Few breweries make a Kolsch for the Australian market. Fewer still will make a Kolsch and advertise it as a Kolsch, often simply selling it as a lager. And fewer still experiment with the style. But Six String have taken the traditionally clean style and gone to town on it.
To be fair, we should stick with the brewery's language of “inspired by a Kolsch” - after all, Blood Orange Vanilla Magik wasn't brewed in Cologne, and it most definitely doesn't abide by Reinheitsgebot regulations. Nor is it the same colour as a traditional Kolsch - the blood orange lends just enough of its hue to take this beer from a light straw to a soft gold, with a tinge of red visible in the right light.
The citrusy aroma is boosted by a pillowy white head and a lively carbonation you can almost hear. It smells of sherbetty, almost Fruit Tingle levels of orange, with the sharpness of zest and a little dried apricot more powerful than the vanilla. But, while the vanilla is perceptible on the nose, it's dominant in the mouth: smooth and sweet like ice cream that's just been sprinkled with crushed candied orange. The finish reminds you that this is all built on the foundations of a Kolsch - semi dry, with an almost cork-y taste that sits on the tongue for a second before evaporating.
Mick Wust
Published October 18, 2019 2019-10-18 00:00:00
