Moon River Claire de Lune

Brewed by Moon River Brewing Company
Style: Kölsch
Savannah, Georgia USA

Pours a pale, pale gold with a good head. There’s a bit of straw malt in the aroma along with a good bit of noble hops. Not a bad Kolsch at all.

Draught sample at the brewpub. Very pale with a faint hint of haze in the body and a touch of head remaining....delicate, grassy nose, with floral (lavender) hints, light pale maltiness, and a bit of sweet lemon....body is very soft and creamy with a healthy noble hop bitterness showing up late....very fresh, newly-cut spring grass texture, quite bitter at the finish but held together well with rich malt backdrop. Nice, very very nice.

(On tap) Clear pilsener golden with a white head. Very discreet aroma with a vague, hoppy edge. Medium body with some pilsener malt and a clean, lightly floral bitter end. A nice alternative to a lager. 010406

On tap at the brewpub in Savannah. Pours a nice, medium golden, with a soft fluffy white head that leaves nice rings of lace coating the glass. Neutral aroma. Flavor has a little bit of that buttery taste I look for in a Kölsch, but not very prominent. Some subtle, bittersweet notes make their way into the back end to liven it up. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. Good session weight matrerial.

Draft, pint. Clear, light honey-gold hued beer capped by a small, foamy, white head. Primarily a pure malt sweet aroma that lends notes of honey and apricots when cold. As it warms, aromas of toasted white bread, biscuit, white grapes, light doughy yeast. Moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter flavor. Lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter finish. Light graininess in the finish. Medium body, slick texture, lively carbonation. A good bit more body and aroma/flavor than I was expecting - a pleasant surprise. Solid hop bitterness. Could be a bit cleaner with respect to the graininess, but that’s about all I can say negatively. And that might just be a product of Savannah not having very soft water to begin with, so it’s not a big knock. Also, once this beer warms up it becomes incredibly smooth, aromatic, and highly drinkable. Do yourself a favor: order a big glass and let it warm a touch - a sampler isn’t going to do this one justice.

Nice and light and slightly sweet upon first sip, this has a great clean mouthfeel. There is just enough of the hops presence to have a bitter bite, and a nice malty balance to make it tasty and satisfying.

What can be really said about a beer best described by its proprietors as "light"? Well, it was actually good. There was some Saaz hop bitterness and a clean, some what toasty finish. The style here says Pilsner, but thinking about it, i dont think it holds true to style. Its more like a really week west coast pale. then again this is just me.