LIFT

Kölsch | Year-Round | United States

By Josh Weikert

Judges Rating: 78
Aroma: 19
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 30
Mouthfeel: 8
Overall Impression: 15

LIFT (judged under BJCP category 5B, Kolsch) is an inoffensive and unremarkable beer, which may be exactly what the brewers intended.
It pours medium gold and hazy, with a fluffy white, persistent head. The aroma is mostly Pilsner malt, with its characteristic biscuit and honey notes predominating. As it warms an apple/pear ester comes out, along with a touch of DMS (cooked corn) and slight oxidative aromas.  
The initial flavor impression is sweetness, along with a general grainy background note. The pear ester is more pronounced in the flavor, as is a low level of bittering which seemed higher due to a dry, papery oxidation flavor. The finish is balanced, with a lingering grainy aftertaste. Medium body in the mouthfeel and a moderate level of carbonation round out the experience.
This is a modest beer. It’s perfectly fine as a generic pale hybrid beer, and in fairness there aren’t a lot of resoundingly characterful and noteworthy Kolsches on the market, but all the same this comes across as a beer that is wanting in the personality department. The minor flaws don’t help, nor do they especially hurt. It’s OK, for better or worse.