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Josh Weikert's picture

LIFT

September, 2017

Lift

Judges Rating: 
78
Aroma: 
19 / 24
Appearance: 
6 / 6
Flavor: 
30 / 40
Mouthfeel: 
8 / 10
Overall Impression: 
15 / 20

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.