Moon River Claire de Lune

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

Clear golden pour. Biscuity malt character, strong crisp noble hops man I love them, perfect bitterness. It just tasted good and was so crisp.

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.

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.

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.

Golden, sparkly. Light fresh bread aroma. Bread, light herbal hop palate. No overly kolsch-like, but a nice basic beer.

Draft. Pours a light pale yellow with a thin light head, with good lacing on the glass.. A very malty aroma with a hint of sweetness. The flavor is very crisp and clean. A light, slightly sweet flavor, very true to the style. A hint of hops on the finish. Very good version of the style.

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 at the brewpub; Bright yellow with a filmy white foam top, lightly carbonated. The aroma is just lightly fruity. Flavor-wise, this presents a full-bodied fruity malt with only a hint of starchy sugar. The tart finish is a bit fuller than those I remember in Koeln, but this is a nice hoppy little light ale. (#2823, 4/25/2007)