Cold Bear Brewing Kolschevic Revolution

Happy Sunday Funday ya’ll! The wife and I took a much-needed vacation last week to the

My Niece’s first keeper!

beautiful mountains of North Carolina where we did a bit of fishing, a bit of exploring, and a whole lot of relaxing. Now that we’re back and well rested, my homebrew is also ready to be tested! I was shooting for an imperial-style Kolsch and accidentally overshot my mark. For those of you that don’t know, a Kolsch is an easy drinking lighter beer like a lager or ale, at about 4-5% ABV. I decided to shoot for about 6.5% and ended up at a whopping 8.5%. Whoops! My hope now is that this won’t taste like jet fuel and it’ll be easy to drink, well, relative to the high ABV. So here goes nothing!

(Oh, and in case if you’re wondering where the name came from, my friend Danny Oceans suggested it because Russian-style stouts are typically high ABV and I thought it was quite fitting.)

Appearance: The Kolschevic Revolution poured a clear amber color with a light tan one-finger head. I used Irish Moss to help with the clarity as I do not filter my beer, so they’re usually hazy. It definitely worked!

Aroma: The aroma is definitely different than any Kolsch I’ve tried. It has a crisp, almost Granny Smith apple note and a spiced rum-esque boozy follow up. Being as high octane as it is, I’m not surprised. Let’s hope it doesn’t taste like high octane…

Taste: There is a malty and rum sweetness on the front that ends nicely with a hop bitterness at the end. It’s super smooth and very drinkable. This is more reminiscent of a Belgian Golden Ale but with a strong rum presence. The flavors aren’t very complex, which was by design, but it all meshes surprisingly well.

Mouthfeel: It’s lighter than most beers this strong and has just a touch of carbonation to it. Since I was leaving them for a week while carbonating, I cut back on the priming sugar so I didn’t run the risk of coming home to exploded beers all over the bathroom. It is slightly viscous but very smooth with a crispness to it.

Value: I made 50 twelve ounce beers for $50. You can’t get much more efficient than that! You will never “save” money by brewing your own beer, much like you will never “save” money fishing/hunting your own food. However, it’s a fun hobby to have.

Overall: Well, not to toot my own horn, but this has far and away exceeded my expectations. It has great flavor, is well rounded, and easy to drink. While this probably isn’t an award winning beer, everyone who has tried it so far seems to enjoy it. If you’re in Orlando you want to try one, come on by and grab one.

Until next time, tight lines and cheers!