To kick off the Spring 2010 season right, Stoudt’s Brewing Company introduced their Kölsch-style beer this month called Karnival Kolsch. I had the pleasure of having this served multiple times on tap already and one happened to be at the actual brewery. Coming in a 4.8% ABV, this is the perfect way to get the Spring and Summer started right.

The color of the Karnival was really pleasant. It poured a really smooth and bright golden straw color. It had a nice fluffy white head and some moderate carbonation bubbles jolting to surface, forming a nice retention. The smell was full of bread and biscut malts. The grainy smell of this really shined. Also in there, but muted, were some citrus notes – almost like a banana, but it wasn’t really profound.

To me, this was an exceptional beer in the taste. The mouthful was nice and light in body with a slight amount of carbonation on your tongue. The bitterness of the beer is more present in the taste but it’s balanced out by the citrus. What you get is a really outstanding balance of a grainy bitterness with some citrus notes. I didn’t get much of the banana citrus like I smelled but the citrus is almost more of a dried orange peel.

I am really impressed with Stoudt’s latest creation. This is flavorful, extremely sessionable and delicious. It puts you in that mood for Spring and Summer. Thanks for your take on the Kölsch-style beer, guys – you’ve done wonderful!

Overall: 9/10