Stoudts Bretts Organic Kolsch

On tap at the KSBF ’09. Poured a medium and clear golden color with a smaller sized white head. Aromas of toasted graininess, bready, and some fruitiness. Tastes of the same grains, bread, fruity, and some lighter spices. Kolsch’s aren’t my bag, but this was a nice beer for sure.

On tap at the brewery. Pours out a mostly clear golden color with a big fluffy slightly off white head. Aroma of some light malts, light sweet fruit, some cereal grain and a light grassy hop notes. Taste is complex for a kolsch, but at the same time subtle. Notes of light malts, gain, some bread, light sweet fruity notes linger in the background along with the hops. Very drinkable, smooth and crisp, can tend to be a bland style, but this one was rather memorable, and to think I almost passed it up. Stoudts, please bottle this.

On draft at Capones. Pours a clear liquid gold with a medium white head. Aroma of barley, wheat and oats. Taste of barley, wheat, honey and oats.

Tap at Capones. Kinda wished I got more than a 5 oz sample after drinking this. Pours a mostly clear yellowish straw gold with a thin white lasting head and nice tacky lace. Aroma is fresh- pilsner malts, bready, doughy, light herbal and spicy hops. Flavor is creamy, doughy, pils, fresh baked bread, spicy fresh hops- subtle, extremely clean and well made- insanely drinkable. Now I have to go find a growler or keg of this stuff somewhere. Insanely good Kolsch.

The Kolsch style can be pretty bland and dreary, but this offering is really outstanding. It poured a dark golden color, but with only a minimal white head. The head didn’t leave much lacing around the glass, either. But the color was appearling, clear and easy on the eyes. The body was pretty light, but very refreshing and crisp. The flavors contained quite a bit of hoppiness with a nice malty character. The balance was really enjoyableable and refreshing. This was absoutely an outstanding Kolsch-style beer.

On tap at Zeno’s Pub - State College, PA. Slight grain sugar and alcohol aroma. Very subdued. Pours a brilliant, crystal clear gold. Little head. Flavor is nuanced and subtle. A bit of malt sugar, a dapple of honey, and a bite of yeast. There’s a nice underlying tone of banana ester. Some faint spice. This is good. The body falls behind a bit for me and gives off a slight thin, glassine heavily-filtered quality. Hops stay way, way low. But, I do appreciate the subtle balance of flavor, the excellent drinkability and the clean quality. Very nice.

Draught at the Brewery: Sweet aroma of fruits, apples, and malts. Poured pale yellow/gold in color with a large white head. Clear. Slightly sparkling. Excellent lacing. Flavor was light to medium sweet. Tastes of wheat, herbs, apples, crystal malts, and grains. Light to medium body. Chalky texture. Average carbonation. Dry finish. Best organic beer I have had to date.

[Draft @ Ortinos Northside] Poured a lightly hazy golden color with a medium sized, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of toasted malts, grains, honey, citrus, grass, and light floral hops. Taste of honey, toasted dough, citrus, grains, light toffee, white pepper, and a medium bitterness, finishing quite dry. Hands down the best Kölsch ever... and shit, it’s organic, that makes this the best organic beer i’ve had too!