Beer Review: Atwater D-Light Kolsch

Before I begin this review I want to make special mention to all my SE Michigan reader about the store I bought this beer in. It's called Champane, located on 13 Mile road between Ryan and Van Dyke. First time customer there today but I cannot say enough good about them. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful, the selection was amazing (ESPECIALLY if you like wine), and the prices were more than fair. I hope that everyone has the chance to check them out at least.

Ok, now to the actual beer itself. As my regular readers should know I've grown quite fond of the Atwater Brewery. And I've always wanted to try a actual Kolsch style beer, as they're rather rare on this side of the world. So when I saw this available, I knew I had to pick it up. Kolsch's in general are what American Macro lagers try to be. Let's see how this one holds up.

Poured into a 16oz pint glass.

Appearance: Nice golden straw color. Head is cream colored and very light, dissipating rather quickly except around the rim of the glass. Beer itself is pretty transparent and appears to be rather carbonated.

Nose: When I popped the cap, I immediately noticed the sweet smell of malts. A great sign of things to come. No noticeable alcohol, and hops is just enough to balance the malt. The key to Kolschs is subtlety, so everything is right but nothing REALLY stands out.

Taste: Interesting at first. Certainly stronger in flavor than the macro lagers it looks like. Hops and malt balance out well. Something else is present, but I just can't quite place it. Don't get me wrong, the taste is excellent, I just can't quite explain what it is. Clearly I need to taste more beers. In fact, upon several tastes, I think that flavor IS the malt, and it's just a different malt than I typically taste. Whatever it is, it's a great change.

Mouth Feel: Light bodied, naturally. Rather well carbonated as well, but not like a macro lager. Body is smooth, but not overtly so. Honestly the mouth feel is subdued. Nothing overtly present, but anyone who has drank a beer will immediately recognize it as such.

Drinkability: Very high. The body itself is almost as light as a macro lager, and the flavor isn't too far off from that as well. This, combined with its low price, means that I could (and this summer almost certainly WILL) drink a case or so of it in the day.

Honestly the only bad part about this tasting and selection is the time of year. This is a summer/fall beer. The gloomy winter and fact that I'm drinking this alone is the only thing that mars the tasting. And that's the fault of me, the taster, not the beer. Anyone who has access to this should immediately switch to it in lieu of the macro lagers they almost certainly drink now. The difference is slight and subtle, but just enough to make the difference between a mediocre beer and a great beer. I'm looking forward to drinking this again.

If you have any suggestions for future tastings, or beer questions in general, feel free to contact me at wmballew87@gmail.com