Beer Wednesday – Schlafly Kölsch
Happy Beer Wednesday!
This week I’m sorry to say good-bye to my summer, but, I wanted to do it in style so I thought to myself, “Where is the last place I would think of to get a bright Summer beer?” This thought was almost immediately followed by a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy commercial, and I thought, “AhHa!” Now, I immediately opted against the Summer Shandy because it reminds me too damn much of Zima.
(Remember Zima? Oh, no? You’ve repressed the 90s too, huh?)
I instead considered for a bit, and went looking for a Kölsch.
A traditional Kölsch is a bright, fresh ale, with little hoppy bitterness and and smooth finish. While it may not me a traditional summer beer, I’m always reminded o f summer when I drink it, so there you go.
Schlafly’s Kölsch poured beautifully, with the golden creaminess that I expected.
I was also pleasantly surprised at the depth of body to this beer. A little fruit, a little yeast, and a dash of grapefruit hoppiness and a barely malty finish were pretty much all I could ask for from the style. I could have preferred a little more fruit forward, but that would be being greedy.
At just 4.8% ABV and with just 25 IBUs, Schlafly’s Kölsch is a wonderfully session beer, and, coming from a brewery in St. Louis, most anyone reading this should be able to find it (I’m talking to you, Nick)
I’m quite happy to give it a very solid rating of 4/6 on my six-pack scale. 
What is your favorite summer session beer or beer style? Let me know!
A Vegan in the World 
HA… I saw Schlafly and I wanted to see if it was the same one that I was familiar with. Totally had this beer and I agree, I like it. I’ve actually been to the brewery. They have many fine beers. One of the better craft brewers and I’m happy to see them go up against Budweiser there in St. Louis.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I’ve totally had Zima and hate that stuff just as much as you did. Some of my friends just loved it. YUCK! I can’t even believe people liked that. It also reminds me of things like Smirnoff Ice.