Get Your Cold Kolsch Bier Here!
Written: May 15 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Fairly Refrehing; Decent example of the Kolsch Style
Cons: Not memorable; Doesn't stand out as a great summer brew
The Bottom Line: This is a decent beer, average overall. Some will like it, others won't.
|
|
|
| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Goose Island Summer Time German-Style Kolsch Bier |
Goose Island is Chicago’s premier craft brewery, featuring a solid lineup of distinct beers. Its lineup includes a wide variety of beers and most of them are produced year- round, but there are a few seasonal offerings, too. One of them is Goose Island Summertime, a Kolsch – style beer brewed for consumption in the warmer months of summer. Kolsch originated in Cologne, Germany and it’s a top- fermented ale that’s cold conditioned after the initial fermentation. Goose Island brews its Summertime Ale in a similar way, keeping true to the Kolsch style.
Basic Characteristics:
This beer has qualities you expect to find in a summer seasonal beer. It’s light in color, with a yellowish hue, and it’s aroma is fresh and clean. Foaminess is average in this beer. It has a slightly hazy appearance, like a wheat beer, and the body is light to medium.
The flavor of Goose Island Summertime Ale is like a Kolsch beer should be. It’s refreshing and drinkable; balanced between the hops and malt. There is a hint of fruit taste, and when you take your first sip, it seems like a wheat beer. Also, like a wheat brew, I think this beer would be good with a slice of lemon added.
If you like the taste of hops, you won’t find much to cheer about with Goose Island Summertime Ale. The hop level is kept at a moderate 28 IBU, making for a more balanced taste, which is typical for a summer seasonal. The alcohol level is 4.2 percent by volume which, again, is right in line with most other summer beers.
Food Compatibility:
Since this beer leans toward the lighter side, it would go well with light snacks. It would also match up nicely with chicken, salad, and desserts that are made with citrus fruits.
Final Thoughts:
Goose Island Summertime Ale is an acceptable summer brew. It’s brewed from April through September each year and it does have some good qualities that make it compatible to the summer season. It’s lighter and easy to drink, and it does have the refreshing qualities that you expect in a summer seasonal. However, my taste preference for summer beers leans more toward wheat beer. The Kolsch style is ok, but I think wheat is a little better. And, as far as Kolsch beers go, this one is pretty average. Perhaps the flavor would have been enhanced, by adding a slice of lemon. I didn’t have any fruit available, when I tried this beer, so I can’t say if it would help or not. Still, a good beer should be able to stand on its own, without the addition of fruit or anything else.
I like most all Goose Island products, but this one doesn’t measure up to the rest. Several beers in the Goose Island family, like Honker’s Ale, Hex Nut Brown Ale, and India Pale Ale have won awards. This one hasn’t. I’m going to be generous and give it a recommendation, but just barely. It’s not bad, but it’s not memorable either and it’s not a product that I’m likely to purchase again.
In the opinion of this beer lover, there are much better summer seasonal products than Goose Island Summertime Kolsch Bier. Just being “acceptable” isn’t good enough for me!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.