1 month-old bomber drunk on 5/23/07
Man I hate to have to write this one, but despite this stuff being flawless, dry-hopped and unfiltered/unpasteurized (three traits that generally go ALONG way in my book), I wan’t too impressed. And ironically, it was because of the unfiltered/bottle conditioned and dry-hopped character of the beer. Looks perfect, of course, as do most of their bottled beers, but even from the nose, you get a hint that something is a bit "off". It’s powerfully pungent, not really acidic or bitter in the normal PNW sense, but just resinous and dry. Think somewhere along the lines of SA Imperial Pils, though more dry than that and not as powerful. Herbs, grass, lemon, lemongrass and fresh hay all show of liberal dry-hopping, but that typical kolsch-yeast character, very mineral-rich is retarded by the hops. Some crisp grains make brief appearances (a bit of toasty and bready malts) but are also inhibited by the resinous pungency.
In the flavor, it’s even more apparent, and sad to say, the tight, brisk carbonation exacerbates the problem by flinging apart the malt and pronouncing the hop character. But yet, the full carbonation gives it a sense of a full body, which is undesirable for the style. It’s just too green, resinous and dominating. Almost like a bitter herbal gruit. It creates a lot of tackiness and fatigue on the finish, with late dough and minor honey suggestions somewhat discernible below all of this. Leaves an oiliness on the palate as well. No alcohol or flaws, but a Kolsch needs to be indentifiable as such, this is just a massively hopped, vague golden ale.