Ethereal citric aroma barely registers as cornbread sweetness and doughy wheat airiness infiltrate light-bodied off-dry golden-cleared lager. Copious white yeast sediment strewn crosswise provides sugary residue, countering salty hop pep.
All posts by John Fortunato
KOZLAK BOCK
Inadvisable green bottle doesn’t plague reputable creamy Polish bock. Sweet brown chocolate drips into big fig embrace and nice hazelnut-walnut-pecan wrap, creating initial full-bodied lunge. Honeyed wheat girds frisky carbolic fizz as massive raisin-prune influence steps forward. Busy finish picks up meritorious burgundy-barleywine ripple. In embossed brown bottle, brown-sugared toffee and butterscotch sweetness scatters thru corn syrupy dried fruiting. Spicy nutmeg tingle drapes latent caramelized raisin-fig-prune conflux.
KOZEL PREMIUM PILSNER
Sweet grainy malts soften phenol-spiced grassy-hopped bittering of soapy pale pilsner. Clean, refreshing finish picks up minor diacetyl pungency. Fine for mainstream lunkheads consuming Budweiser.
KOTAYK LAGER
Musty sour yeast aroma, moderate hop bitterness, and dank cloy finish mark this light watery Armenian. Less bread-like than Rolling Rock but with a bitter Heineken-like aftertaste (minus the much needed malt pungency).
KOSTRITZER SCHWARZBIER
Lighter than classified, German ‘black lager’ does have a dark complexion but its unrealized earthy grain presence goes cardboard in no time flat. Hidden behind carbolic hops and honeyed barley lies creamy mocha-chocolate thrift. Too weak to fight.
KONINGSHOEVEN TRIPEL TRAPPIST ALE
Turbid rust-hued Trappist triple bock features fulsome yeast character, tangy cherry-orange bluster, floral-dabbed herbal hop soothe, and brandy-sweetened warmth. Illusions of hazelnut, date, and cashew decorate wheat-grass perimeter, but faint buttery caramel finish lacks richness and depth its classification presumes.
KONINGSHOEVEN QUADRUPEL TRAPPIST ALE
Immediate sour orange nose pervades prickly hop sharpness and peppercorn succor countering butterscotch creaminess, sugary vanilla sweetness, and overripe apple hints of turbid eggshell-headed amber-hued full body. Dinky spearmint-eucalyptus tingle underscores spicy glint before honeyed malt finish develops.
KONINGSHOEVEN DUBBEL TRAPPIST ALE
Middling sienna-hued Trappist ale opens with textural raisin-prune palate embracing caramelized butterscotch sweetness. Herbal hops dance on the tongue as sinewy yeast persistence secures elegant barleywine finish.
KONIG PILSENER
Skunked yeast waft, soapy dishwater flow, and cloying mouthfeel ruin biscuit-y wheat cracker contour of sweet-grained moderation. Gentle grassy hop bittering underscores latent sourdough persuasion. Rivals vapid American macrobrews.
KONIG LUDWIG WEISS
Organic “Royal Bavarian” half-wheat beer retains hazily turbid yellow-orange appearance, lactose-imbued foam, and buttery soft-bodied nature. Elegant wheat flow enlivens floral yeast sinew and herbaceous hops with illusions of banana, clove, lemon, and pineapple caressing invitingly soured finish.
(KONA) PIPELINE PORTER
Swell (formerly) limited edition porter places ‘100% Hawaiian kona coffee’ and maple-sapped molasses sweetness atop smoky dark roasted barley-hops. Creamy cappuccino surge soothes chewy vanilla-chocolate-coconut confluence, teensy cocoa dusting, slight bourbon daub and nutty espresso char to mildly dry coffee bean-embittered finish (with wavered black peppering). Fluffy carbolic fizz nearly overwhelms milky texture.
KONA LONGBOARD ISLAND LAGER
Simplistic sudsy saltwater light body as fresh and clean as the Hawaiian surf. Soft buttered malt sedation and delicate floral hopped citric swerve perfect for mainstream lagerheads.