214. Mother Earth Endless River Kolsch Style Ale

"A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma.  It is light gold in color, with a delicate head.  This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it.  Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish."

I haven't reviewed in a loooooong time.  Life has been busy, but the beer drinking hasn't stopped.  I have a lot of notes that I just need to type up.  The goal for today?  Take care of a half-dozen.  This one will be the first.  Had this one last night with some pizza.  It was poured into a pilsner glass.  Clear gold color with three fingers of fluffy white head.  Splotches of lacing left behind.  Long retention.  Attractive beer.  Simple aroma profile, picking up bread, crackers, some light grassy notes, just a touch of grape peel.  

Tastes are consistent with the aroma, but grassy notes are a little more forward and the finish brings out the lightest bit of citrus and hop character.  Very crisp with medium to high carbonation, light bodied (4.9% ABV).  

This is an incredibly easy to drink beer, very sessionable.  I haven't had a lot of kolsch beers, but I get the impression that this is very representative of the style and that it is one of the better representations as well.  If you like a light bodied brew and you're not fond of dark or overly hoppy beer, I think this would be a great candidate to get someone introduced to the world of craft beer.

Grade: A-

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)  

58. Blackstone Chaser Pale Ale

I realized that I need to go through some of my lower alcohol beers since they wouldn't hold up to the test of time like some of the others.  In this case, I decided to try the Blackstone Chaser Pale Ale.  The beer poured a nice golden yellow color, with a slightly off-white head.  I usually go with a vigorous pour and was able to get a finger and a half.  Light retention, not much lacing except for some leftover film.  Aroma of the brew was very light.  Some malts, maybe some straw or bread?

The taste is very similar to the aroma.  I can taste the malts, a little bit of hop finish, some bread and straw.  Slightly sweet, very subtle.  Light bodied, medium carbonation.  I think this type of beer would do well in the spring or summer time.  July 4th parties, that sort of thing.  I liked it, but I didn't find it too impressive.  I'll continue to sample others in the meantime.

Grade: C+

Price Paid: $1.79 (12 oz bottle)

28. Carolina Brewing Summer Ale

Beer #3 of 4 from the brew tour was the Summer Ale seasonal from Carolina Brewing Company.  It's labeled as a Kolsch.  Comparing it to the spring bock, it had a greater golden appearance and had more drinkability to it.  It had some elements (hoppyness) that reminded me of something like a pale ale.  That said, it also had a bitterness to it that, at the time, I was still trying to get adjusted to.  It did go down pretty smooth though, for what it's worth.

Grade: C-

Price Paid: Free (Draught Pint)