Saranac Kölsch - Matt Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #53 (June 2011):

Pale color; clarity and hefty amount of white head walks the walk. Hint of malt, more of a grainy husk and pale leather ... soft, but there with a twang of fermentation in the nose. Crispness is there, and a dry, pulling graininess seems to want to take over right from the get-go. Modest hopping—that’s all this brew really needed, though there is no real depth of flavor from the bitterness. Grain becomes almost a bit chalky in the bone-dry finish. A decent stab at the style, but a bit more malt and a pinch of sweetness with hopping to back it would bring it to where it should be.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 21:27:10 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle with no freshness date.

A- Clear with a deep golden color. Good lacing effect on the glass.

S- Grape skin, ghost like vinous character. Grainy aroma with a husk smell throughout.

T- Grape skin, watery malt husk. Bready malt, light hopping. Semi-clean palate with a clean and dry finish. Malt character is watery ... no full flavor from the malt let alone the hops.

M- Good crispness but a weird slickness forms on the tongue after each sip.

D- A decent brew to put back, but the craving for more flavor turns me to other beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2005 00:47:12 | More by Jason

dpage27

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-16-2013 18:16:40 | More by dpage27

BigTrubble

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +24.2%

05-12-2013 22:29:28 | More by BigTrubble

ShanShantheRocket

New York

3/5  rDev -6.8%

05-12-2013 20:50:41 | More by ShanShantheRocket

rderedin

Maine

2.75/5  rDev -14.6%

05-11-2013 19:42:50 | More by rderedin

TeamMathis

West Virginia

2.89/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear, pale yellowish gold.
Smell: Some wheat, light banana, and some floral.
Taste: Light floral. Maybe just a hint of grape.
Mouthfeel: Spritzy carbonation.

Unimpressive is probably the best way to describe this. The smell is mainly wheat and banana, then shifts to floral as it warms...however, it's very, very light. The taste is mainly floral. By mainly I mean that it tastes like Perrier with some floral and wheat thrown in it. Although drinkable, I would not get this again unless it came in their sampler pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:32:36 | More by TeamMathis

Kelp

New Hampshire

3/5  rDev -6.8%

05-04-2013 23:14:45 | More by Kelp

CaptDavyJones

New York

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-29-2013 02:20:15 | More by CaptDavyJones

fx20736

New York

3.73/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

bought as part of Saranac's Summer Variety pack from Southtown Beverages on 4/26/13 for $ 7.99.

poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Hefe glass, served at fridge temp.

appearance: Honey yellow with a thick 2 finger white head. Nice lacing.

aroma: delicate floral bouquet, true to style.

mouthfeel: light.

taste: nice pale malt, light noble hops.

notes: Nice example of the Kolsch style, a light, delicate beer perfect for warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 15:32:45 | More by fx20736

Utica_Brew_Review

New York

2.31/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2.75

Light golden yellow color with heavy carbonation and not too much head. Very hoppy, yeasty, hay-like aroma. A bitter, hoppy, hay-like taste with earthy notes. Can't taste too much alcohol. It tastes similar to the aroma. Finishes sweeter than it starts. Overall, kind of bland.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:21:02 | More by Utica_Brew_Review

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Another of my local, in-person trader, tone77's latest drop-off.

From the bottle: "This golden sparkling Blonde ale was brewed to pay homage to a 1000-year brewing tradition rooted in Cologne, Germany. Clear, crisp, and easy to drink, the Kolsch of today is more pale than the "house" beer that was served in Cologne 200 years ago - the city that made Kolsch famous. We hope that you'll enjoy it!"

My pour netted better than two fingers of dense, foamy eggnog-colored head with good retention. Color was a deep golden yellow with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a grainy, grassy quality, like a field of hay. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was dry, slightly biscuity and very grassy. Finish was semi-dry with the malt and hops working well in tandem to create a very quaffable beer. Lacing was quite evident as I drank through the glass. I could see this as a good beer on a hot summer's day.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 22:47:20 | More by woodychandler

bribo

New York

2.25/5  rDev -30.1%

02-21-2013 21:22:09 | More by bribo

THECPJ

Delaware

2.25/5  rDev -30.1%

02-14-2013 17:51:26 | More by THECPJ

Janeinma

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%

01-20-2013 23:13:00 | More by Janeinma

DMB

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%

12-29-2012 19:43:47 | More by DMB

kb2250

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%

12-13-2012 01:50:26 | More by kb2250

cliff1066

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev +0.9%

12-11-2012 02:08:00 | More by cliff1066

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is mild, some light hops. Taste is crisp, light, very mild hops, a touch of malt. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall a refreshing beer, but kind of light flavored and just a bit bland.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 23:47:37 | More by tone77

Anacrusis

3.25/5  rDev +0.9%

11-18-2012 15:27:07 | More by Anacrusis

VikeMan

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -6.8%

10-29-2012 19:21:50 | More by VikeMan

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - Charlie's Beer & Wine in Marietta, Georgia.

BB September 2012 (reviewed early July).

Appearance: Pours out a fairly clear, deep gold body with a fine, white head receding at a moderate pace, though it never quite fades away completely.

Smell: A sniff of simple, basic maltiness with barely a hint of breadiness to it. Very, very little lemon and spiciness from the hops. It's present without much presence.

Taste: A lightly sweet touch of pale malts, with a slim measure of breadiness. Low, light citrus accents hinting at basic lemon. Very light spiciness from the German hops. Lightly bitter. Less than crisp finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. It's got some slight bubbliness to it, but I would feel remiss to declare it crisp.

Overall: A humdrum Kölsch that misses the mark, but serves as a fine light beer to cool me off in the dog days of summer.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 19:23:58 | More by ChainGangGuy

slim2043

Connecticut

2.75/5  rDev -14.6%

10-01-2012 00:26:53 | More by slim2043

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Clear gold with tiny to almost no bubbles on the body. Head is almost nothing at all white that is maybe a tenth of an inch.

Smell: Light hops, feels more like light pale lager.

Taste: Light hop taste, little bitter but also slightly dry.

Mouth: Medium, and lightly sticky. I appreciate the crisp texture and amost truly feels like a German beer.

Overall: Not bad at all, easy brew to like. Hope you enjoy, grab a movie and sit back. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 05:31:33 | More by BlurryVisi0n

bdn8183

3/5  rDev -6.8%

09-18-2012 20:50:23 | More by bdn8183