Gateway Kolsch - French Broad Brewing Co.

NODAK

Tennessee

3.21/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Aroma is quite grainy and wheaty. Pretty light stuff. Figured on a bit more.

Taste follows pretty closely. It's fairly honey sweet, full of grain and wheat, and a very small bitterness at the backend. This is a pretty straightforward beer here. A bit surprised at the lack of citrus character. Nothing complicated, but it goes down quite easily. Would probably make a great summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 01:11:50 | More by NODAK

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.01/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light fuzzy banana color, light head.

At first not much on the nose, just a touch of light tart wheaty malt and maybe some banana. Gets sweeter as it warms, touch of honey.

Taste is pretty similar--tart wheatiness again, light honey sweetness, hint if banana and yeast.

Nothing special but a decent kolsch.

6.2/10

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2013 23:28:16 | More by AlexFields

plaid75

New York

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Barley's, Asheville, NC.

Poured a light brass hue with a one finger frothy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a clean pilsner malt and slight herbal hop.

The taste was well balanced with a clean breadiness with a balancing herbal noble hop.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a tasty easy drinking kolsch.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2012 21:17:33 | More by plaid75

kylehay2004

Florida

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thin head that doesnt last long on a near crystal clear bright golden body. The aroma is very light with barely perceptable pale malts, sweet corn and honey. Flavor has a nice amount of honey flavor with barely, wheat and herbal flavors. Nice body for the style with moderate to high carbonation. Certainly drinkable with nice degree of sweetness and flavor for a style that can be fairly bland.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 01:01:21 | More by kylehay2004

pburland23

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bombe into my Gaffel kolsch stange.

Appearance: Beer pours a clear, brilliant golden yellow. Pour released a little more than two fingers if light, bright white head. Decent head retention and no lacing. Inviting looking pour.

Smell: Sweet and grassy on a nose, a very light and delicate smelling beer. No hops presence but still nice smelling, very clean.

Taste: I found the taste to be the weakest component of the beer. It's just a touch off from where I think a kolsch should be. There is a nice German hops bite but the sweetness and grassy maltiness I expect from the style aren't big enough. There was an almost adjunct like flavor in the middle of the sip.

Mouthfeel: Very refreshing and quite drinkable. Would be a good beer to enjoy after some yard work or poolside.

Overall: I love kolsch but is one isn't as well crafted and flavorful as some of the better examples of the style. Not a bad beer, but kolsch fans can do better.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:13:55 | More by pburland23

EmergingZymurgy

Kansas

4.15/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Brilliantly clear with very light straw color. Foamy, white head with moderate lacing. Poured into a pilsner glass.

S: Slight apple character in the aroma with a grainy background.

T: Hint of fruit with a nice, clean finish. Very crisp. A bit grainy, but only in the background of the beer.

M: Light on the plate, but also slightly creamy. Has a bit of a dry finish to the end, but not too dry.

O: Quite a nice beer. It's very drinkable and easy to drink. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Brought the bottle back from a trip out to North Carolina and was not disappointed. I have just started getting into the Kolsh beers and this is a nice, easy drinking one for a hot, summer Kansas afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 18:03:55 | More by EmergingZymurgy

tdm168

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Biere Garden in Asheville.

A - clear gold with noticeable carbonation bubbles; thin lacing of white head; no retention

S - faint grass, hint of lemon

T - grassy, noble hops, faintly bitter finish

M - smooth, little carbonation, light bodied

This is a very light, easy to drink, refreshing beer. It doesn't have much flavor, but it's to style and ultimately enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2012 08:02:01 | More by tdm168

matzah

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bomber into a pint. Pours clear and a nice yellow color with a hint of orange. 1.5 Finger head quickly turns to a half finger. Highly carbonated.

S: Something like a cross of a hefe and pilsner, but favors pils. Clean grassy notes.

T: Crisp with good, but long, aftertaste that is true to the flavors of the beer. Taste favors pilsner or even saison. Grassy flavors more pronounced than in smell.

M: Light and carbonated. Slight burn from carbonation but not unpleasant.

O: Good light Kolsch. I'm not too familiar with this style, but enjoyable. I found it less sessionable than others though, simply because the aftertaste hung around so long.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 19:35:53 | More by matzah

JayQue

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one is a winner...a good year-round session type beer. Pours a slightly cloudy light gold color. The frothy white head is HUGE...makes no difference how you pour it. Nicely carbonated. Good patchy lacing and good head retention.

Smell is mild..a little lemon zest, some grassy hops and a little hefe-style flavors banana/cloves. A bit of funk going on as well

Taste is more of the same but more robust. A nice tasty light ale with hints of Saison and Hefeweizen. Mouthfeel is crisp and smooth.

Overall a very good beer from a style that should be fairly mild and bland. This is something you could drink a ton of either by itself or with food.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 00:03:18 | More by JayQue

thadbme

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear yellow color with heavy carbonation. A crazy amount of head that forms on top. Took several pourings and allowing it to sit before it calmed down. This is what I would expect beer to look like if I first started drinking.

S: This is a different smell from what I'm used to drinking. With the heavy foam on top, that leaves a different scent. Honestly to me it smells clean, almost like a beer soap if that makes any sense. Its not really unpleasant but not what I would prefer. You can smell the wheat in it as well but the foam hits me first.

T: Slightly bitter, foamy, carbonated wheat taste. The beer is very smooth to drink, and very drinkable. I can see this would be easy to drink a large beer of.

M: Foamy and light. Carbonation shows up while looking at, but not overpowering.

O: I think the name of this beer might have captured it, its a gateway Kolsch. I think this might be a good one for me to try to get into the style. It is certainly not my favorite beer I've ever had, and I doubt this will be the favorite of this style, but its something you could drink a lot of, and not ask too many questions about it.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 23:31:00 | More by thadbme

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Light yellow and clear, lots of bubbles, ok white fizzy head and pretty good lacing.

A little bit of yeast compliments a large amount of lemon rind and no shortage of crisp grape-y aromas. There's an element of pilsner almost, with some grainy and grassy elements too.

Taste is very pleasant. Grape juice, white only mind you, comes to mind. It's slightly chardonnay like in character. Again I find it slightly along the lines of a good crisp pilsner, but with a bit of yeast that reminds you it's a kolsch.

Carbonation is heavy, yet it's light and easily drinkable. White grapes dominate the aftertaste, with just a tinge of yeast.

It's not super complex but it's extremely drinkable and definitely quite tasty. I definitely like this beer. It would make a great fishin' beer, does it come in cans?

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 21:14:28 | More by AlCaponeJunior

msnow34

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Smells a little like a white wine, maybe some grapes. Pours a pale yellow with a very thin head that dissapates quickly. Tastes like a bubbly wine, very heavy taste on the grapes, with a good level of carbonation. Fairly dry but very drinkable. I drank the entire bomber. Without an issue. I would say this is a very sessionable beer. That is easy to drink and doesnt kill the pallet. This would be good for a wine drinker, as a craft option.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 01:23:09 | More by msnow34

cosmicevan

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Another one that I've been sitting on for far too long. Enjoyed in my Portsmouth tulipy snifter.

a - opened the bottle and poured....straw yellow with steady even carbonation that could be seen throughout the clear liquid. thick frothy white bubbly head that left milkshake chunks on the sides of the glass as it dissipated.

s - grape sweetness. welches or concord grape jelly. very pleasant. VERY wine like.

t - a bit more sour and tart than the sweetness i get in the nose. sourness is a bit heavy for my tastes. the green grape taste though is nice.

m - SUPER carbonated. very fizzy.

o - overall this is a style i haven't explored much but this was way different than i had expected. the nose was the highlight and i wish that the rest of the beer lived up to that promise, but all-in-all a decent beer and one that i'm glad i finally opened. thanks mike!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 02:37:34 | More by cosmicevan

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was very surprised and delighted to see the line of French Road beers in stock at Newton Farms @ Kiawah Island. I loved a couple of their beers when I last visited Asheville.

Kolsch remains among the most under-rated styles that exists. Too many folks assume that since it’s light, golden and delicate that it must be compared to BMC lagers. One man’s opinion is that this is just not right. In the proper context and mood a wonderful Kolsch is just what the Dr. ordered.

This pours with a sudsy bright white head that show decent retention but eventually fades away. The beer is somewhere between a dull gold color and light straw. No lacing…

Aroma is light, slightly doughy and with a touch of grass. Very bready

Flavor is very nice and quite refreshing. Again light dough… bready finish. Just a moment of bitterness to balance the touch of sweetness. Fresh.

Light, crisp, refreshing. A wonderful session choice and great when returning from the beach.

Nicely done!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 21:13:41 | More by Reagan1984

womencantsail

California

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this one.

A: The beer pours a pale golden straw color with a huge, rocky, white head.

S: Quite a strange smell for a kolsch. Lemon zest and apple juice are prominent. It's got a slight champagne character (likely from the high carbonation and yeastiness). Moderate bread notes and some floral hops.

T: Light bread and cracker malts provide much of the flavor. More lemon zest along with some floral and earthy hops. Just a light bitterness to it. The carbonation is extremely high, which diminishes from the flavor intensity a bit.

M: Light in body with very high carbonation.

O: Despite not being terribly "kolsch-like", I thought this was a pretty decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 17:58:57 | More by womencantsail

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap into a shaker pint.

A- Damn, this is clear as hell. Very minimal carbonation bubbles seen rising through the light straw color. Received the glass with about a 1cm head that was white and died down pretty quick. Looks like a nice, light, refreshing beer.

S- I'm surprised how fruity this smells. It smells like a very light, bready white grape juice. Very little hop aroma, possible just a tiny floral presence detected, but hidden.

T/M- Biscuit comes through quite a bit, with a strong dosing of esters as detected by the nose. There is not a lot of complexity here; it is basically light malt and light fruit flavors. Not bad too style, but I think it is a little forgettable. Very light body with medium/light carbonation. Refreshing, especially for a hot day.

O- Decent per style. As said before, its a little forgettable. I have had a better Kolsch, but I've also had a worse. Would buy again (as this was a pint special) on a hot day, but would look over the tap list quite a bit first.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2011 16:38:40 | More by TheGordianKnot

babaracas

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap in Asheville. A clear gold with a thin ring of white foam. Smell: white grape juice, mildy musty grain, mild spicy hopping. Taste: grain twang, a little vinous, cracker, slightly spicy lemon and mild herbal hopping. Most don't do this style well but this was a good one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2011 03:54:54 | More by babaracas

jpro

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had a couple of these at DD Peckers to go along with some wings on Divisional Playoff Saturday...

A: Served in a standard shaker pint, this beer was a light, straw gold with a one-finger, snow white head; not much for retention or lacing to be had.

S: Grains; fruity (maybe yeast derived?); lightly floral; a touch grassy / wet-hay-like.

T: Light biscuit malts, backed up by the fruitiness that was evident in the nose (hmmmm, don't know how I feel about that); some lightly earthy hop bitterness provides some balance and crispness to a slightly sweet beer.

M: Between light and medium bodied, with a moderate carbonation. Pretty standard for the style, I suppose.

D: A good beer to have a few of - although not too exciting; went well with wings!

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 16:39:01 | More by jpro

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass on 1/3/11

Thanks to PDXHops

Golden yellow color of just a slightly faded caliber. Almost entirely clear, exhibiting a faint chill haze. The one finger of puffy white foam has dropped by a half but seems content to stay. Few speckles of lace.

Really bright, clean aroma full of floral notes; much like a prairie. Lemongrass, hay, floral hops, a hint of citrus zest & grains. Starts to smell like lemon bars as it warms but it isn't the dominant aroma.

The brightness of the aroma doesn't fully carry over to the palate. It doesn't taste bad, just not as vibrant, or structured for that matter. Lots of grassiness & toasted grains. There's a hollow lemony twinge on the peripheries. Hints of floral hops.

The feel is a tad down the spectrum from light bodied, with an appreciable graininess. Carbonation is moderate, seemingly befitting the style & my personal tastes (cool). The finish is reasonably dry with grass & grain lingering.

Gateway Kolsch is quite solid overall. If we're talking Kolsches from the Carolinas, I'd take COAST's 32/50 any day; however, Gateway is pretty close. A few tweaks on the flavor profile & it's there. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 01:46:50 | More by Ryan011235

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured in increments into a Collins glass. Even in this narrow vessel, the bright white head is quite modest, yet leaves a surprising amount of streak lacing. Light gold and bubbly body.

A pleasant combo of fresh cut hay, grass, some floral sweetness and a touch of noble hop spiciness greet the nose. Rather bitter with a nice lemony hop flavor and a grassy bite that goes well with the biscuity malt. A touch of vague funkiness. The bitterness disappears at the swallow, leaving a crisp grainy finish with a lingering squeeze of lemon.

Overall impression: A refreshing and lively Kolsch. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 17:34:35 | More by PDXHops

MTNboy

Missouri

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It had nice yellow color and white head to the body. There was average lacing. The aroma was grassy and had a good aroma of hops. The taste was a little hoppier than this style usually is but it was good. I thought the use of hops was proportioned and done well. There was a grainy and grassy flavor with a small hint of fruitiness. The mouthfeel was thin and light.

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2010 13:21:46 | More by MTNboy

avalon07

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to kolsch glass. Had a pale yellow color and a clear consistency. There was a quarter inch of quickly-dissipating, foamy head. Average lacing.

S: A decent, if two-dimensional, aroma of malt and a bit of citrus.

T: Tasted of lemon, pale malt and some hop. Like the smell, the taste wasn't overly dynamic, but decent enough.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry finish. Light-bodied.

D: This beer isn't horrible or undrinkable, but it isn't particularly memorable.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 02:14:02 | More by avalon07

mbrown26

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

First Kolsch style beer. Went from the bottle to a goblet.

A: A nice hazy beer with a fairly decent head that slowed down to a quarter inch thick, and stayed there for a while.

S: Lemons. Hay. Citrus.

T: Not a whole lot of flavor, but not necessarily a bad thing. Would pair well with fish or something light. Citrus to lemon taste, but the crispness of the beer overpowers the flavor.

M: Crisp. Somewhat of a bitterness. Watery and Thin. A decent level of carbonation.

D: I like my beers maltier and heavier than this, but not hard to drink either.

Probably had this at the wrong time of year for me. Could be very pleasant while out on the back porch during the spring and summer.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 00:24:17 | More by mbrown26

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle into Sam Adams sensory glass.

Pours hazy pale straw, with a thinnish but nicely persistent, long-lasting fluffy white head. Decent lacing.

Nose is big on lemons... smooth and citrusy, just a bit sweet, some grainy pale malt peeking through underneath.

Taste is big on lemony hop flavor, despite a very restrained if not non-existent bitterness, some light, very pale malt sweetness in there as well. Finish is, again, a nice balance of pilsner malt, just a bit of wheat perhaps, and lemony hops - just a bit of very mild noble hop bitterness. This, to me, is not a Kolsch - much closer to a Blonde Ale. The hop presence is surprisingly prominent, and the yeast is pretty much drowned out. There are some great Kolsches produced in the Carolinas - Mother Earth and COAST come to mind - and while this is not really a Kolsch in my experience, it's still pretty tasty as an American Blonde.

Mouthfeel is dry-ish on the long finish, medium-light in body with a light carbonation. Just a bit tingly.

Nicely drinkable, not nearly as delicate as you'd expect a Kolsch to be. An American take, perhaps, decent amount of flavor but lacking in subtlety.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 01:50:56 | More by JohnQVegas

Schwab

Florida

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I like this style and was quite plesaed to see it on tap at an local establishment in Asheville when I visisted. I knew I am not goint to make it down to French Broad Brewing so I had to try it.

The appearance is pretty good for the style, perhaps a little bit too golden but overall great. Taste was spot on for a Kolsch and mouthfeel paired with drinkability was great. Definately a mellow session beer! I'd buy it here or there if I could get it in my area. It is not 100% to style IMO and there are definately better domestic examples of this style, I still believe it deserves it's rank in the top domestic Kolsch category.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2010 13:42:16 | More by Schwab