Peachy Keene Kolsch

Beer Name: Peachy Keene Kolsch
Brewery: Elm City Brewing Company
ABV: Unknown
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I suppose I have to admit something: I am a sucker for beers with silly puns or wordplay in their names. This is 100% of the reason why I have a bottle in the fridge with a label that says "Hoptimus Prime" on it. Assuming you don't hate hops, how can you pass up something like that? I know I couldn't. As such, I was also unable to resist a beer with the name Peachy Keene.

Peachy Keene Kolsch is a dark golden beer. Not dark like a brown ale or anything, but noticeably darker than the Raspberry Wheat. There wasn't really any head on this one, but that seems to be typical of particularly fruity beers. There also wasn't any lacing to speak of. The beer has an extremely peachy aroma. If you like the smell of peaches, this is the beer for you.

Peaches dominate the flavor here. It's pretty much all peach all the time, from the first sip to the last. I like peaches, so this is a good thing in my book. It's also nice that, while sweet, it's not a sickly sweetness and it's not sticky. The beer is very smooth, with very low carbonation. It's not quite as sweet as a soda, but it's close. The finish is clean, and there is not much of an aftertaste.

Final thought - I liked this beer a lot. Kate was skeptical of me ordering a Kolsch, but not everything has to be a stout, porter or IPA for me to drink it. I am a diverse beer drinker, dammit, and people need to recognize this. I am glad I got this, and give it a full recommendation. Unless you don't like peach, in which case stay far, far away.

-Jon

Gold Spike

Beer Name: BBC Gold Spike
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company
ABV: 4.2%
Serving method: 16-oz pint
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I guess that this beer continues the theme of railroads that Steel Rail started.

Gold Spike is a light golden yellow color with a slight head that is very short-lasting. I had it in a weird glass, and it didn't leave much lacing behind. The smell was similar to the smell of most mainstream beers, like Bud, Miller, or Coors Light(s).

This beer tasted like it smelled, which means it tasted like the basic offerings from the big American macrobreweries. Although Anheuser-Busch is now owned by InBev, so is that still an American company? Who cares, as that is not relevant to this discussion. The point is that this tastes like a slightly more beer-y version of those beers. I bet that Dave would like it, especially if we told him that it was Bud Light draft.

Final thought - I am not a big fan of those crappy Light beers. Obviously I'll drink them at places like the Festa or keg parties or while I'm playing a little pong, but in those situations, the idea is to drink as much as possible. If I'm relaxing with a beer, I want something with more flavor. Kathryn said she'd drink it again, so it looks like we have a hung jury here. Looks like you'll have to try it for yourself.

-Jon