward to more swaps. Maybe even a yearly Kolsch swap around the same time.
 
MMB's Kolsch

Aroma

Little hop. Slightly fruity/tart. Wine. Reminds me of Sauvignon blanc.

10 of 12

Appearance

Pale straw gold. Pours with good head that dissipates quickly. Clear

3 of 3

Flavor

Pleasantly balanced. Very slight malt up front. Dry finish, slightly tart. Minimum fruity esters. Malt or hops do not stand out.

18 of 20

Mouthfeel
Light bodied. Slightly undercarbed

3 of 5

Overall Imperssion

Nice well rounded beer. Very easy drinking. The soft carbonation leads to a subtle sweetness. These samples won't sit around for too long.

8 of 10

Total: 42 of 50
 
AnOldUr's Kolsch

Aroma

Slightly fruity. No hop aroma. Slight sulfer. Winey

10 of 12

Appearance

Pale gold. Slightly hazy. Pours with no head. No head retention

2 of 3

Flavor

Low malt with a subtle hop bitterness. Slight tang/sour taste. Fairly dry. Low carbonation makes the taste a little bland.

16 of 20

Mouthfeel
Almost no carbonation. Slightly astrigent

2 of 5

Overall Imperssion

The low carbonation greatly detracts from the beer. It is otherwise a balanced and good tasting beer. Lacks "pop".

5 of 10

Total: 35 of 50
 
GreenwoodRover's Kolsch

Aroma

Mild pisner malt aroma. A little DMS. Winey

10 of 12

Appearance

Pale straw gold. Small white head that dissipates quickly.

3 of 3

Flavor

Malty and sweet up front. Balanced beer. not very dry in finish. Slight DMS.

17 of 20

Mouthfeel
Light bodied. Good carbonation. Slightly dry.

4 of 5

Overall Imperssion

Very nice beer. I really enjoyed drinking this one.

8 of 10

Total: 42 of 50
 
Plan to do a sampling of all the Kölsch beer at once to do a better comparison. Just haven’t found the appropriate time. Last night I felt like an easy drinking beer before dinner so I grabbed Iechyd Da’s English Mild. Except for only having one bottle, it turned out to be a great choice.

Cosmetically, the beer had me sold at the pour. Opaque, with a dark red hue. Creamy off-white head that slowly retreated to about 1/16” and lasted through the tasting. Beautiful lacing. Light malt and carmel aroma with a small amount of fruity esters along with some toasted grain. There was a very nice chocolate toffee like flavor balanced with just the right amount of bittering. Slightly astringent and dry finish. All the makings of a great session beer.

Chip, congratulations on this one! Thanks for including it in the swap.
 
I' sampled (finished) everyone's beers they send (excluding MMB's 9-9-9 barley wine, which I'm saving until the magical date). I sampled all three kolsches the first week I had them and kept scores on a BJCP sheet. Then I samples the extra beers over the next week and just kept notes. Then I re-samples all three kolsch to make sure my first look BJCP's were on and made some adjustments. I'll be posting the scores/notes a little later on....
 
Iechyd Da's English Mild:
Clear (meaning no haze) dark brown with ruby tones. Pours with a light tan/off white head. Carmel and biscuit aroma with a slightly fruity (plum?) background. a very little slightly floral hops aroma, almost indetectable. The head dissipates to a ring at the surface and laced all the way through. Carbonated appropriately fot the style. Slight nut and dried fruit at the back. A very nice example extremely sessionable (too bad he only sent one!).
 
Iechyd Da's Dusseldorf Alt:
I'll start by saying I've never had this style before this sample.
A clear (no haze) deep amber color with fluffy off white head. Slight fruity aroma with no hops present. A clean taste with slight bitterness. Head laces nicely throughout. As it warmes an earthy bitterness developed. There is a cripsness and drying on the tounge as the flavor develops. This is a very good beer. Please post the recipe, I'd love to brew it some time.
 
RICLARK's Kolsch using the BJCP score sheet as a guide:
Aroma - 8/12
very faint aroma consistent with the style. Clean and slightly floral

Appearance - 2/3
Nice deep golden color with white head. Slightly hazy.

Flavor - 17/20
Crisp with a slight fruitness well balanced with slight dring finish.

Mouthfeel - 4/5
Soft mouthfeel, meduim carbonation to style

Overall Impression - 8/10
A fine example. You can tell the recipe was his and has been brewed before.

TOTAL 39/50
 
MMB's Kolsch

Aroma - 9/12
Very light aroma slightly fruity and a little like white wine/champagne. A slight floral hops aroma.

Appearance - 2.5/3
Clear but not brilliantly so. Nice bubble show with light white head that quickly dissipates to a slight ring.

Flavor - 17/20
Clean and balanced. Slight hoppy bitterness balanced with a dryish pilsner sweetness.

Mouthfeel - 3/5
Crisp but soft on the tounge. Med-med high carbonation.

Overall Impression - 9/10
Very tasty brew. Refreshing and crisp.

TOTAL 40.5/50
 
Iechyd Da's Kolsch

Aroma - 8/12
pils and hops cope through very lightly. Fairly pronounced fruitiness.

Appearance - 2/3
Clear bordering on crystal. Nice white head.

Flavor - 16/20
A first silghtly to the sweet side, but bitterness lingers. Slightly warming (possibly carbonation) lacking some softness. Balances more and malt comes through as it warms.

Mouthfeel - 4/5
Crisp and slightly drying on the tounge bordering on being overcarbed.

Overall Impression - 7/10
An enjoyable brew.
Reminded me of mine but better in terms of a drynes I felt I was lacking.

TOTAL 37/50
 
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