Judge’s Review: 90 Rating – Carl by St. Elmo Brewing

Kölsch | Year-Round | USA

By David Sapsis

Judges Rating: 90.00
Aroma: 20.00
Appearance: 6.00
Flavor: 36.00
Mouthfeel: 10.00
Overall Impression: 18.00

Carl by St. Elmo Brewing was judged as style 5B, Kölsch, per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. It was served at 44°F in—appropriately—a 200 ml stange glass, the traditional small straight-sided pipe glass associated with the style.
The beer comes to me showing a brilliant sparkling bright gold color with a 2-inch cap of creamy ivory mousse-like foam on top that sticks around. The beer certainly looks the part.
The aroma showcases a subtle and soft malt front of saltine cracker and a touch of biscuit, largely overplayed by a more assertive dried-herbal, almost minty/sage-like hop note. Notably, at least in comparison to fresh Cologne examples, the beer is decidedly less rounded and malty-aromatic, and drier and more herbal/hoppy in balance.
The flavor profile starts short with a very quick bready malt front then moves into flavors dominated by what seems an aggressive hop profile of dried herbs, some mintiness with a touch of light honey and nectar rounding out the mid palate. Bitterness seems relatively high for the style, at least given the countervailing malt structure. The finish is again, herbal and quite dry with lingering bitterness and some apparent minerality typical of beers brewed with sulfate-rich brewing liquor. Acidity also seems high in the late palate, but the body is appropriately light and the conditioning is high and spot-on for the style.
Overall, Carl (a seemingly unique name for a beer if not an Uncle) is a hop-forward golden ale with suppressed esters, low malt structure, and very nice herbal hop flavors dominating. It finishes very dry and thus serves a thirst-slaking role so commonly needed in the hot months of the year. While its comparative profile to more traditional Cologne imports differs, Americans do love their hops, and this one fits that bill accordingly. I have a couple extra cans, it’s Sunday, supposed to top out around 90 degrees today, and today is mow-the-lawn day in this household. I know what I am drinking after that chore. Whether you have lawns to mow or not, if you see it on the shelves go out and give it a spin.