Nashoba Valley Kerrys Kolsch

2006 bottle consumed on 10/20/06
White head initially billows up to a finger or two in height, but quickly recedes to cover, leaving some light lacing, probably due to the wheat. Spot-on color for a Kolsch, sort of a rusty blonde. No sediment in the bottle, and force carbonated most likely, but there is always just a pinch of haze in Nashoba’s bottles. Not immensely filtered, I guess.
Fresh, snappy minerals and a bit of sourness signal an authentic yeast, while the hallertauer compliment this with strong grassiness and light oregano/dill suggestions. But it’s not pumped full of hops, just done quite moderately. The end result is a pleasingly dry, fairly delicate beer with some dough and soft honey notes from the malt.
Begins with lemon and lime notes at first, with a bit of spoiled peach/lactic notes (yeast biproducts) and some iron-like mineral notes that are quite interesting, though very faint. Carbonation pulls apart the honey dough sweetness and hops lend a bit of zesty bitterness on the finish. Grassiness lingers on. Good attenuation level, not overdry or papery. Little bit of wateriness on the finish, from the lack of bottle conditioning, but quite manageable. Wheat also gives a very light sourish character. No alcohol noted in aroma or flavor. Very authentic and drinkable.

Bottle, from Winery store. Ok nose, sweet & sour. Lime/lemon, grass, bread, sourdough. Clean pale orangy gold color. Small white head that faded quickly to nothing. Bitter flavor, grassy, cardboard, lime/lemon. Thin body, creamy smooth mouthfeel, bitter grassy finish. Easy to drink. I’m not a big kolsch drinker, but this seemed not as crisp as others I’ve had. It was kind of creamy.