Name: Hello! Hello!
Brewer: Knotted Root Brewing Company
Style: Kölsch
ABV: 5.2%
Review Year: 2021
Hello! Hello! is a German-style Kölsch brewed in a fairly traditional manner by the Colorado-based Knotted Root Brewing Company. This beer features the hop variety, Calista. From the archives.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Kölsch (5B) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Clear straw; foamy white head with fair retention. The aroma opened up first with a moderately fruity and grainy (with a honey-like accent) profile. As the beer settled, these aromas intensified slightly with the diverse fruity impressions of lime, raspberry, grapes, cherry, ripe apple being more distinct. Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated. The flavor balance was harmonious, melding together moderate fruitiness (ripe apple, cherry, lime citrus, white grapes) and maltiness (grainy-sweet, honey, crackers). A soft floral hop flavor and a very subtle salty character were also noted. Bitterness was medium-low, while the beer finished dry (no residual sweetness). Ripe apple, lime, cherry, crackers, and a hint of sulfur/mineral-like character composed the aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
Hello! Hello! is a superbly refreshing and dry beer that showcased a harmonious balance of fruitiness, grainy-cracker-like malt, as well as citrusy and floral hops. It is important to note that impressions of apple and cherry, which are noted to stem from the yeast during fermentation, are acceptable but optional traits of a Kölsch. Likewise, the sulfury/ minerally flavor, which could be contributed by the water and/or yeast, is not a flaw for this style and may even accentuate the dryness and flavor balance of the beer.
The perceived subtle saltiness is not a traditional characteristic of a Kölsch. While there is no mention of salt being added to this beer, beer with salt is not a far-fetched combination. In fact, salt or sodium chloride plays an important role in one particular beer style, the Gose. On a side note, when sodium chloride is added at low levels, it will not stimulate an outright salt response, but it would increase the perceived sweetness and body of the beer. We digress. In our opinion, the perceived salt flavor in Knotted Root’s Kölsch is flavor-complementing; this character coupled with the grainy-sweet, honey, and cracker-like malt backbone, evoked memories of eating a pretzel. Overall, excellent.
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