Reissdorf Kölsch - Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

4.98/5  rDev +29%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a beautiful, crystal clear, golden wheat color topped by an egg-shell white head that has a soft texture and a perfect consistency. Served in a strange glass.

The aroma is a gentle hop aroma filled with fresh grass and herbs, followed by a hay-like malt aroma, which is simple yet elegant at the same time.

Reissdorf Kolsch is a perfectly-balanced beer with Noble hops up front, with a slightly bitter finish and sweet biscuit malts in the aftertaste.

Texture is excellent with a creamy mouthfeel and a lively carbonation. Finishes really smooth.

This has got to be the pinnacle of the kolsch style. Just a fantastic beer, and I wish that this was something more available in our area. I think this beer is a must try for any true beer lover. Just amazing!

Pair this beer with pretzels, landjagers and any kind of wursts!

Purchased at the Wine Source in Baltimore, MD.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 03:11:14 | More by MusicaleMike

balzern

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- Straw golden yellow with a moderate amount of foam.

S- lemon citrus scent with a moderate amount of grain and light bread.

T- very bready with a citrus taste in the background very enjoyable. A really light summer brew with a slight hop bitterness in the back not intense.

M- Moderate/highly carbonated with a crisp clean mouthfeel.

O- Highly recommended one of my favorite beers ever.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 00:21:56 | More by balzern

PirateUlf73

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

500 ml bottle. Poured into my cylinder glass.

A: Comes out a very pale yellow-gold and crystal clear. Excellent white head that retained and laced like a dream.

S: Light and crisp nose. Pale malt mingles with light hop aromas, as well as some faint fruitiness from the yeast. Mellow and pleasant.

T: Delicious! Nice, light malty sweetness is balanced beautifully by mild hop bitterness. Yeast adds some mild fruit notes as well as a faint hint of chalky dryness. A well-oiled machine of flavor and balance.

M: Light-bodied and lively carbonated. Finishes clean and slightly dry.

D: Look up "drinkablility" in the dictionary. You may see a picture of this nearby.

Wow! So crisp and refreshing! It's a crying shame that this is not more widely available. This will be mandatory in my fridge from here on. Give this a try for sure, especially if you're looking for a warm-weather brew or a lighter session beer. Reissdorf (for me anyway) is the standard by which all other Kölsch beers and their imitators are measured.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 08:04:06 | More by PirateUlf73

stmboyd

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I possess the DNA marker that amplifies bitter perception; hence, most beers taste like bug spray. This was the first beer that I and my siblings tasted and said "WOW!!! Beer can taste like that?!" Smooth, light carbonation, can be served slightly less than room temp. but not too cold.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2009 02:13:01 | More by stmboyd

nogoodreason

Missouri

4.83/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

World class stuff.

Pours a clear gold, with steady, rising carbonation and a white, fizzy head.

Nose is crisp and clean, straw-like aromas (not funk) and a slight sweet maltiness are apparent. Nothing overpowering, but it's surely inviting.

At first, the taste is simple and with a straw-like dryness that rounds to a white grape finish... At little further in, the beer develops a hint of vanilla sweetness and a slightly limey aspect to the bitterness. Finishes sweet, with white grape juice and vanilla.

My review can't do this beer justice. It's great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2005 17:17:21 | More by nogoodreason

shbobdb

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Ahhhh, now this is the gold standard. Don't listen to other people when they say that Frueh is the way to go -- Reissdorf is where it is at. Nice, sweet and clean, this beer is impossibly inoffensive and wonderfully drinkable. On-tap or in the bottle, this beer is fantastic.
Having said that, this isn't a challenging beer either. While there is nothing not to like about this beer, many people might not find something TO like either. So, if you want to go out with some buddies and just knock back a few, this is the beer for it; if you want to sit back and appreciate something complex, get something else.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2005 18:54:02 | More by shbobdb

AZTEX

Arizona

4.78/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

My first Kolsch and I poured into a glass from a bottle. This beer had a beautiful foamy head that quickly filled half the glass until it settled down. The color was a very light amber and there was a lot of good carbonation. The beer had a bready, yeasty smell, with a touch of citrus and hops. The taste was exceptional. Good malty, sweet flavor up front that became citrusy (almost sour) in the middle before finishing with a soft hoppiness. This was a medium bodied beer and extremely drinkable! I will definitely drink some more of these!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2008 18:30:05 | More by AZTEX

baos

Indiana

4.78/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml into Bicentennial Mason Jar.

A: 2 finger white head over a nice copper-golden body. Bits of lacing here and there.

S: Bready and floral. Nice grapey malts.

T: Very refreshing. an almost grape bubblegum, lemony notes. Super smooth and refreshing malts that give way to nice dry mouthfeel of floral hops. an almost green tea ending.

M: A one. Light to medium-light bodies. Just the right carbonation.

D: This type of beer and ones similar are becoming my favorite brews in the world. The second time I've had this. And after the first sip I cannot believe that I forgot about it so quickly. One of my top brews now, try one on it fits nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 00:34:08 | More by baos

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I enjoyed this one much better on tap than in bottle

A- sparkly clear golden amber with fine rising bubbles. Creamy dense white head leaves this curtains of lace. Foam never completely dissipates and th lace forms nice hard rings as it dries. Served in an authentic reissdorf stange.

S- bready sweet and malty like a very clean Helles or lightly hopped pils. Some grassy and floral nots and a bit of apple skin and banana.

T- a tiny touch of bubble gum at the very start then grassy herbal hop flavor followed my very fresh lightly toasted malt. Much better than the bottle I had a few years ago. Near the finish the hops are more like tea or very light tobacco with some tart lemony characteristics and the toasty crackery cereal flavors far outlast the bitterness long into the crisp finish.

MF- light and lively, an excellent refreshing thirst quencher. Carbonation is aggressive and prickly and gves the brew a cool menthol feeling. Very clean on the palate with no residual anything except a light fresh barley aftertaste and a moderate dryness.

D- incredible summer brew, having this on tap has definitely
renewed my faith in this style. I'm a born again kolschstian. Easy going dryness makes this one hard to put down and the attractve cylinder showng a golden beer in all it's glory is equally alluring.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2010 19:07:13 | More by hustlesworth

Kaiser777

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A- Very clear golden yellow with a thick rich pearl white head, with little bubbles slowly floating to the top, and a beautiful lace that hugs the glass and let's you know it's staying there.

S- It is slightly malty with an almost pilsner smell to it.

T- It is light but very delicious, with a slightly malty taste and a dry finish, and an awesome hoppy after taste.

MF- Coats the mouth very well, light carbonation, with a dry finish.

D- In my book I could drink this beer all the time, very refreshing and delicious, not to heavy and not to light, with a pilsner fell that is lighter then your average pilsner, so two thumbs up from me, satisfiying to the last drop.

Hats off to the fellows in Germany that brewed such a wonderful beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2010 21:24:40 | More by Kaiser777

schlazzgraft

New York

4.7/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle poured into a glass (i wish i had the RIGHT kind of glass, but anywho...)

A - very, very clear and light; pours with a decent head with not too much retention - fades to a small bubbly foam

S - Pretty mild, slight malts but mostly clean lemony hop scent

T - Fruity up front, but then fading to a nice clean bitterness. Probably one of the cleanest/most refreshing finishes i've experienced.

M - Creamy, but still light and refreshing.

D - Great for a summer night, and one sip leaves you coming back for more

Overall a great beer, and my first Kolsch. I hope to try others in this category someday, although they seem pretty hard to come by.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2010 22:41:26 | More by schlazzgraft

Sachsenfreude

Germany

4.68/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

appearance; everything a Kölsch should be. Pours a pale, exceptionally transparent, straw yellow. Decent head that stays thoughout the drink, leaving beautiful lacing, looks like ichthyosaur fossils in a quarry wall. Alert carbonation, making this a perfect pick.

smell; white chocolate malts with a slight grape tartness. Some stale bread blends nicely with toned down hops.

taste; mild unripe fruit sweetness upfront. Some citrusy hops without a rind bitterness. Heavy malts in the finish are most noticable. Grassy notes show up from time to time that balance nicely with the malts.

mouthfeel; loose with perfect carbonation. Only the slightest bit of sting and alcohol burn is present. Very light bodied with a tea-like gentleness in the finish.

drinkability; super drinkable, need I say more, can not be better. One of the best examples of the style that I have ever had, nearly perfect.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 03:57:34 | More by Sachsenfreude

dankster

Colorado

4.68/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a lovely golden color with big white head(almost two fingers) The beer is almost see though with alot of notes of earthly malts. It smells very crisp and clean with good hop sense on the nose. The taste is perfect for this style of beer with just enough balance of hops and almost fruit like quality. goes down very easy and would be a stable during hot summer months. Overall a great beer that i would recommend to anybody that is a fan of the kolsch style of german beers. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 18:33:12 | More by dankster

Barnabas

4.68/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

This is a great beer ! the beauty of this style and this brand in particular, is the bitter flavor is not overbearing , the taste is simple and yet delicious, the smell is that of the greatest hops, It smells like beer my dad used to drink,or the aroma I smelled when I was around rohrbachs brewery growing up.I've tried other brands of kolsch , including sunner and gaffel, have to give gaffel another try,but so far reissdorf has this import on lockdown tastewise for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 20:19:47 | More by Barnabas

zerk

California

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Light gold with a thin white lace that trials down the glass. Aroma of grass and grain with a touch of vanilla. Slightly sweet flavor, and very dry and crisp with a light body. Flavor has grainy and slightly yeasty characteristics. This is an amazingly complex Kölsch, and would be an excellent brew to relax with on a hot day... hell, even in the middle of October, it's a great beer to relax with.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2002 14:43:23 | More by zerk

SpencerT

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured aggressively from a 330 ml bottle yielded a thick foamy egg white colored head that lasted surprisingly long. The body was crystal clear with attractive carbonation bubble that would make an American Pils or Lager green with envy.
The scent of Apricots and sweat bready malts were present. The sweet fruity flavors came through the malts with a nice dryness left at the end. The smoothness can only be described as silky but not heavy.
This is one of the most drinkable beers I have ever had. It was hard to put down and just kept getting better as it came to temp. Well worth the $9.99 tag for the 4 pack. Your non-BA buds would enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2008 02:12:11 | More by SpencerT

Offa

California

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is simply an excellent kolsch - full of flavour and character, yet refreshing, crisp, and exceedingly drinkable.

Dark straw-gold, it has a medium white head which shrinks steadily to a permanent thin top. It leaves some decent lace.

The aroma has a lot of grain and hay with apple peels, honey, bread, grapes, and a hint of banana.

The taste is very crisp and clean, full of flavours of bread, hay, apple, white grape juice, lemon, hints of honey and vanilla. It's slightly on the dryish side, lively, with a light tartness in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2008 23:19:46 | More by Offa

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Served on-tap at Brick Store Pub:

Clear pale yellow with big light white head that was retained well.

Aroma was light but with a definite grain/bready aroma, but also a hint of sweetness to it, possibly a fruit aroma from the malt and also a hint of hops.

Good malt/grain flavor, clean with the slightest touch of hops. Simple, but excellent flavor.

Well carbonated, light, crisp and easy to drink with a nice dry finish. I was really surprised that I liked this one as much as I did. Overall, this is a very good refreshing beer and one that may be better enjoyed during the hot summer months.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2009 21:06:00 | More by PhillyStyle

Patrick999

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured at Abraxas. Pint glass, very clear gold with a large fizzy head.

It's so hard judging aroma with a beer like this. I get some light toasted grain and flowery character. Almost some musty peach. It is not a strong aroma by any means, but that's not the point.

Taste is very clean. Light floral hops, almost sweetly floral. Quite subtle, but very tasty.

Feel is crisp, well carbonated but not overly so.

This truly is the kind of beer you could drink all night. Excellent kolsch!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 03:04:53 | More by Patrick999

Trambo

Virginia

4.63/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a clear golden color, high carbonation, forming a fluffy white head.

S- Nice light bread-like malt, with a hint of citrus hops.

T- Starts with a slightly earthen maltiness, with the hops lending well-balanced citrus and pine flavosr; finishes dry with a great balance of malt & hop flavor.

M- High carbonation makes this a very crisp, clean, drinkable and refreshing beer.

Fantastic example of the Kölsch style. Truly a reminder as to why I love German brews. To date, this one of my all-time favorites. I picked up a few .5L singles at Total Wine in town, as part of a sample pack of German beers. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 19:53:49 | More by Trambo

steveh

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Reviewed to style:

A -- Clear straw to golden color with a thick white head that settles nicely with fine lacing.

S -- Spicy noble hops up front with mild cereal graininess back.

T -- Lightly ready and grainy, lightly sweet -- not harsh, up front, finishes with a balanced hop bitterness. Maybe some vague sulfur back, but nothing distracting.

M -- Soft mouthfeel with a light body.

D -- Stunning. How about that?

Again, what American macros only dream of being.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 20:11:57 | More by steveh

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Transcribed from undated notes.

This was poured for me and the server produced two fingers' worth of quickly dissipating bone-white head. The beer was a beautiful golden-yellow color with NE-plus quality clarity. The nose was faint with Saaz hops. Mouthfeel was medium with a very dry quality on the tongue. Finish was Zephyr wind-dry with a lingering taste of Saaz hops. For those who have heard me rave about Bryan "Lil Guy" Selders' Kolsch at Neversink just before it sank - this was as close to it as I have found. Very impressive!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 16:26:20 | More by woodychandler

theopholis

California

4.58/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance- Pours a crystal clear straw color with decent, very white head. Some retention, but not an enormous amount. Some lacing.

Aroma- Very clean malt nose with a clean grainy undertone. Not much in the way of hops. No off-oders.

Taste: Wow. Initial taste is mostly sweet malt with an excellent mix of hops. The best thing is, the sweetness last though-out, and is very refreshing. Not cloying or overpowering. An amazingly complex, yet pleasant taste.

Mouthfeel- Very good. Excellent body for the style, good carbonation level. The mouthfeel does nothing but accentuate the truly excellent taste of this beer.

Drinkability- I'm not a big fan of this style, but I LOVE this freaking beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2007 07:39:05 | More by theopholis

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poures from a 500ml bottle into an official Reissdorf Kölsch jumbo cylinder glass, one of my favorite glasses. It is a crystal clear straw color with magnificent tiny bubbles rapidly floating to the top and a nice foamy white head that leaves some really nice lacing.

Smell is pretty quaint, a bit of breadiness with very subtle hop.

Taste is crisp and delicious, Kölsches are just the most drinkable brew I swear it is like drinking liquid gold. It has a good medium body that is offset with its brilliant carbonation which equates in my opinion to extremely high drinkablility. Its a great malty beer, and it's got the perfect balance of hops as well. Definitely a bit of bready green apple in here, it ends with a nice dry but bitter hop finish.

I'd say the drinkability on this is even higher out of its "own" glass. These things go down like candy on a hot summer day.

Overall just a wonderful masterfully crafted brew out of Köln brewed in the Kölsch tradition with passion and full attention.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2009 20:39:17 | More by crossovert

mikeborglum

Missouri

4.58/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

poured from a 500ml bottle: aroma is sweet and grassy, a crystal clear yellow color with white frothy head that reduces but good lacing, a light touch of fruity sourness, a mediium body, creamy texture and lively carbonation, very long, soft and pleasing finish. I really like this beer and could drink these several of these at a sitting!

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 02:48:40 | More by mikeborglum