The Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) always seems to have a seasonal variety pack to match each of the seasons, so I was excited to hear that they added 2 new styles to their summer variety pack. Both the Rustic Saison and East-West Kölsch sounded like good additions to me to their summer lineup, and I figured I’d try out the Kölsch to represent Massachusetts in my 50 beer challenge.
I find it interesting that more American breweries don’t bottle a Kölsch as they’re usually a pretty tasty session beer. There isn’t a ton of competition in this style, so there is definitely some room for a brewery to step up and brew a Kölsch that will quickly become known as the standard.
On to the review of Samuel Adams East-West Kölsch.
East-West poured a very crisp and clean looking golden yellow color with some beautiful looking carbonation floating to the top. There was a very clean white head on the top that almost had snow-like qualities with how white it was. As the glass became empty, a very thin layer of lacing was left as a tribute to the beer.
The aroma is pretty faint yet clean. The dominant smell is like a grainy cracker with just a slight florally hint, which comes from the Asian Jasmine Sambac used in the brewing process. In between there is just a touch of sweetness.
I was a little surprised that the flavor was as complex as it was. There is the strong grainy malt flavor that was in the smell, which gave way to a spicy hoppiness that transitioned into a slightly sweet citrus flavor. In between there is some slight bitterness, but not that much. Despite the complexity, there isn’t any over powering flavors which give this beer a nice light taste.
Overall this is a very clean tasting and smelling beer that would be great on a warm summer day (if they ever come). I really would like to see more brewers take a stab at brewing a Kölsch, as I think there could be some improvement on this one. However it’s a pretty great beer that I enjoyed very much.
My Samuel Adams East-West Kölsch Review: B+
Here are the details:
ABV: 5.01%
IBUs: ?
Style: Kölsch
What’s your thoughts on Samuel Adams East-West Kölsch?
