Prost Brewing Kölsch

Aroma: “Bright noble-hops notes, floral, spice, and honeysuckle. Slightly sweet pale malt aroma that joins pear, apple esters, and slight bubblegum.” Flavor: “Well-crafted malt complexity with depth of Continental base-malt character. The light sweetness of the malt works perfectly with the fruity esters and floral hops. Quite delicate, but with a zing from tangerine and lemongrass notes. Finishes smooth and dry.” Overall: “A well-designed and well- executed beer that is a near-perfect example of the style. A classic German hops character balanced wonderfully with grainy Pilsner malt make this an extremely drinkable Kölsch. It captures all of the malt character one could expect in such a light package without any of the less desirable side effects that malt can cause. Great balance where the whole is greater than just a sum of its parts.”

Aroma: “Moderately light bready malt with a light grainy quality to it. Slight herbal and grassy behind that. Still, overall clean, floral, and slightly perfume-like hops. A touch of sulfur. Slightly green pepper–like vegetal, but not in a negative way. Inviting.” Flavor: “Still malt-focused in the flavor with more grainy, herbal, and grassy character. Moderately low sweetness into a finish that’s dry with moderately low bitterness and very low acidity. Very clean.” Overall: “Very clean beer that has a nice grainy malt character and just enough hops to support. The balance is excellent. We could drink a lot of these!”

__Aroma:__ “Orange, lemon, pineapple, cherry, plum—a clean hops profile with some esters one doesn’t expect in an IPA. Some pine resin in the background adds a nice complexity. Some malt breadiness.” __Flavor:__ “Fruit-forward with the usual suspects (mango, lemon, pine) and a few odd players: the stone-fruit esters are bright, but odd. Balance is good with the esters providing a touch of sweetness mid-palate that fades beneath the dry finish and lingering bitterness. Overall a little heavy, especially given the lighter color and focus on fruitier hops qualities.” __Overall:__ “Interesting take on the style. Straightforward IPA without a lot going on. The individual elements are good, and the hops flavors especially are well done, but it’s a bit too sweet to balance and tie everything together.”