Pub House Ale I The Publican House Brewery
Peterborough, Canada
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: n/a
Style: Kolsch
Colour: Christmas time
Price: $2.80
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: n/a
Style: Kolsch
Colour: Christmas time
Price: $2.80
I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I bought it because it's called Pub House Ale, only to find out that it's a Kolsch. No offense to Kolsch's (think Beau's LugTread or Big Rig Gold) everywhere, they're decent beers but just not my favourite style. However, Pub House Ale is easily the best Kolsch I've had, so good in fact that I'd actually buy it for regular drinking purposes, rather than just for the sake of writing a review.
Pub House Ale almost drinks more like an English pale ale than a Kolsch, with the pilsner-like characteristics taking a back seat, or at least sharing the front seat, with a surprisingly full malt profile. The result is a semi-sweet and gloriously biscuity Kolsch that's less coppery than most of its kin. There's also some fruitiness in there as well, along with just a bit of hop crispness at the end. Overall there's a lot of complexity here but it's all very subtle and perfectly balanced, creating what can only be described as the tastiest and most easy drinking Kolsch that I've ever laid lips on. Pub House Ale's drinkability is also aided by a smoothness and softness of mouth-feel that's almost unheard of in a Kolsch or pilsner. The beer is light but the body is full, there's no hollowing out at any point and the carbonation is absolutely perfect, even though it's noticeably less robust than most beers in this or any similar styles.
When doing some research on Pub House Ale, I discovered that it won a Gold Medal in 2014 at the Ontario Brewing Awards in the Lagered Ale category. This made me feel way better about the fact that I loved this beer so much. How it didn't even medal in 2015 is a mystery to me, considering that Sleeman Cream Ale won bronze. Sleeman Cream Ale? What the fuck?
Pub House Ale almost drinks more like an English pale ale than a Kolsch, with the pilsner-like characteristics taking a back seat, or at least sharing the front seat, with a surprisingly full malt profile. The result is a semi-sweet and gloriously biscuity Kolsch that's less coppery than most of its kin. There's also some fruitiness in there as well, along with just a bit of hop crispness at the end. Overall there's a lot of complexity here but it's all very subtle and perfectly balanced, creating what can only be described as the tastiest and most easy drinking Kolsch that I've ever laid lips on. Pub House Ale's drinkability is also aided by a smoothness and softness of mouth-feel that's almost unheard of in a Kolsch or pilsner. The beer is light but the body is full, there's no hollowing out at any point and the carbonation is absolutely perfect, even though it's noticeably less robust than most beers in this or any similar styles.
When doing some research on Pub House Ale, I discovered that it won a Gold Medal in 2014 at the Ontario Brewing Awards in the Lagered Ale category. This made me feel way better about the fact that I loved this beer so much. How it didn't even medal in 2015 is a mystery to me, considering that Sleeman Cream Ale won bronze. Sleeman Cream Ale? What the fuck?
