Analogue 78 Kolsch - Phillips Brewing Company

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

341ml single bottle, apparently part of the latest Showcase mixed-pack.

This beer pours a cloudy pale straw colour, with two fingers of puffy, foamy white head, which leaves some broad swaths of random lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of bready, yeasty pastry dough, a bit of citrus cream, and nice leafy, earthy, weedy hops. The taste is more semi-sweet bready, doughy malt, a touch of white wine must, and soft citrusy, leafy hops.

The bubbles are a bit fresh and peppy, with a slight persistent edge, the body a weak medium weight, and a tad watery in its smoothness. It finishes rather off-dry, the sweetness of the malt still firmly planted in the bakery realm, and some pleasantly subtle fruitiness - tart and bitter - rounding things off.

A pretty enjoyable kolsch, brightly flavoured, and quite easy to put back. Staring at the snowbanks outside right now, I can't help but imagine a nice warm spring or summer patio as this one slips away.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 04:10:16 | More by biboergosum

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.1/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Six Acres in Gastown, Vancouver.

Pours a clear, bland golden yellow colour, with a puffy but somewhat insubstantial head of white. Minimal lacing and very light body. Looks pretty standard.

Nose is light and flat, and pretty dull, all things considered. Some mild cerealy grain characters, and perhaps just enough organic crispness to pull it into line. But really, it's pretty dull stuff.

Palate is very similar, in fact, maybe slight worse. Here, what was a bland cereal character on the nose, has turned into a full-blown corny adjunct flavour, that leaves a slickness on the palate, and destroys any chance at crispness. It feels too thick as a result, while oddly maintining its dull thinness. Eh.

I mean, it's not a bad brew. It's clean and light and inoffensive, and it is drinkable in its way. But it's so boring... Yawn.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 11:08:02 | More by lacqueredmouse

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.41/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle poured into pint glass 2/2/13

A clear straw yellow with loads of fast big bubbles, just a thick film for a head but it retains well leaving a few random patches of lace

S white bread crust with some faint fruity notes but I can't quite place it, not a whole lot going on really about as basic as it gets

T more flavor then the nose but still pretty tame, bread and fruit with a little macro like yeast, just a little lemon rind as it warms

M light bodied and well carbonated, almost too carbonated but it stops short of foam, fairly clean finish

O a pretty basic brew but I suppose the style's pretty plain too, I'm no Kolsch expert but this ones pretty simple regardless of the style

easy enough to drink and I could sink a few on a hot day but a little boring and basic, would make a good summer lawnmower beer but nothing to write home about

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 07:58:00 | More by wordemupg

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice addition to the mixed 12 pack. This is a solid Kolsch that has all the subtle citrus notes combined with a pleasant hop mix. They should can it and put it in six packs for the summer. Tastes as good as Mt Begbies version. More nuanced than the workaday Phoenix lager

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 00:21:17 | More by canucklehead

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Analogue 78 pours a bright gold with a thin head. The aroma is light, sweet and slightly grainy malt. The flavor is crisp, slightly sweet pale malt. The beer is clean, with just a hint of graininess, and a nice, mild fruitiness in the finish. Hops flavor is very light, as is bitterness. Overall the beer is nice and light and refreshing, with enough flavor to keep me happy.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 04:42:16 | More by ericj551

IllNate

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright straw yellow with bubbly white head, some lacing, but on the poor side for head retention. Nose is fruity with some citrus and dare I say strawberry? Slight winey note. Also pilsner malt is detectable. Great light, yet flavorful beer. Soft pilsner malt up front and accented with fruity notes and medium-low bitterness. I'm not sure what hop they've used to put the "westcoast spin" on this beer, but it does mix things up, and I like it. Mouthfeel is smooth and soft, yet just enough bitterness.

Both BC Kolsches rank high on my list of favorite hot weather beers, but this one squeaks out the win.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 23:28:59 | More by IllNate

RooferOnFire

British Columbia (Canada)

3.81/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance Exterior- The label is pretty funky. Very 1960's. As usual, there's Phillips' whimsical description on the side.
(Poured from 341ml bottle into thin beer mug. Also drank one straight for comparison)

Appearance What's inside- Pours lightly opaque, like a diet gingerale, with a fair amount of carbonation, full head that fades into a half-inch retainer.

Smell- grass, slightly sour. Very clean.

Taste- Lightly sour citrus, grain, faint ginger, almost zero aftertaste. Better from the bottle, a rarity.

Mouthfeel- Goes down smooth, not overly carbonated. Decent.

It's a kolsch, meant for cooling down after a hard-day's work or as a dinner brew with sausages or schnitzel. and it's really good. But it's not over-the-top spectacular, and I'm not sure if it's enough to justify the premium price point. It's a decent addition to a mixer pack, since there's always that one guy who drinks Sleeman's or Canadian, but the beer snob of the group should pick the porter or dunkelweisen. Solid for what it is, so you might want to save this for summer.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 03:07:42 | More by RooferOnFire