Hello all and welcome back for another beer review. This week we’ll be sampling a local offering from Chuckanut, their Kolsch. This style of beer was first brewed in Cologne (Köln), Germany, it is a very light and refreshing style, which also shows excellent clarity, it is a bright, flavorful, and lightly hoppy beer (think noble hops, not IPA). It also pairs well with a wide array of dishes, very refreshing and easy to drink as our temperatures warm up.
Brewery: Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen
Beer: Kolsch
ABV / IBU: 4.5% / 22
Appearance (4.0/5) — This beer pours true to the style, which is a very bright, pale yellow, extremely clear with great clarity and transparency. Very pale overall, there is a nice bright white head that forms, and leaves behind nice lacing along the inside of the glass with each sip.
Aroma (4.0/5) — Nice and approachable, smells of fresh biscuity grains and malts, there are light aromas of bitter, fresh hops, as well as a lightly fruity and earthy note, nice malt backbone.
Taste (4.0/5) — Much like the nose, this is an exercise in balance, nice malt profile, biscuity malts, light earthy hop notes and a little underlying fruit like sweetness.
Mouthfeel (4.5/5) — Incredibly smooth, clean, and easy drinking. This is the definition of refreshing, very nice, crisp, and clean. Finish is very dry with no residual sweetness.
Overall (4.0/5) — A fantastic beer, and a true showing that beer doesn’t need to be made complicated, this is an excellent example of an often misunderstood style. If you love a cold Rainier, or gravitate towards Lagers, this would be an excellent alternative. Very clean, refreshing, bright, crisp, and enjoyable, especially as the temperatures rise. This is available both on-tap and in bottles at the brewery. Cheers!
Hope you all have a great week, get out and enjoy some Kolsch in the sun!
