330ml bottle from School of Animals, Kuala Lumpur. Poured a murky light brown colour with a mostly lasting frothy white head. The aroma is malt and floral hops. The flavour is moderate bitter, with a crisp, malty, yeasty, floral, lavender, light woody hop bitter palate. Medium bodied with average to soft carbonation.

Bottle from Yamaoka, I had this in the summer of 2012 after biking up to their shop and back home on a hot summer day. I think it was the first kolsch I had and I cracked it open as soon as I got home. Man did it hit the spot! It poured a clear gold with a light head, a mild hoppy bouquet with a similarly light malt presence. The taste was crisp & clean with a light bitter finish. Since I knew nothing about kolsch I read up on the style as I drank it, it was pretty spot on. Maybe KyotoLefty got a mislabelled body or they sorted out the recipe. It was a great beer on a hot summer day and when I drink a kolsch I always try to relive that satisfying first sip but rarely do. Set & setting I guess.

Bottle from Yamaoka. Deep, cloudy gold with an orange tint. Low, fine head. Looks and smells like a hefeweizen. Yeasty, fruity aroma, bananas and spice. Is there no wheat in here??? Full yeasty, sweetish flavor. Very well rounded. Fruity. Hard to see how this is a Koelsch, though it is a pretty decent beer. Nice fruit. Medium to full body. It’s more like a weizen than anything, though! Tastes ok, but I’m not sure what it is really trying to be.