McNeills Kölsch

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Kölsch
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with hopdog, thanks Steve!) McNeill’s is just of those breweries where every bottle is an adventure. There’s no telling if you’re going to get a good bottle or not. Many I’ve had in the past have been sour, but tada, this one is not sour at all. Instead, it’s nearly flat! However, there is just enough carbonation so that it’s not a total loss. And actually, this is a pretty unique Kölsch. It’s lightly sweet, very grainy, slightly tart, and finishes with a smoky bang. Not a whole lot of hops here, unfortunately. And as the beer warms just a bit, there’s also some sort of odd rotting vegetable thing going on the background very late in the finish, and though a bit of a downer, it’s not a huge negative for some reason. However, it’s present in the nose, and with much greater muscle, so while this beer may taste pretty good, it smells like a dumpster. Aromas of spicy hops, citrus and smoke in there as well. Body is light to medium and fairly clean, but not at all crisp like a Kölsch should be. Pale golden in color and fairly hazy. Because of the very low carbonation, even with my aggressive pour, this beer only generates a few bubbles, and those obviously fade away completely. All in all, there are some interesting points to this beer, but there are too many problems and is yet ANOTHER McNeill’s beer that I will notate as a "rerate". And I drank this the same day I received it in the trade, so this is an issue with the brewery, or should I say an ongoing issue with the brewery.

Bottle. Light gold in colour, thin white non lasting head. Aroma was of floral hops, earthy, grassy with some fruit (apples). The flavour was of bitter floral hops, some yeast, grassy, some lemons. Dry mouthfeel, medium body, medium/high carbonation. Finishes with a slightly dry bitterness.

beer pours a hazy, peach-tinted gold, with little head or carbonation, but nice lace. nice maltiness in the aroma, which is unfortunately somewhat subdued due to the low CO2. maybe a touch of diacetyl? flavor is nice, with an initial grassy maltiness followed by a good shot of herbal hop flavor. mouthfeel suffers from lack of carbonation, and a touch of soapiness. still, very easy to drink, with enough flavor to be interesting all the way through.

#700 by default. Transparent and bright yellow in color with no movement elsewhere. Aroma composed of sweet honey, lemons, flakey croissants and a few citric accents. Decent hop profile and a characteristically musky and lemon complex to affirm that its flavor is in line with the style. Some grainy, husky and starchy qualities lend to the body of the beer. Makes a bold palate stamp with the hop accentuation. Quite a malt complexity seems to be at work here (pils, caramel and Vienna.) One of the bolder Kolsch renditions of my day, and fuller-bodied that other attempts as well. A nice take on the style. Thanks to tpkenned for sending this rarity my way!

Cloudy clear appearance. It had a clean, smooth taste that wasn’t bad. Not all that memorable either.

Yellow like urine when you’re sick. Almost no taste. Smooth. Eh, why bother?

Clear pale gold pour with a small ring of white lace. Aroma and flavor of fruits, spices and hops (this is a McNeills after all !), the finish is bitter. Light body, slightly watery texture, soft carbonation.

bottle. pale golden with a hint of red. sweet apple, sugary aroma. body starts out a little bit watery. Not a whole lot going on here but I’m not sure what to expect from this style. astringent bubbly body, moderate hop bitterness, and a slight sourness in the finish. cool.