Dundee Kolsch Ale

Dundee’s Kolsch Ale

A new season (Fall), and a new crop of sampler 12’ers hit the shelves. Though i’m behind in posting but not in writing, so you may not see this until Winter, sorries all around for that. This sampler is from Dundee, AKA the first iteration of craftiness from Genesee Brewery (the second iteration is the Genesee Brew House line). And the first out of the box is the kolsh, or rather the “kolsch-style”.

Not sure why the cartoon character for this brew is a dog delivering a sandwich, but maybe there’s something about a kolsch ale that i don’t know about. Actually, there’s everything about kolsch that i don’t know about. Have seen some popping up on store shelves, along with the recent trend of crafty pils beers, but i really know nothing about kolsch beer.

What i can tell you about this one, is that it’s a light gold color and smells pretty beery. Malts are fully in evidence at the taste trial, it’s a sweet beer on the spectrum of sweet/sour, and hopped normally, which is light for me, since i’m still on the IPA bender.

The only info, whatsoever, on the label is the phrase “clean and crisp”. I could see that, when compared to Dundee’s Honey Brown. This is “clean”, i will give it that. But it’s pretty sweet to be called “crisp”. I mean, the only way a sweet taste is ever truly crisp is when you mix in peppermint oil.

Has a guttural taste, some flavors sink right down your back soft palate, which is how German beer gets its hooks into you, but this brew does not have the real German square bite. Almost tastes as if there’s wheat mixed with the barley. Not a bad beer, not my preference, but i’ve had worse… and recently.

Not sure what kolsch is, so can’t really tell you what a good kolsch needs to buff up its self-esteem, but this isn’t bad beer. A little sweet for me, so i’ll call it 5.8, which includes a half-point bump for only being $9 for a twelver. If being sweet is a trait of kolsch beers, then i prolly won’t like them. But if it’s just a kolsch sweetened for an American audience, then the rating should likely be cropped a couple points.

Someday i might survey some kolsch beers and know more, then might revisit this review with more insight. Until then, 5.8

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