Hales Kölsch

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Bottle from Topps, Tempe. The pour was a hazy straw color, nice little initial head, decent retention as a continuous thin covering, the lacing splotchy but good. The aroma was wheaty, light banana and fruity esters, some phenolic character, light grass. The flavor followed suit, clearly some wheat or hefe yeasts used in the production of this one. Pushes outside the boundaries of many an authentic Koelsch I've had in Koeln, but certainly a crisp and refreshing light brew with a dry finish, interchangeable with the nice peers of its intended style in that regard. I dug this one, props to Hales, the heck with the style guidelines!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Light gold and some lace. A hayish, highway underpass aroma...Wet mouthfeel, medium bodied, still feels watery, carbonation takes a second to develop in yo mouf...Buttery straw, lemon essence. Flavor is firm but borderline bland. Brewed to style, understated and a little off at times

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Very pale gold color. Medium head. Aroma is slightly grainy, grassy and lemony. A light to medium bodied Kolsch. Malts are grainy and vegetative. Hops are assertive, but all you get is a lot of bitterness. Interesting and unpleasant mixture of grains, hops, and malts. Not a very good effort. Kind of watery and thin. Mouthfeel is thin. Finish is crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter with a touch of vegetables.